Woman survives lightning strike; follows family trend

By Morgan Conklin
Summer Reporter

Whenever the weather looks threatening, Lynn Goodell makes sure she closes all of her windows — especially those in her bedroom. Six years ago, while lying in bed, Goodell was struck by lightning that came through an open window.

"When it happened it felt like a knife went through my foot, up my spine and through my head. It was extremely painful but then I didn’t feel anything. I looked around for burns but there weren’t any," Goodell said.

Goodell said the doctors told her she was lucky to be alive. The lightning was an indirect strike — meaning it hit the bed frame or the electric blanket coils that she was lying under — therefore she wasn’t burnt. The way she was positioned in bed caused her to expose her right side to the lightning. "The hospital said that had (the lightning) traveled on my left side, my heart may have stopped beating and it would have killed me," she said.

"I was lucky; it just wasn’t my time to go," Goodell said. "I went out the next day and bought a lotto ticket — my friends told me I should. Unfortunately I didn’t win," she joked.

Eleven months after the incident, Goodell had gained back the feeling on the right side of her body. "I could still use my right side after I got struck," she said. "I just couldn’t feel what I was doing."

After she was struck, Goodell threw out her electric blanket and makes sure that she shuts her windows whenever storms approach. "I am definitely more cautious now," she said.

She said she would wait inside a building for a storm to pass, or run to her car in the rain, instead of walking outside with an umbrella. "Some people may think that I am crazy, but if it happened to them, I am sure they would take precautions, too."

Michael Shartran, data acquisition program manager for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said, "You would be better off making an effort to get inside without using an umbrella. It is not very safe, it is like standing under a tall tree — if you are the tallest target you could attract the lightning."

Although being struck by lightning is rare, Goodell has had two other near-hits within one month from her first incident. One time she was out riding her horse with some friends when the weather became severe and the group sought shelter in a barn. As they were waiting for the storm to pass, the hair on their heads lifted. The lightning struck the house across the street causing it to burn.

The other time Goodell was walking up to her front door. As she reached for the handle, the hair on her arms lifted and she became terrified. The lightning ended up hitting a house three blocks away.

Shartran said the biggest thing to remember whenever you are in severe weather is "if you feel an electrical discharge during a thunderstorm — meaning your hair stands on end — you should fall to the ground immediately and curl up in a small ball." It will help diffuse the lightning, and decrease your chances of severe injury.

Goodell’s story may sound unusual — lightning strikes an average of one person in 600,000 — but it seems as though getting struck by lightning is a familiar event in her life. Her grandfather, uncle, as well as a number of her friends have had experiences with lightning. Her son, Brian, who attends Purdue doesn’t seem to be too concerned with the trend, however. "I don’t think that he is really worried he will be next," Goodell said. "He just takes more precautions."

To alert the public of the dangers of severe weather, the nation participates in lightning safety week each year. The American Red Cross offers tips for people to follow in order to avoid tragedy with lightning.

"The most important thing you need to do if you are caught in a lightning storm is to make yourself a small target," said Jeri Rusk, emergency services director for the American Red Cross. "(If you are outside) you should cover your head and get in a crouching position. If you are in the forest, you should stay under the small trees because they attract less lightning than the bigger ones."

When you are inside during a lightning storm you should shut the windows and pull down the blinds. In the event that lightning does strike your windows, the glass won’t come into the house if the shades are down, Rusk said.

You shouldn’t take showers during lightning storms either. Shartran said, "If lightning strikes a home and goes through any of the piping directly connected with the shower, you will get struck."

Another issue that has come up recently is the use of cell phones as well as other telephones during a storm. If lightning strikes a utility pole it could be transferred into the house. Cordless phones and cell phones are just as dangerous because they still have a signal based discharge, Shartran said.

Goodell said, "Getting struck by lighting can be something that is somewhat avoidable if you do take precautions. Don’t stand outside, making yourself a target and say ‘come and get me.’ If it is really electrical out, then you should get inside right away."