In Have people actually survived being hit by lightning multiple times, Cecil says that one of the victims experienced “a few seconds of lost time.” It sure would explain a lot if “alien abductees” had actually been struck by lightning…
The double-strike victim is a poster on this board so he can clarify, but my impression was that it was more of the severe trauma type memory loss that people have as a result of such things as bad car accidents, or watching Nancy Grace on CNN.
I hope he doesn’t think that was a crack at him. If so, I do apologize. I probably should have put a smiley in there to indicate that I was making a joke about alien abduction a la The X-Files, not advancing a serious thesis about lightning victims.
I’m sure he didn’t, and for my part I was only adding some clarifying information about the lost time as related to me when I was helping gather info for Cecil. I can’t speak on alien abductions - like an underweight fish, they keep throwing me back.
In addition, I thought Muldur showed with a stopwatch trick in one episode that time was lost but no perception of time was lost…maybe the pilot?
Re article on lightning strikes, 12-01-06
How about a man who was struck four times, pronounced dead three times yet lived to be just three months shy of 93 and sired 14 children? Evidently the electric shocks did no harm to his reproductive organs - and maybe even “charged them up.”
My wifes grandfather was struck four times and they make an interesting story. His name was William Wallace Van Liew, 1862 - 1955, who was living in Atchison, Ks, at the time of the first strike.
He was just 15 when struck the first time and was laid out for dead. Remember that there was no embalming in those days. The funeral was delayed awaiting the arrival of a sister. A neighbor lady arrived for the viewing and noticed his ears were red. She felt them and they were soft and when she pressed a finger to his cheeks, the flesh returned to normal shape. Two doctors were called and determined he had a faint heart beat so they placed him in a tub of hot water which slowly revived him. The doctors stated he had been in a coma.
The second time was when he was standing in the doorway of his shop watching the clouds in a thunderstorm and was knocked unconscious by a strike. His brother ran to get a doctor who could not find a pulse and declared him dead but then decided to open an artery. When blood pulsed out, the doctor rendered medical attention and he recovered in a few days and went back to work.
A third time occured when he was sitting on a mail truck while waiting to board a train when he was struck. This time was not so serious although he did miss the train.
The fourth and final; time was when he answered a call on the telephone during a thunderstorm when a bolt of lightning came through the wires and knocked him unconscious. A doctor was able to revive him with “persistent efforts to restore respiration.” I assume this was old folks CPR.
He lost his eyesight late in life but surprisingly retained excellent hearing after all those big booms.
Data is from the “Biography of William Wallace Van Liew, Genealogy and Historical Record No. 7F178, by Walter Van Liew” - my late Father-in-Law. His life story would make a great movie, not just because of the above, but by what and how he accomplished so many things during his long life.
Elden Williams
eewilliams4@juno.com
There MIGHT be two members of this board who have been struck twice by lightning. I’m fairly certain the name mentioned in Cecil’s column is not the name of the person I know of here who was struck twice.
Then again, I’ve been wrong before.
Elden, great story. Thanks for sharing it.
The Report was interesting as well. I remember reading about Roy Sullivan in Guinness Book of Records. I didn’t know that he eventually committed suicide. Sad.
I would like to nominate that Una’s designation beneath her name be changed from “SDSAB” to “Cecil’s Intrepid Assistant.” As usual, fantastic work on your part Una. If the double-strike victim cares to post any more details, I would love to hear them as well. I’m glad you survived to tell the tale.
Cecil, thanks for the great research on this one. I would like to have seen some research on the science of the subject. The odds of getting hit twice seem astronomical, not to mention four or seven times. Has anyone ever done research on the conductivity of the human body and perhaps the difference in those who have been hit more than once? Or maybe some other scientific answer?
Just curious, no criticism intended. 
Keep up the good work!
I was hit by lightning a few summers ago. I was at work making copies and, through the window, saw the lightning hit the sidewalk right outside. I heard the boom then the next thing I know I was on the floor hurting with papers all over the place.
From the scorch marks the lightning traveled through the window, then the interent server, through five metal filing cabinets (which were side by side, touching, and full of paper files) and through me. The force of it threw me into the copier.
The server had to be replaced - it was scorched beyond repair - and smelled bad, like burned plastic. The copier had to be serviced because I hit it so hard it hit the wall and knocked some internal parts loose.
Had a little scorch mark on the right side of my back but nothing on my front. I had extreme tingling on the right side of my body for several hours. My hearing wasn’t the greatest for a little while (ringing) and I ended up with a headache.
I was lucky. I was told if it had hit me directly I would have probably been a goner but since it went through all that metal first it really lessened the impact.
Yay metal!
My brother has been struck by lightning twice. He’s an Eagle scout and former park ranger, so he’s always hiking and such. The first was on a Boy Scout Jamboree, and I believe the other was while he was a ranger, but I’m not positive. I’d convinced myself it was three times, but he claims it’s only two. Talk about lost time!
-Lil
Cecil mentions some statistics at the end of this article, including one that says that men account for 83% of lightning strike victims. I thought it was women who died more often from lightning strikes because of underwire bras. Is that made up to scare me out of wearing supportive bras? Is it made up because it seems logical that metal over your heart would be bad in lightning but really it’s not enough metal or in the wrong place or something? Are women just less likely to be standing in the middle of a field when lightning starts flying? I don’t get it.
While helping Cecil dig up sources for this article, I found no factual basis for any concern due to underwire bras. As a result, IMO the underwire bra risk factor you were told is almost certainly bunk.
If lightning does hit you, then I seriously doubt that the small amount of metal in an underwire bra significantly impacts the chance of survival. I suppose it is possible that burns could develop due to heating of the metal or discharge from the metal - I know that some reports of lightning strike victims report that jewelry, belt buckles, etc. caused additional injury by being heated.
As for the liklihood of being struck by lightning in the first place, I also further very highly doubt that the presence of the small amount of metal close to the body in an underwire bra has any measurable impact.
I might be the other guy you’re thinking of. I’ve been hit twice- once while mountain climbing in Colorado when I was 18, and the second time while kayaking during a storm in Austin when I was 27 or so.
I know for a fact that the first time induced no sense of time loss… but the second time may well have- I was alone, that time, and I was pretty out of it for several hours afterwards. I can very clearly remember the moment of impact, but everything after that is a blur.
But then you would have the conspiracy theory nutcases pointing out that “Cecil’a Intrepid Assistant” could be abbreviated as “CIA.” Not something to wish on Una.
Of course, it would explain how she has access to so much information . . .
RR
Yes, indeed, you are who I was thinking of.