How does a giant lightning bolt affect the mind and the body? Survivors often look normal. But that doesn’t mean they feel normal.
Being struck by lightning is rare but extremely dangerous. Many people ask: what does a person feel when lightning hits them, and is survival possible?
What it feels like to be hit by lightning
It’s hard to grasp how a lightning strike reshapes a person’s sense of chance and fate. It’s even harder to imagine what it feels like to be struck four times.
A defibrillator directs up to 1,000 volts into a patient’s heart; prisoners executed in the electric chair typically receive about 2,000 volts. By contrast, a typical lightning strike can carry 100 million volts or more. The strike, however, passes through the body in milliseconds, which often spares catastrophic internal damage. Some people lose consciousness instantly after a strike. Others , as if in slow motion: a flash of light that blinds the eye; a sound survivors describe as the loudest thing they’ve ever heard. For some, the pain is unbearable; for others, there is no pain at all. Some feel an overwhelming surge of adrenaline; others experience intense throbbing and burning from head to toe.
Can you survive a lightning strike?
In the U.S., the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are about one in 1.2 million. Still, some people somehow keep getting struck repeatedly.
Despite the enormous power of the discharge, many people survive lightning strikes. That’s because the current travels through the body so fast—fractions of a second—that it doesn’t always cause fatal damage to internal organs.
At the same time, consequences can be serious: from loss of consciousness and burns to damage to the and long-lasting cognitive problems. Some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder and ongoing health issues.
Survival depends on factors such as:
- the type of strike (direct or indirect)
- where the person is located
- the path the current takes through the body
“It’s like it’s hunting me”: the man struck by lightning four times
A man who has been hit by lightning four times says he feels like “a completely different person” after what he’s been through.
Sawmill worker Gary Reynolds, from Connecticut, first suffered a powerful electric discharge in 2007 and was struck most recently in 2022, enduring a series of severe physical and emotional injuries.
When it happened the first time, Reynolds was walking to his garage to grab a soda from the fridge. He ended up in the hospital and had surgery, after which he couldn’t get out of bed for months because of intense pain. He had trouble concentrating and performing simple everyday tasks—doctors link that to that arise after neurological damage. “You look the same on the outside, but inside you feel like a different person,” he said.
Reynolds was diagnosed with , and 11 months later he was struck again. Gary woke around 2 a.m. with a pulsing headache near the open window of his bedroom and felt a wave run down his arm. Half his arm immediately turned red.
Reynolds remembered that he still hadn’t paid the bills for his previous treatment, so he couldn’t seek medical help that time. That decision led to a rapid decline in his condition. He experienced dizziness and couldn’t hold his chainsaw. His wife stopped sympathizing because he “still hadn’t recovered.” The couple eventually divorced after 20 years of marriage.
After a string of dramatic events, Reynolds decided to move to North Carolina. But lightning found him there too—once in 2016 at his mountainside home, and again in 2022 while he was watching TV on the couch with his grandchildren.
“It feels like it’s looking for me. Like a living, breathing thing,” Reynolds told his therapist.
What a lightning strike does to the body and brain
How severe a lightning injury is depends largely on how the electricity enters the body, where it hits, and the path the current takes. Direct strikes can be lethal, but most strikes are indirect—side flashes from nearby trees, current traveling through the ground, or an upward spark—and people can survive these.
In some cases damage is obvious right away. Lightning is not only blindingly bright and deafeningly loud, it’s also extremely hot. The air temperature around a strike can be up to five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. The shock wave can hurl a victim a long distance, breaking bones and causing a concussion. The electrical current can leave mysterious, scar-like patterns on some victims’ skin—these marks are sometimes called Lichtenberg figures—and proper in the hours after the injury is critical.
Those lightning “signatures” can fade within a few days, and no one knows exactly why. Survivors often look normal on the outside. That doesn’t mean they feel normal on the inside.
Experts estimate about 240,000 people worldwide are injured by lightning each year, and roughly 10 percent of those die.
Lightning facts that will surprise you
- Lightning can strike the same place multiple times. Tall buildings and towers, for example, can take dozens of hits each year.
- One lightning discharge can stretch for several kilometers, and in some so-called “gigantic flashes” it can travel over 100 km.
- Lightning doesn’t only occur during rain—sometimes it strikes 10–15 km away from the storm front, when the sky overhead looks clear.
- Ball lightning is a rare, still poorly understood phenomenon. It can appear as a glowing ball and float through the air for several seconds.
- About 40–50 lightning strikes hit the Earth every second.
- Lightning can not only kill or injure but also temporarily “restart” the heart—this is why immediate resuscitation is sometimes required after a strike.
- Clothing or metal objects on a person don’t “attract” lightning, but they can change the nature of the injuries.
How to protect yourself from lightning
During a thunderstorm, follow basic safety rules: a lightning strike can be deadly even from a distance.
Key safety tips:
- Avoid open spaces. Fields, beaches, and hilltops are the most dangerous places during a storm.
- Don’t shelter under a lone tree. Tall objects often become lightning targets.
- Stay away from water. Rivers, lakes, and pools conduct electricity well.
- Avoid metal objects. Bikes, fences, and tools can conduct current.
- Remain inside a building or vehicle. A closed structure or car is one of the safest places during a storm.
- Don’t use electrical appliances. Lightning can travel through power lines into your home.
If you are caught outside during a storm:
- Crouch down, keep your feet together, and lower your head
- Do not lie flat on the ground—this increases the risk of being hit by ground current
- Keep distance from other people
What to do if someone is struck by lightning
A lightning strike is an emergency that requires immediate help. How quickly you act can make the difference between life and death.
What to do first:
- Make sure the scene is safe. Before approaching the victim, confirm the storm no longer poses a threat to you.
- Call emergency services. Even if the victim appears conscious, lightning injuries can be serious.
- Check breathing and pulse. If the person is not breathing, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately.
- Do not be afraid to touch the victim. No electrical charge remains on the body—touching the person is safe.
- Treat burns and injuries. If possible, cover burns with a clean cloth and keep the victim calm and still.
Frequently asked questions about lightning
Can a person survive a lightning strike?
Yes. Most people survive, but they often suffer serious injuries.
How many volts are in lightning?
Up to about 100 million volts.
What are the consequences of a lightning strike?
Burns, nervous system damage, and memory problems.
Why can lightning strike the same place more than once?
Because of local conditions or sheer chance.
Photo: Unsplash
