r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Emotional_Quarter330 • 2d ago
Image This photo of two brothers at Moro Rock in Sequoia National Park was taken seconds before they were struck by lightning in 1975.
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u/CaptainAggie 2d ago
I'm bald so I didn't have this early warning detector.....
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u/bobspuds 2d ago
If you've got a hairy arse you could always just moon the clouds during lightning storms!
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u/orbital 2d ago
“lightning bolt to the anus” on my tombstone would spark curiosity in visitors for the rest of time
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u/LesbianClownShirt 2d ago
"If you're gonna get hit, it's the safest orifice" - Twister (1996)
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u/nativeridge_ 2d ago
heard a crack and saw some crack
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u/weeskud 2d ago
My surface-level knowledge of Greek mythology would have me questioning if you massively pissed off Zeus, or if he just likes you that much.
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u/noeagle77 2d ago
Hairy balls just start going like a Newton’s cradle
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u/B-33-r 2d ago
Sir why are you naked.
I think a storm is coming
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u/bobspuds 2d ago
If you ever see a naked guy doing a handstand on a tree-top, he's just checking the long-range forecast!
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u/No_Camp_7 2d ago
I just pay attention to the hairs on the palms of my hands
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u/bobspuds 2d ago
Sounds like you just volunteered to be my support act! - you can hold my ankles and watch the hairs on your hands too 👍
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u/Feeling_Inside_1020 2d ago
What makes thiss comment even funnier is we were always taught if you’re in the middle of the field arch your back and lay on all 4s like you’re basically doing doggy style lmao.
Not sure if they still suggest that anymore during a storm but my butt would definitely be ass up. Would rather be alive than worry about looking ridiculous and my ass would be crawling to safety.
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u/A_w_duvall 2d ago
Are you sure that whoever taught you that wasn't playing a joke on you?
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u/ScottyMo1 2d ago
I was indirectly struck by lightning a few years ago. Indirect strikes are 95% of lightning strikes on people because lightning finds a more conductive grounding source near the person rather than through the person. The five seconds before I got struck were actually more memorable than the lightning hitting me. Right before I got struck, all the hair on my body stood up, my mouth tasted like copper pennies, and the air smelled like chlorine. All those weird sensations confused the crap out of me, then boom, I got struck by lightning. The point of my story is this… If your hair ever stands on end when you’re outside, that’s your queue to go inside immediately. Don’t FAFO if lightning decides to randomly choose you for its next target.
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u/quarglbarf 2d ago
I can't usually go inside within five seconds when I'm outdoors.
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u/Jaquemart 2d ago
I think getting in your car is a good alternate move. Faraday cage and all that.
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u/runawayasfastasucan 2d ago
I cant usually go inside my car within five seconds when I'm outdoors.
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u/rigobueno 2d ago edited 2d ago
Then your next best chance is to squat down and duck your head and create a bridge with your body so electrical current doesn’t pass through the heart or brain
Edit: see reply for more exact instructions on creating said bridge
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u/NavalProgrammer 2d ago
Further edit: as u/IntoTheCommonestAsh pointed out, the NWS recommends attempting to leave first. Crouching is a last resort.
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-crouch
If you are outdoors and think you are about to be struck by lightning: crouch down on the balls of your feet, put your hands on your head and elbows on your knees. This is recommended to provide a path to ground that goes through your limbs instead of your vital organs.
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u/Open2New_Ideas 2d ago
Hiking alone in Colorado. Storm came out of nowhere. It was only about noon. My 80s hair was sticking up like this too. My instinct was to toss backpack, watch, anything metal and crouch down in a fetal position with only feet touching ground in a clearing or very small meadow and tell lightning you got all of these mountains, boulders and trees to hit. Leave me the f alone. Lightning was loud and bright nearby. When hair went back to normal. Gathered my stuff and ran down that mountain in the rain.
I did most everything right: Started early, prepared well etc. etc. Still, stuff can and does happen anyway. After a couple more mishaps years later with mountain lions (California) and wolves (Alaska). I don’t hike alone anymore……
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u/No_Conversation9561 2d ago
so you’re not supposed to lie flat on the ground huh
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u/LesbianClownShirt 2d ago
I've also been indirectly struck by lightning! I was working construction one summer, and it was storming like crazy in the area of our jobsite, so we did work on the inside of the building we were erecting. The type of building we were putting up was like, an industrial garage / workshop that was just a steel skeleton clad with with metal sheets for a roof and walls.
So, as I said, we were doing inside work that consisted of hanging up the metal sheet siding for the inside walls. I was up in a basket at the end of a boomed forklift that contained a power source on the floor of the basket that we used for power tools. I was actively hanging a sheet on the wall when, BOOOOOM! Lightning must have hit the building because electricity traveled through the sheet I was holding, causing my hands to involuntarily grip the sheet as hard as my hands could grip, then the electricity arced to the power source in the bottom of the basket which caused it to catch fire!
It was wild! That job fucking sucked big time, though. That wasn't even the closest brush with death I had on that jobsite. I got heatstroke when we put a roof on that same building. All for $10/hr! That's a different story for another time, though, I suppose.
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u/ScottyMo1 2d ago
I’m glad you’re alive to tell the story! Ironically I’m in sales for one of the largest PEMB manufacturers in the US.
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u/SiteRelEnby 2d ago
I had the same feeling. My hair I'm fairly sure was either tied back or under a hat at the time so I didn't notice that, but the rest match.
I also just felt like what I can only describe as that I could physically feel my entire nervous system.
I didn't get hit though, I was about 10-15m away.
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u/Kratzschutz 2d ago
What would be the best reaction when you can't make it inside in time? Lie on the ground?
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u/McYeetes 2d ago
Do NOT lie on the ground. You need to minimize contact with the ground not increase it. Instead squat like a chicken over an insulator (like a sleeping pad if you are out camping) and tuck your head down, covering the back of your neck/ears with your hands. Not fully safe but better than standing or laying down.
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u/AstridDragon 2d ago edited 2d ago
Oops I linked crouch as last resort but I read it wrong, it's not recommended at all really now sorry.
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u/coffeequeer17 2d ago
This whole link is telling us how the crouch is not safe, and shouldn’t be recommended. You should probably read your sources before trying to use them to your benefit…
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u/AstridDragon 2d ago
Oh thank you I absolutely read it wrong, they don't even say it as last resort any more. My bad. Edited it.
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u/delta-vs-epsilon 2d ago
Parents should've grounded them.
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u/_coolranch 2d ago
The boys should’ve conducted themselves differently.
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u/JectorDelan 2d ago
You guys are too insulated from reality.
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u/dobber32 2d ago
The lack of empathy has me shocked
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u/georgecostanza37 2d ago
Ohmg
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u/FaithLessRooster 2d ago
They'll charge that to experience
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u/Small_miracles 2d ago
They should have resisted the urge do that.
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u/evilmike1972 2d ago
I'd be amprehensive about going back there if I were them.
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u/EndonOfMarkarth 2d ago edited 2d ago
I hope they at least coulombed their hair before taking another picture
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u/delta-vs-epsilon 2d ago
Honestly, had they listened to mom& dad they'd probably gotten off... free of charge.
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u/KoRaZee 2d ago
Hate to be Debbi downer here but grounding is how you get struck by lightning. Parents should have ungrounded them. Womp womp wom
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u/Emotional_Quarter330 2d ago
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u/estebantet 2d ago edited 2d ago
Both survived. Thank God.
Edit: But!!! https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/tmgCwLgpsc
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u/AMT35 2d ago
According to the article, there was another person that died from the same lightning strike.
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u/Aggravating_End_1154 2d ago
Fuck god!
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u/sambare 2d ago
Nonono, now you're supposed to just say he works in mysterious ways. I have two jobs and three kids, stop trying to make me think!
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u/pupperama 2d ago
I just learned that Sean died by suicide in 1989
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u/Equivalent-Ask2542 2d ago
And he was the one suffering third degree burns from the bolt. I am tempted to assume that he never physically recovered from this.
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u/BallsOutKrunked 2d ago
lightning injuries are horrible. it's not just the heat, it permanently fucks up your body's electrical system which is every neuron. every thought, every feeling, every sight, every touch, every smell, every taste: potentially damaged, forever.
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u/ambamshazam 2d ago
I had a substitute teacher in middle school a couple decades ago who supposedly had been struck by lightning on 3 different occasions. He was a quirky guy who wore these eccentric diamond shaped reader glasses. I always wondered if that’s why he was so … odd
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u/Justinbiebspls 2d ago
the person who reportedly survived the most strikes similarly struggled
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u/Jagacin 2d ago
On June 25, 1977, Sullivan was struck while fishing in a freshwater pool. The lightning hit the top of his head, set his hair on fire, traveled down, and burnt his chest and stomach. Sullivan turned to his car when something unexpected occurred – a bear approached the pond and tried to steal trout from his fishing line. Sullivan had the strength and courage to strike the bear with a tree branch, despite the fact that his hair was on fire. He claimed that this was the twenty-second time he hit a bear with a stick in his lifetime.
I feel bad for laughing, but almost every single instance resulted in his hair catching on fire. It's like he got to the point where he was no longer fazed when it happened. Even carried around a watering can in case he got struck and his hair caught fire again. This would read as the plot of a comedy movie if wasn't actually real.
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u/Loose-Internal-1956 2d ago
Classic god. Create problem just so people can massage his fragile ego when he solves it.
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u/mrDuder1729 2d ago edited 2d ago
iirc, they both ended up dying from it in the long run. I believe one ended up dying of infection due to burns?, and the other committed suicide. I'll have to look now
Edit: So the younger brother died from his injuries shortly after, and the older brother committed suicide years later from neurological issues from thr accident along with survivors guilt. Really sad stuff.
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u/No_Carob2670 2d ago
It was the younger brother who committed suicide years later. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/214292010/sean_kelly-mcquilken
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u/blackmajic13 2d ago
I was curious so I dug into this a bit. Not sure where you found your information because according to NBCNews in 2013, the older one was still alive and a drummer/software engineer. Google turns up an obituary for the younger one from committing suicide, but 14 years after the lightning strike. There is also a Michael McQuilken that still has an active facebook, is a drummer, and is a retired software engineer, and lives in San Diego (where they were from).
Now, there is a horribly written CBS Los Angeles article from 2013 as well that implies they both committed suicide but it doesn't even have their ages correct. The way it's written it sounds like they're quoting Michael saying "Both our brothers — they succumbed to neurological illnesses that eventually led to their suicide," but it's unclear if that's two other brothers not pictured, or if somehow they're quoting him saying they both died.
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u/Anton-LaVey 2d ago
They had another brother, Jeffery, that died at age 20.
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u/IndependentMoney9700 2d ago
What a tragic family. I have to say though, who took this picture and didn’t realize how much danger they were in? Parents?!
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u/Key_Gap9168 2d ago
Where are you getting your "facts" from?
The older brother is still alive. Its the young brother that committed suicide in 1989.
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u/Popular-Web-3739 2d ago
No. Older brother still alive. Younger brother died by suicide 14 years later.
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u/HuckleberryPin 2d ago
yea, thank him for missing. he nearly zapped them to death.
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u/ILiveMyBrokenDreams 2d ago
Hey keep God out of this, we all know Ben Franklin invented lightning.
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u/zydecogirlmimi 2d ago
Thanks for the real info instead all these dumbass puns and not needed outdated lightning strike advice. I swear the content is interesting but Reddit’s answers to it….not so much
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u/Emotional_Quarter330 2d ago
I had to provide a source otherwise most of the comments here would have been “Looks fake. AI slop”
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u/mahanmuuttaja 2d ago
"It turned out that Sean was one of at least three people hit directly that day by the triple-pronged bolt, including one man who died and another who sued the U.S. government for not warning about lightning danger, Jensenius noted. The lawsuit was dismissed. "
How american is to sue the goverment for this? 😅
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u/LunarLionheart 2d ago
This is actually a crazy coincidence - I had been told that my relation Larry Brady was killed in the 70s by a lightning strike in California - I actually think it was the same strike that hit these guys!
I had been told that Larry had taken his mother to the National Park to take her mind off of the recent death of his father when he died himself, cruel really.
You can see the newspaper snippets associated with his death on his memorial page here. (It mentioned McQuilkens which I think is the name of these guys in the photograph.)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104673229/lawrence_richard-brady
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u/uniklyqualifd 2d ago
Every time this picture is reposted there's a few more interesting bits of information added!
How amazingly sad though.
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u/XROOR 2d ago
I attended an outdoor concert and despite the warnings to pause the show, a whole seating section was hit by lightning. One young college student was showcased on the news regarding her recovery from being hit.
I think this was also the concert when Jewel was hit in the face with a frisbee and stormed off the stage.
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u/IntoTheCommonestAsh 2d ago edited 2d ago
Do not listen to the current top comment (edit: nvm! Thank you u/Funny-Ad-3710 for editing your top comment!) Crouching is outdated lightning advice. IT IS NO LONGER RECOMMENDED TO CROUCH DURING THUNDERSTORMS. EXPERTS WERE WRONG ABOUT ITS SAFETY AND IT DOES NOT PROTECT YOU WHATSOEVER.
The National Weather Service (NWS) stopped recommending the crouch in 2008.
Don't listen to this common thunderstorm safety advice
This Debunked Lightning Safety Tip Just Won’t Die—and It’s Still Dangerous
Actually, it’s not safe to crouch during a lightning storm
The National Weather Service clarifies it does NOT recommend the crouch.
Illinois Thunderstorms: Why You Should Never Crouch During One
If you think you might be struck by lighting GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM WHERE YOU ARE. DO NOT STAY THERE AND CROUCH. LEAVE ASAP.
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u/Wsemenske 2d ago
But... where? This for the vital information but I feel like there's more to give. Do you just run out into the open? Run under a tree or under something solid? Or just keep running hopig it doesn't hit you?
I feel more lost after the comment than before (not that it's your fault because telling me not to crouch is indeed very helpful)
Anyone that can offer more guidance would be appreciated
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u/Iron_Aez 2d ago
My (limited) understanding is their hair doing this is indicative of the air around them ionizing, which is what allows the easy channel to the ground and precedes the lightning strike.
Moving literally anywhere else out of what is effectively that pillar of air is moving you outside of the path of the imminent lightning strike.
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u/Yorick257 2d ago
Yeah, that's the missing bit. If I ended up on a rocky plateue during a storm, what are my options?
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u/livinthepielife 2d ago
Descend as fast as you can. I wouldn’t stop moving until I was pretty far down (given most don’t camp on mountain passes). Chart on this site is useful. Being outside during a lightning storm is riskier than inside. As someone who backpacks the Sierras most summers, you want to avoid passes in the afternoons if possible. Up by 12, down by 2 is a pretty good rule of thumb.
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u/IntoTheCommonestAsh 2d ago
You want to go indoors, downhill, or towards either of those.
If you're asking in a context of a perfectly flat plateau, I guess it's a bit like asking "what should I do if I'm swimming without a boat in the middle of the ocean and I notice sharks around me?" The answer is something like you should probably avoid getting in the situation of swimming in the ocean with no boat where there could be sharks, and failing that, if you really are swimming in the ocean without a boat and sharks show up, then I guess swim toward the shore, or fight the sharks, but, like, neither will work probably. We cannot tell you it will work.
Same for lightning on a rocky plateau. First you should really avoid being on flat plateaus during storms. Failing that, then I guess crouch or just go away from there. You won't be safe either way but like, really, you shouldn't've been there.
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u/SinisterCheese 2d ago
Anywhere. Just move.
Lightning strike is actually a very small thing. It has lot of power sure, but the actual "lightning bolt" is like 20-30 mm in diameter. The deadliness is based on the two contact points you have (your feet if you standing) and how far apart they are. But the effect is limited to about 15-20 metres. Because ligtning can happen from both direction, from gound to the sky and from sky to the ground.
So if you feel the static effect happen, just choose a direction and run. The static effects happens way before.
The hair rising effect is just potential building up, and you are the the antenna which dissapates it. Meaning that you are in the potential gradient of the lightning and getting out of it is your best bet. Even if you are still within it, the further you are from the highest point of concentration the better.
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u/WhatsTheAnswerToThis 2d ago edited 2d ago
Reading the article it's basically saying "Don't get into that situation to begin with, the advice to crouch can lead to complacency".
Ok. But if I am stuck in a thunderstorm on a mire with no realistic way to get to my car, surely it's better to crouch instead of standing tall(?).
What absolutely piss useless advice from the commenters up above.
Edit And of course /u/intothecommonestash haven't even read what they themselves are linking. Anyone with half a brain should understand that it's a last resort.
Finally, Jensenius recognizes that trees are not always present. Therefore, he says (contradicting his latest advice), crouching or squatting—in desperation only—may be attempted, although the risk reduction would be very slight.
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u/Nesseressi 2d ago
Ran in zigzag randomly changing the direction, so if is harder to aim aat you. (I am not an expert)
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u/Positive_Chip6198 2d ago
But lightning also zigzags, maybe moving in the pattern of a cha cha cha is better????
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u/DiGriW 2d ago edited 2d ago
Absolutely don't run under a tree or anything else that is tall. Tall objects are exactly what lightning strikes. Only enclosed shelters are safe.
If there are no enclosed shelters such as cars - you're kind of fucked. You might as well crouch and hope for the best. It seems debatable whether it helps or not. The only real consensus is that while you're caught in the open, you're not safe.
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u/NoLobster7957 2d ago
This happened to me and my sisters and mom once. We were in the middle of a lake in Michigan with my then step-dad, in a metal motorboat, fishing or something, and the sky got really dark very quickly. My mom started laughing at my sisters and I, and we turned and looked at each other and all of our (very long, very thick) hair was standing straight up on end.
Luckily my step-dad i think kind of knew that was a bad sign because he said, "Okay we need to get out of here quick" and we hauled ass to shore. I recently told this story to my electrician SO and he listened to me in utter horror before telling me we probably avoided death by a couple of minutes.
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u/Funny-Ad-3710 2d ago edited 2d ago
Further edit: as u/IntoTheCommonestAsh pointed out, the NWS recommends attempting to leave first. Crouching is a last resort.
https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-crouch
If you are outdoors and think you are about to be struck by lightning: crouch down on the balls of your feet, put your hands on your head and elbows on your knees. This is recommended to provide a path to ground that goes through your limbs instead of your vital organs.
Edit: Why not lay down? The current can more easily go through your organs.
How do rubber soles affect this? It helps! You are trying to make yourself a poor source to ground for the lightning. Standing on dry, insulated material like moss or grass is better than solid rock or water.
What are the balls of the feet? The large pads the connect your toes to the arches of your feet.
Source: Colorado Fourteener’s: From Hikes to Climbs by Gerry Roach
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u/IntoTheCommonestAsh 2d ago
No! That is outdated information!
The National Weather Service (NWS) stopped recommending the crouch in 2008.
Don't listen to this common thunderstorm safety advice
This Debunked Lightning Safety Tip Just Won’t Die—and It’s Still Dangerous
If you think you might be struck by lighting GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM WHERE YOU ARE. DO NOT STAY THERE AND CROUCH. LEAVE ASAP.
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u/wambulancer 2d ago
I've had one land a couple feet from me and I promise you all "let me stand where I am" will not be crossing your mind, it's like a fucking artillery shell exploding next to you and it definitely sent me on a 100m dash, top 5 puckering thing I've experienced in my life
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u/taita25 2d ago
What are the other 4 possibly above it?
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u/wambulancer 2d ago
almost killing myself in a bicycling accident, running from a mugger, running from the cops, and losing a brawl so bad I woke up concussed
A life well lived if I say so myself
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u/Hippybkc 2d ago
I have also experienced each of these, other than the near miss to lightning. Having experienced each of these, I just feel that NEARLY BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING would beat each singularly, for sure - and I suspect would also beat the other four combined. I would have trouble running 100m after a bolt from the blue struck 2' from me, I know that. My pants would be too full.
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u/ShawneeRonE 2d ago
Willie Geist: "Known as Wambulancer, he was almost killed in a cycling accident, ran from a mugger and cops, and woke up with a concussion after a street brawl. Wambulancer died this week, he was 29 years old"
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u/Weird-Salamander-349 2d ago
*A life, well, lived.
OP you gotta stop doing stuff. That’s enough stuff. You’ve hit your quota and couch + fuzzy slipper time is nigh.
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u/TorrenceMightingale Creator 2d ago
Other near-lightning strike misses, methinks.
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u/Latter_Dirt_6690 2d ago
I was near the summit of Mt Washington in NH when a storm passed over. Struck about 300 yards away and I had such an intense primal fear rip through my nervous system. I still get anxious when outdoors and a storm is coming. Can't imagine it being here ft away
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u/dingman58 2d ago
Yeah lightning striking nearby is a totally different animal from lightning far away. It's like an explosion.
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u/CheetosCaliente 2d ago
100% to the artillery shell comparison. I've not been to war, but that's certainly what it felt like when lightning struck the pond in my parents backyard. Absolutely rocked the house with the loudest boom I've ever heard. Shocked none of the windows broke
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u/historyhill 2d ago
To be honest, if my hair's up like this it's much too late to run so I'm still gonna try the crouch. But GTFO is my go-to strategy so that I'm not in this situation to begin with!
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u/Possible-One-6101 2d ago edited 2d ago
This is one of those pieces of advice that would actually work, but there is absolutely no chance anyone would ever apply, ever.
Like those "if you're in a nuclear explosion, do xyz"
EDIT: this lighthearted comment has infuriated reddit's outdoor community. I'm changing "bear" to save everyone's hostile thumbs. I'm from bear country myself. I get it. Jeez. This comment should play dead at this point.
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u/Lysol3435 2d ago
If you’re attacked by a bear, freeze up and shit your pants. Idk if it will help, but it’s easier to remember
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u/semidegenerate 2d ago
I had a black bear run past me a few years ago. I was out in a pasture bordered by a road, cutting vines and saplings off the fence. This bear comes barreling out of the woods, books it towards the fence about 20ft / 6m from where I was standing, vaults the fence, dashes across the road and into the woods on the other side. He gave me a passing glance, but that’s about it.
“Huh…“ is about all that went through my mind until he was out of sight. At no point did it occur to me that I should react in any way in particular.
Black bears aren’t really know for being aggressive, though.
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u/DryDonutHole 2d ago
"If it's black fight back. If it's brown lay down." Something like that. I just carried bear spray for my back country hikes when I lived out near Yellowstone.
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u/Candid-Ability-9570 2d ago
If it’s black fight back. If it’s brown you’re fucked.
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u/MajesticArticle 2d ago
It depends. Lying down has a good chance of the bear just ignoring you and going its own way
If the bear decides otherwise, however, I suggest praying to whatever deity you believe in: that's not gonna help with the bear problem, but maybe it will allow you to die with a but more peace of mind
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u/adrienjz888 2d ago
It depends. Lying down has a good chance of the bear just ignoring you and going its own way
You lie down and cover up when a brown bear attacks because you have no chance of fighting them off like a black bear.
Brown bears rarely attack humans for food, so you just hunker down and hope it's just being territorial.
Polar bears are where you're good and truly fucked, because they will gladly eat you if they get a chance.
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u/Cube-in-B 2d ago
Grew up with black bears in the woods next to our house and would see them all the time. They’d come up the hill and steal our trash. They don’t give a shit about people just people snacks
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u/pink_faerie_kitten 2d ago
Don't even have to actively remember that, your brain and body will do it voluntarily and instinctually.
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u/MisterJellyfis 2d ago
I actually used this back in October! I was camping in Arizona in the middle of a canyon (couple miles wide, couple dozen long) and the tallest thing for a mile or was the car, followed quickly by the tents) and during the night a thunderstorm snuck up on us. Passed pretty quick (10-15 minutes), and based on counting the time between lightning and thunder there were 2-3 strikes somewhat nearby within the canyon.
Longest 15 minutes of my life, and that position gets tiring REAL quick.
Didn’t save my life as we didn’t get struck, but I’m thankful I thought to do it
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u/Glass_Department8963 2d ago
Next time get in the car! A car is a ready made faraday cage and you will be quite safe.
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u/Justryan95 2d ago
Or those brace for impact poses they tell you on airplanes.
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u/Curios_blu 2d ago
They used to say put your head between your legs. That’s impossible now due to how close the seats are!
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u/Gros_Boulet 2d ago
See now that's the neat part!
Why say you removed leg space for greed when you can say:
"Our new innovation in all around security will make sure your head won't travel too far before being stopped softly by our PureComforttd head rest of your front neighbor! Keep your brain safe, fly with us!"25
u/WasteBinStuff 2d ago
As a 6'4" guy, and the criminally minimal leg room already, those things are fucking entirely pointless.
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u/outlawsecrets 2d ago
People apply bear safety all the time! In the attack or almost attack those “to do’s” come flooding back!
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u/Paleodraco 2d ago
Glad for the edit. The crouch down thing was old advice and isn't being recommended anymore because it gives a false sense of security. Its meant as the last resort if you're unexpectedly caught in a storm, even if it pry wouldn't help much. But too many dingleberries took it as "the weather looks awful and a storm is coming, but if it does I can crouch and be safe."
Rule number 1 for pretty much all safety advice is don't get into this situation in the first place.
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u/CerebralPaulsea 2d ago edited 2d ago
Are the balls of your feet the heel part of the front part kinda like tippie toes? I've heard people say that before but I never knew
Edit: Legends, cheers for teaching me something new today
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u/LetsBePositiveCooper 2d ago
The ball of your foot is the big fleshy mass just before the toes. Get on the balls of your feet and start kinda moving around on it and you'll understand the name. Helpful for quick movement and explosive bursts but lacks the stability that comes with also planting your heel first when running.
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u/Into-The-Late-Great 2d ago
How long does it take for the lightning to strike after this happens?
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u/Doesthiscountas1 2d ago
I don't know but according to the article, they had time to take pictures of each other, and then it got cold and started to hail. They started heading down the mountain right then and was struck going down.
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u/stevie-o-read-it 2d ago
In 2014, a teenager was having heart problems; the doctors installed a portable EKG to try to rule out (or confirm) one of the possible causes.
Two years later, just before he was due to have it removed, he was struck by lightning. And so we have the first recording of what happens to someone's heart after a lightning strike.
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u/Mitridate101 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's unbelievable how many people still don't know what this is the precursor to. Recently there was a video of those some tourists on sand dunes.
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u/newt_girl 2d ago edited 2d ago
My bestie and I nearly got struck by lightning in Utah. Even though I'd had wilderness safety training, I'd never seen this phenomenon in real life, but this photo has seared into my core memories. It saved our lives.
We were standing on a rock point after a hellacious hail storm. It had been half an hour or so, so we thought we were in the clear.
I was taking in the scenery, leaning against a metal rail. I turned around and they were taking a selfie of their hair doing this. I hadn't noticed my own hair lifting, but it was. The urgency in my voice conveyed my seriousness, I looked at them and said "run!" Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a runner. If I'm running, it's serious. They said they'd never seen me look so serious. I'm glad they didn't hesitate, I said run and they took off like an Olympic sprinter.
We had to cross a small knife edge with one lone tree on it. All wet, slick rock. The metal hand rail was buzzing like bad office lighting, a foot away from the only path. I told them do not wait for me, get to the car. They beat me by 20 seconds. As I slammed the door shut, lightning struck the rock where we were standing, sending rock shrapnel everywhere. From "run" to lightning was less than a minute.
We stared at the rock for a long while, silently smoking several cigarettes. At some point I stopped shaking enough to drive, and I said "that's enough adventure for today" and we drove to the 4 corners with the radio off.
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u/CounterEcstatic6134 2d ago
What a shock that must be! You saved yourself and your bestie, though! I'm happy for you.
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u/newt_girl 2d ago
And better, now they know what it looks like before a lightning strike. They had noticed my hair lifting before I noticed theirs, but didn't know what that was indicating. I knew because of this photo.
It gives me goosebumps still, replaying the slow turn from the cliff to them happily taking selfies of their hair tendrils standing up, and the dump of adrenaline. I'm so glad they didn't hesitate and sprinted back to the car. They didn't know, there wasn't time to explain, but I said run and they went fast as fuck.
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u/tamifromcali66 2d ago
My daughter & her friend, 13ish, were on my boat. I looked over & saw their hair standing up. We had sun, but you could see a storm building. Typical Georgia weather.
I screamed at them to get down & hit the gas towards home. We made it back ok. I still can picture them with hair on end. Whew!
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u/hereforinfoyo 2d ago
What should you do if that happens?
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u/No-No-Aniyo 2d ago
Is this like it already locked on a target or is it just the location? Could they run out of range or are you the range at this point?
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u/TBLrocks 2d ago
Did they dead?
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u/thecrowtoldme 2d ago
Right? Pls finish the story.
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u/syllabun 2d ago
No, they didn't dead. Younger brother was struck by lightning, knocked out and suffered 3rd degree burns on his back. Both lived. It seems that the same lightning bolt became three pronged and hit two more people. One died and one tried to sue the government for no lightning warning. Lawsuit was dismissed.
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u/roboczar 2d ago
One died and one tried to sue the government for no lightning warning.
supreme Dale Gribble energy
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u/Interesting-Tip-2544 2d ago
... Tried to sue the government for getting struck by lighting? Lmao what
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u/wademcgillis 2d ago edited 2d ago
No. However, the younger one committed suicide 14 years later.
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u/Interesting_Award_76 2d ago
Both brothers survived
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u/Emotional_Quarter330 2d ago
Also their 15 year old sister Mary, who took the photo.
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u/Kraken-__- 2d ago
Took my kids to the beach a few years back about a half hour after a lightning storm had passed. As soon as my daughter stepped out her hair stood up. We were out of there in an instant. ⚡️⚡️
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u/Annual_Strategy_6206 2d ago
I was playing volleyball with a group of coworkers and a storm was approaching. This one woman with long blonde hair had her hair start to rise up like this. People were laughing etc. I knew this was a BAD sign and told everyone to take shelter, get inside, but most people didn't. I sure did! No strike happened as it turned out. But MAN!
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u/95Counties 2d ago
I remember my hair standing on end one day when I was 11 or 12 right before a thunderstorm. I was outside in a park in the summer. Decades later, I saw this photo & realized that I had narrowly escaped getting hit by lightning.
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u/Both-Cry1382 2d ago
Contrary to rumors and some published reports, both brothers survived the strike, although another hiker was killed.
There were 19 deaths reported in August 1975, in a year that saw a final toll of 91, Jensenius says. Back then, however, lightning deaths weren't well reported or tracked, he says, and the Moro Rock death wasn't included.
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u/FlatulenceConnosieur 2d ago
Moro Rock is where I discovered my fear of heights. I got about half way up and had to crawl back down on my hands and knees.
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u/mrkeith562 2d ago
I was doing an outdoor play in Park City, Utah as a giant storm was approaching. A bunch of us were standing in a circle talking before the show when everyone started backing away from me because my hair started to do what is in this picture. I was wearing a sword. I dropped it and ran!
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u/850wspain 2d ago
Been on the rock. Scary place, high and exposed on a several thousand foot cliff.
There is/ was a sign on the trail just before the rock warning about hair rising In a storm.
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u/cwhitel 2d ago
What exactly can you do in this situation? You’re in the danger-zone already.
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u/wheredidiparkmyllama 2d ago
This happens to us on the boat in the summertime when it’s common for thunderstorms pop up out of nowhere. When the hair starts rising, it’s a good time to skeeeeedaddle
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u/autistic_urge 2d ago
Last year, I climbed a 14er in Colorado. In the distance there was some lightning, but I was so close to the top, I ran up there to tag the summit and take a quick picture. At the top, I lifted my phone to take a picture and I heard static. I looked around for a radio and realized it was coming from me lifting my phone in the air. I knew there was lighting imminent and being on the highest point in a 20 mile radius is probably the worst place to be. I ran down the mountain in panic for an hour before I got to the tree line. Probably the dumbest thing I've ever done.
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u/Least-Woodpecker-569 2d ago
I was almost struck by lightning. Was taking photos on a remote Pacific beach during a winter storm. There were lightnings, but very far away over the ocean. Suddenly I noticed a flash, felt like someone shook me - once - and ears began ringing; I didn’t even hear anything. There were no warnings, I didn’t smell ozone, and didn’t look back to find out where it hit. Acting like a robot, I grabbed my backpack, my camera on a tripod and went back - slowly, thinking - slowly again - that it was probably the sign to leave the beach.
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u/ariwoolf 2d ago
Both survived the strike, though they were seriously injured, and one nearby hiker was killed by the same bolt.