THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608280425
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 88 lines
Lightning strikes like the one that seriously injured two young cousins Monday are rare, experts say, but people can take precautions to reduce the risks even further.
The boys, who were struck while sitting on a bench beneath a tree, remained hospitalized Tuesday. Matthew Holsey, 11, was in critical condition at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters; Michael Adams, 14, was in stable condition at Sentara Norfolk General.
They are part of a small, unlucky group: About 340 Americans a year are struck by lightning, the National Safety Council reports. About 75 of them die.
What does that level of risk mean?
You're about as likely to be struck by lightning as you are to drown in a water-craft accident, die accidentally during surgery or be poisoned inadvertently by alcohol.
In other words, not very likely.
But lightning is not a force to ignore. Beyond the fatalities, 25 percent of victims may suffer long-term effects, including memory loss, sleep disturbance, numbness, fatigue or stiffness, according to the National Lightning Safety Institute in Louisville, Colo.
Eighty-five percent of victims are children and young men, ages 10 to 35, engaged in recreation or work, the institute reports.
People caught in a storm often seek the shelter of trees, said Jeff Lancashire, a spokesman for the National Center for Health Statistics. That's the worst place to take refuge, other than being on or near water.
Lightning - the spark created when negative charges in clouds clash with positive charges on the ground - often strikes the tallest object on a landscape, said Gail E. Dodge, assistant professor of physics at Old Dominion University.
``The lightning is looking for a path to the ground,'' Dodge said.
If it strikes a tree and passes through the ground, a person under the tree may be injured or killed by traveling current.
The best shelters are inside a building or a hard-top car with the windows closed, Dodge said.
In a car, the metal frame conducts the lightning, which passes into the ground through the vehicle's tires.
Never touch the outside of the car until the danger has passed, Dodge warned. And don't take cover in a convertible; the roof must be made of metal to conduct the lightning.
To avoid danger, always keep an eye on the sky. If it darkens, postpone outdoor activities or be ready to go inside.
Don't wait for rain. Lightning can strike first.
And don't wait for thunder, which is the boom created when lightning ``breaks'' the air, Dodge said. Because light travels faster than sound, we see lightning before we hear it.
If you do get caught outside, stay away from trees, fences or anything metal.
Lightning is most common in the southeastern United States, where high temperatures and moisture create conditions ripe for static in the clouds, said Richard Kithil, of the lightning safety institute.
It strikes humans because the salt in bodily fluids acts as a conductor.
``After having seen a victim of lightning, you regain your respect for it,'' said Dr. William DeLacey, a cardiologist at Lakeview Medical Center in Suffolk.
A direct strike can kill by burning a person internally, or by disrupting the heart.
An indirect strike - passing from a tree, through the ground, for example - also can burn the body's tissues or knock a person unconscious by breaking the rhythm of the heart or brain.
Even a nearby strike can throw a person off his feet or make his muscles jump, DeLacey said.
``The awesome power of lightning,'' he said, ``is nothing to be trifled with.''
It is safe to touch an unconscious person after lightning strikes, DeLacey said. Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation as soon as possible, even if a person appears dead.
``People can be stunned into being unconscious,'' he said.
Anyone who is struck by lightning should see a doctor, he said. Sometimes, lesser internal burns are visible only as small marks where the current enters or leaves the body.
In addition to killing and injuring people, lightning causes more than $400 million in property damage annually, the safety council reports.
A typical bolt of lightning carries 10 million to 100 million volts - compared with 120 volts in standard household current - and is five times hotter than the sun, the safety council reports. ILLUSTRATION: Color graphic by JOHN EARLE, The Virginian-Pilot
How to avoid being stuck by lightning
See microfilm for complete information by CNB