Amid many people having the fear of being struck by lightning, some don't really know how it feels in real life. However, there are survivors after being hit by lightning that wants to inform others what it really feels aside from the pain.
According to Quartz, 90 percent of the people struck by lightning survives. Most of the effects experienced by the body that is identified by the survivors were seizures, cardiac arrest, dizziness, anxiety, and headaches. Other drastic effects were also stated to be personality changes, memory problems, distractibility, chronic pain, deafness and pain in their burned skin areas that they have experienced.
"If you've ever put your finger in a light socket as a kid, multiply that feeling by a gazillion throughout your entire body," Justin Gauger, a survivor after being struck by lightning described. Gauger mentioned that after being struck he couldn’t move a muscle since he is experiencing excruciating pain. Stories by lightning survivors other than Gauger were detailed in Charlotte Huff’s work under the title “This is what happens when you get struck by lightning.”
With that said, it was also identified that lightning is the reason for 4,000 deaths worldwide annually as a report from 26 countries specified. Survivors were also said to attend the Lightning Strike & Electric Shock Survivors International event to tell others about their stories as well. The conference which exists since the 1990s was founded by Steve Marshburn.
Newser then reported that information gathered about being struck by lightning as of now is only little due to lack of research funds. However, researchers managed to discover that electricity from lightning surrounds the body in flash and when it comes into contact with sweat or raindrops on skin, it may cause a vapor explosion that tears clothes off.
Ron Holle, a US meteorologist then described that lightning starts from 15,000 to 25,000 feet above the earth’s surface. The lightning then descends into Earth rapidly due to its nature to search something that it could connect with instantly as it reaches 50 meters from the ground.
Nonetheless, when a person is struck by lightning it becomes life-threatening as it is mentioned to possibly enter the eyes, ears, and mouth to reach the brain and heart. Amid tales of survivors, the mystery behind the effects of being struck by lightning will still remain as stated by Huff.
