Slush Pile: Wrong place to be during a thunder

2007 Slush Pile

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Wrong place to be during a thunder

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

There are many well known rules what you should do and what not during a thunder storm. Quite a bit of that stuff is urban legend and may cause more harm than good, like taking cover under certain types of trees while avoiding others. Actually true is to keep away from any tree since they tend to be likely places for a lightning bolt to hit and putting a few kiloamperes through a tree usually makes the trunk explode.

Not touching anything metal during a thunder storm is something my grandma warned me against. While that may be a bit overdone when you are inside a building it is definitely a good rule not to carry an umbrella or lean to a metal lamp post while outside during a thunder storm.

When you ask high voltage experts about advice they will tell you things a lot more detailed and much more scientifically based, like not lying down or stand with you feet set wide. Doing either poses a risk if lightning hits ground near you as then you are reduced to your physical property of being a resistor put in parallel to another resistor, in this case the very earth that is conducting the millions of volts and quite a few amperes. If you remember basic electronics from school both resistors will get their share of current running through them, the lower the resistance, the more current. Lay down or stand like Rambo and the resistance of the earth is relatively high compared to yours.

If you want to make sure to get your share of lightning bolt then you have to look for the optimal place where lightning will definitely hit ground. Then lay down there and wait.

Exactly that was what four construction workers in Brandenburg, Germany did last weekend. They were on a construction site of a wind generator when a thunderstorm hit (no idea why there were working on the weekend). A big treaded excavator is a fine object to draw a lightning bolt, not even tires in the way to hamper conduction to the ground. The logical place to take shelter would have been the driver cabin of the vehicle as this would act as a faraday cage just like a car.

But either they had no keys for the cabin or did not like it that cramped, so they took shelter UNDER the vehicle, lying down. Result: One survivor and three nominees...

There are multiple newspaper accounts on this story and it has been on TV and radio.

Submitted on 05/30/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: Märkische Allgemeine, May 29th, http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/10941356/62249/

>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Maybe Toss: No Self-Selection
I'm going to guess they didn't have keys. Unless you are actively courting a lightning strike (as by wrapping yourself in tinfoil and standing out in an open field or waist deep in the ocean), the chances of being hit is almost as much up to fate as it is where you seek shelter. I'm not feeling the stupidity here! Thanks just the same for submitting!

Chip said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
If you are a physics major perhaps you would understand that lying under such a large piece of machinery would not be a good idea, but I am sure they were not physics majors. Seems perfectly logical to me to seek shelter under such a contrivance rather than stand in the open near such an obvious lightening rod as a wind turbine. I don't see the excellence of selection here. Thanks for sending us the story though.

Graham said:
Maybe Toss: No Self-Selection
The cab would have been a better bet, yes. But, like you said, perhaps they had no keys. In any event, they had the sense to seek cover and I see no real indication here of stupidity involved.

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: No Self-Selection
I agree with the others. They appeared to do all they could in the given circumstances.

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2007 Slush Pile

Wrong place to be during a thunder

2007 Reader Submission Pending Acceptance

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance