What Does It Look Like When A Person Gets Struck By Lightning?



Check out these awesome images of Lichtenberg figures:

41 42

Check out this awesome YouTube video of trapping lightning in a block:

So, we’ve established Lichtenberg figures are pretty damn cool, but what is perhaps more intriguing is that they can actually occur on people that are struck by lightning. Lightning, which is a huge discharge of static electricity resulting from an imbalance in electrically charged regions between the Earth’s surface and a cloud, is one of the leading causes of weather-related death and injury in the U.S.; between 1959 and 2003, 3, 696 people died from being struck by lightning and although rates are falling around 30 people per year still die from this. Around 10% of lightning-stroke victims die, and 70% will suffer serious long-term problems such brain damage and personality changes.


This striking skin pattern, as pictured below, is likely caused by the rupture of capillaries beneath the skin from the electrical discharge. They are sometimes called “lightning flowers” or “skin feathering” but the medical terms are arborescent (tree-like) erythema or keraunographic markings.


Another man, called Winston Kemp, was struck by lightning back in 2011 whilst saving his pumpkins from a storm. The man, who ironically is an electrician, didn’t even notice he was struck until the marks appeared on his arm around an hour after he returned indoors. His arm then started to feel sore and blisters appeared. His marks lasted for over a month, although they faded within the first month to a pale pink color. 


Although these marks look pretty damn cool, they are extremely rare, and most people come off much worse when struck by lightning! So don’t try to recreate them at home by shocking yourself.