Pathological Features of Death From Lightning Strike

Abstract

Lightning strikes cause more deaths in the United States than other natu- ral disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, and floods. Lightning is a transfer of an electrical charge and results from the sudden environmental dis- charge of static electricity. The power of lightning is estimated to be between 10,000 and 200,000 A of current, with estimated voltage ranging from 20 mil- lion to 1 billion V. The effects of lightning on the human body depend on a number of features, such as the intensity of the current, the time it spends pass- ing through the body, the pathway involved, the activity and position of the per- son at the time of the event in relation to the ground, and the kind of strike (direct strike, contact voltage, side splash, ground strike, or wire-mediated lightning). Lightning strikes result in multisystem dysfunction, and survivors may experience prolonged disability following recovery from the initial insult