Video from Staten Island shows a man remarkably surviving a lightning strike. So, why do some people survive a lightning strike while others do not?Because ever
Video from Staten Island shows a man remarkably surviving a lightning strike. So, why do some people survive a lightning strike while others do not?
Because every strike is different. But perhaps the biggest surprise is that the survival rate is much higher than you might expect. According to the CDC, nearly 90% of lightning-strike victims survive, although some are left with long-term injuries.
Lightning can heat the surrounding air to around 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit and carry an incredibly powerful electrical current. But here's something working in a victim's favor: the electrical discharge is extremely brief.
How the current travels through the body also matters. Sometimes, part of the electrical current can "flash over" the body's surface instead of traveling through deeper tissues. That can reduce the amount of energy passing through vital organs and improve the chances of survival.
When victims are far less fortunate, one of the greatest dangers is the electrical current disrupting the heart or nervous system. In fact, cardiac arrest is the most common cause of death from a lightning strike.
In this case, the Staten Island man survived without even suffering visible burns, he did, however, get a little muddy.
