Althouse: "Teen couple get hit by lightning - but survive because they were holding hands."

August 7, 2015

"Teen couple get hit by lightning - but survive because they were holding hands."

"Dr Stefan Reynoso says that their hand-holding helped 'diffuse the electrical current' which entered through Dylan's head and then exited through Lexie's foot."

13 comments:

MadisonMan said...: Lightning kills you by interrupting your heart. A big electric shock will do that.

That these two survived is likely because they were not hit by the main bolt -- or that the path did not go near enough to their hearts.

The doctor is grasping at straws and sounds like an idiot to me.; 8/7/15, 1:20 PM
Anonymous said...: When we were kids we would hold hands and then the guy in front would touch the electrical fence with a stick, we would all get the shock, but the guy in back would always get the worst of it.

Which made us think that the shock was amplified by going through more bodies. Not diffused.; 8/7/15, 1:21 PM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: First Cupid with the arrow and now Zeus with the thunderbolt.

I shudder to think what might be next.; 8/7/15, 1:37 PM
Kyzer SoSay said...: I don't know if the doc is an idiot, but I think he's definitely making more speculation than statement of fact. Is there any well-documented research on the effects of lightning strikes on people, and what factors play into their survival or demise? There was a Darwin Award once for a gruesome incident involving a copulating couple on a promontory getting struck by lightning. It knocked the man unconscious and killed the girl. When he woke up, not only were they - er - fused together, but wildlife had begun feasting on his dead partner, including a bear at one point. I didn't finish the whole entry, because it got even worse from there.; 8/7/15, 1:40 PM
David said...: Wow! Was it good for you babe?; 8/7/15, 2:01 PM
Fandor said...: Lou Christy sang about this in the sixties.

"Lighting striking again..."; 8/7/15, 2:11 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Girl's got lightning underneath her skirt...; 8/7/15, 2:24 PM
Biotrekker said...: Most likely, lightning struck quite near them causing a concussion, knocking them to the ground. The doctor's explanation makes no sense, whatsoever.; 8/7/15, 2:56 PM
Etienne said...: Chinese shoes. Good Italian shoes would have prevented the whole affair.; 8/7/15, 3:10 PM
the gold digger said...: This might be the only time ever where the usual misspelling of "defuse" instead of "diffuse" might have been appropriate.; 8/7/15, 3:15 PM
Roughcoat said...: I was hit by lightning. It hurt like hell and came this close to killing me. It just slammed into me and I've never felt pain like that. I yelled out long and hard and I think that's what might have saved me. I don't know. I've talked to people about it, experts and scientists, asking why I didn't die, but got no answers just speculation. I like to think it actually did make me stronger. And it surely does make for a good story. A true story.; 8/7/15, 4:19 PM
madAsHell said...: I was hit by lightning.

I would have immediately bought a lottery ticket!!; 8/7/15, 4:42 PM
Etienne said...: I got hit by lightning once, and now I can make spoons spin in the air just by moving my fingers.

Travolta played me in a movie...; 8/7/15, 4:58 PM