Man Survives Lightning Strike

Mississippi Beach The man was struck by lightning while sitting in a lawn chair on the beach near Pass Christian.

by The Associated Press/WKRG Staff

Published: Tue, August 04, 2009 - 5:30 pm CST

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (AP) - A 46-year-old man is in stable
condition at a hospital after being struck by lightning while
sitting in a lawn chair on the beach near Pass Christian.
The man's name hasn't been released, but officials say he had
visible wounds to the top and side of his head. He was sitting near
U.S. Highway 90 in the Henderson Point community when he was struck
by lightning on Sunday.
He was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital in Gulfport.
Medical personnel called the sheriff's department at 12:56 p.m.
Harrison County Sheriff's Maj. Ron Pullen said the man later
told authorities it had just started raining when the lightning
bolt struck.

LIGHTNING SAFETY
Don't get caught outdoors. Move inside.
If caught outdoors, get inside of a hard-top vehicle, or crouch low on the ground away from tall isolated objects. There's no guarantee that crouching will help you so running to a permanent building or hard-topped vehicle is good advice.
Don't hide under tall isolated trees or near power lines, fences, heavy machinery, water, or train tracks.
Don't use a phone with cord during lightning.
Listen to your weather radio to find out if storms my be severe.
Don't shower or use other plumbing in lightning storms.
More than 80% of lightning victims are men who stay outdoors rather than going inside. Many of these men are campers, golfers, boaters and fishermen, or men who do yard work or roof work. There's a special lightning safety webpage just for kids. Visit the National Lightning Safety Institute or the Lightning Protection Institute for more safety information. Find plenty of general lightning information from the National Weather Service.
See real-time lightning strikes around the country from the US Lightning Protection Network.
The heat from lightning can actually turn dry, sandy soil into branching tubes of glass. These fragile items are called fulgurites and they form in the ground.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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