A security guard in Cilincing was struck by lightning and immediately collapsed. This made many people feel surprised and curious as to why someone could be struck by lightning.
Launching Accu Weather, Monday (12/27/2021) there are five ways that can cause someone to be struck by lightning. Below is the explanation:
1. Direct attack
Being struck directly by lightning and being part of the main line of electricity flowing from the cloud to the ground is one of the least common ways to be struck by lightning. But that doesn't mean it's impossible, says Mary Ann Cooper, director of the Lightning Injury Research Program at the University of Illinois. This type of lightning strike usually occurs in open spaces.
Although some theorize that a direct strike may be more lethal than other means of being struck, Cooper says there is no data on lightning deaths and injuries from various types of lightning strikes to support the claim.
2. Land
Electricity can flow through the ground, away from the point where the lightning strikes, putting anyone near the strike at risk of being electrocuted. Ground currents affect a much larger area than any other type of strike, and Cooper estimates they cause about half of all lightning injuries and deaths.
Ground currents can affect large swaths of land and cause enormous damage. In fact, electric currents from the ground were the probable cause of the deaths of more than 300 wildebeest on the hillsides of the mountainous highlands in Norway in 2016.
3. Lightning strike near the person who was struck
This can happen when lightning strikes an object, such as a tree or pole, and some of the current jumps out to hit a person standing within a few meters of the object. According to the National Weather Service, these incidents usually occur when people take shelter from storms under trees.
This electric current can last longer than a direct hit, causing deeper burns because the current takes longer to travel through the body, explains Raphael Lee, Professor of Surgery and Medicine at the University of Chicago and Clinical Investigator of the Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute.
4. Conduction
Conduction occurs when lightning passes through metal surfaces such as cables, plumbing, faucets, windows and doors. Usually, this is the greatest risk to the people in the room. However, conduction is also often a risk for people when they are in their garages, as garage floors are often made of concrete, a slightly conductive material, and reinforced with metal meshwork.
5. Streamers
These lightning strikes are invisible, zigzag to the ground and connect with positively charged channels moving upwards through tall objects, known as streamers. The electric current flowing between the two produces a flash of lightning. People trapped in streamers can be at risk of injury and death.
Previously, a security guard was struck by lightning on Monday (20/12) yesterday. It happened at 18.05 WIB when the North Jakarta area was hit by rain and lightning. Abdul Rasyid, the name of the security guard, was lucky to survive and was immediately rushed to the hospital. He had to be hospitalized for 4 days.
