Cow hit by lightning

[Brad from Georgia]

You know, thinking about it, I wonder how rare lightning strikes really are. Our niece was once struck as she got out of her car--she had nasty burns all down her side, but she lived. My writing partner Tom Fuller was knocked unconscious at an SCA event by a lightning strike and lived, though for a while he had difficulty hearing. I wasn't struck directly, but I got some kind of surge shock once when a nearby bolt of lightning somehow electrified the pool of water that a storm had poured into our living room (I was running the wet/dry vac and thought the storm was completely past, but it had a Parthain shot left in its quiver).

[firefighter_raven]

Originally Posted by Latiam

There is a lot of variability with lightning strikes.

When I was in First Aid and we were learning triage, people with CPR always went last, unless they had been struck by lightning - because it is apparently much easier to restart someone's heart from a lightning strike than from other failures.

As One-Fang said when you get struck by lightning it throws the hearts electrical systems out of whack causing the nodes the help trigger the contractions of the chambers of the heart in the correct order and timing. By defibrillating the heart it can cause it to "reset" and work correctly. In that case you are basically fixing the problem that is causing the person to need CPR... in most other cases(sometimes opening their airway can work too) there is some other problem that caused the heart to stop that needs to be addressed to restart the heart and that can use up to much time of a rescuer that could of been used to save several other patients.

[Seburiel]

Originally Posted by Radical Dory

How have we gotten this far in the thread without a joke about preferring their beef more well done?

That's a tender subject!
-S.

Not sure if you can count on that, but I heard a story in my grandfather's village about a horse that was hit by lightning and lived, though it needed a lot of caring.

I do not think it is impossible, as the story was told by more than one person. They said the cow was hit by lightning on the field.

[Latiam]

Originally Posted by firefighter_raven

As One-Fang said when you get struck by lightning it throws the hearts electrical systems out of whack causing the nodes the help trigger the contractions of the chambers of the heart in the correct order and timing. By defibrillating the heart it can cause it to "reset" and work correctly. In that case you are basically fixing the problem that is causing the person to need CPR... in most other cases(sometimes opening their airway can work too) there is some other problem that caused the heart to stop that needs to be addressed to restart the heart and that can use up to much time of a rescuer that could of been used to save several other patients.

Okay, I think you're just elucidating my point and agreeing, yes?

There's the also the issue that once you start CPR you are not supposed to stop until a) you are physically incapable of going on from exhaustion or b) someone arrives who can take over from you.

[firefighter_raven]

Originally Posted by Latiam

Okay, I think you're just elucidating my point and agreeing, yes?

There's the also the issue that once you start CPR you are not supposed to stop until a) you are physically incapable of going on from exhaustion or b) someone arrives who can take over from you.

yes I was... mostly for others that haven't taken classes that teach this.

[Diabolus Ex Deus]

My father was struck by lightning. He survived with literally no ill effects. I guess it just depends on a number of factors

[Viliphied]

Originally Posted by lezaps

If you create a current of more than 50 mA, crossing the heart, the animal is dead (and heart is between front and rear legs).

Mostly but not quite. 50-150 mA crossing the heart is deadly, but more, oddly enough, isn't. Once you get up above ~1A though, injuries start to become pretty serious.

My uncle was hit by lightning last year. He was home alone, coming into the house when it hit him. He didn't go to the hospital because there was no one to drive him.
He's still alive, the only injury he got from it was a scar on his finger where the lightning left him. I suppose he's one of the lucky ones though.