Story Archive

Moving Target

A man enjoying a day at Woods Canyon Lake near Payson, Ariz., was caught in a thunderstorm. To protect himself from the resulting hail, he held a metal-framed chair over his head as he ran for cover. A lightning bolt made a direct hit on the chair, and exited through both of his feet. The unidentified man in his 30s was hospitalized in serious condition. The National Weather Service says about 50 of the around 500 people hit by lighting each year in the U.S. are killed. During an 80-year lifespan, the odds of being hit are just 1 in 12,000. (RC/KTVK Phoenix) ...Though holding metal above your head during a thunderstorm will greatly improve those odds.
Original Publication Date: 07 September 2014
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 21.

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