Expert weighs in, debunks myths about lightning after Florida teen struck, injured

Expert weighs in, debunks myths about lightning

Daniel Sharkey was sent to the hospital after he was hit and injured by a lightning strike on Monday while doing law work. Experts implore understanding how dangerous natural phenomena can be and why protecting yourself is so important.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - Daniel Sharkey was sent to the hospital after he was hit and injured by a lightning strike on Monday. Sharkey recounts the moments after he was struck.

He said, "It [lightning] hit a tree, went through the tree, which caused a big crack in it."

He goes on to say, "It came out, hit me, and sent me airborne, apparently."

It happened as he was doing yard work outside as a storm brewed overhead.

"I'm really just glad to be alive. That was quite an ordeal," he said.

Using his story as a cautionary tale, experts implore the importance of understanding how dangerous natural phenomena can be and why protecting yourself is so important.

FOX 35’s Kelsie Cairns spoke with Will Ulrich, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

He says Central Florida is a hotbed for lightning strikes.

"Where that victim was struck in Altamonte Springs along the I4 corridor is exactly where we see the most lightning strikes per square mile, per year, in the United States," Ulrich said.

Ulrich debunks some "myths" when it comes to lightning.

MYTH: It is unsafe to shower or bathe during a thunderstorm.

Ulrich says, "[Electrical] current gradually dissipates as it continues to move through those pipes." He goes on to say, "There is some truth to that myth, particularly those older homes that have more of that copper piping that can carry that electrical current of the lightning strike."

MYTH: It is either the metal from the frame of a car or rubber tires that protect you from lightning.

Ulrich said, "It's a little bit of both. It is the metal cage of the car that is carrying the energy of the lightning strike safely around you and then safely into the tires, which are absorbing that energy, and then down into the ground beneath it."

MYTH: If you are stuck outdoors, getting low to the ground reduces your chance of getting struck.

Ulrich said, "One of the best things you can do is try to become lower than your surroundings, but at the same time, you don't want to surround yourself with tall objects." He goes on to say, "If you put yourself lower than some of your surroundings, the fact is lightning is very large and can extend outside of that main channel of energy."

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In Sharkey’s case, with the lightning hitting the tree next to him, Ulrich said, "Just because you're not struck directly with the main current, doesn't mean you might not be impacted by one of the feelers or the extremities of that main lightning strike."

Finally, and most importantly, Ulrich says indoors is the safest place to be in a thunderstorm. If you find yourself outside as a storm develops, find shelter as soon as possible.