Becky survives holiday horror lightning strike [lip and tongue piercings alert]

ic.Berkshire.co ^ | Jul 3 2003 | Ollie Stallwood, Reading Chronicle

[aculeus]

BECKY Nyang was left feeling a little down in the mouth after a brush with death when she was struck by lightning on the Greek holiday isle of Corfu.

The 26-year-old special service agent for Virgin at Heathrow is still shaken and recovering at her west Reading home after the lightning bolt zeroed in on her lip and tongue piercings.

The drama began when she and a friend were forced to flee the beach at Kavos by an approaching storm and Becky was crossing the courtyard of their hotel.

She said: "When it hit me all I could see was lightning. It was a bright blue and I couldn't see anything else. My body was shaking for 10 minutes."

Temporarily blinded and unable to speak she suffered burns to her mouth - where the lighting hit the two metal piercings - and a large bruise on her shoulder at the point of impact.

Two weeks later Becky, of Argyle Road, still finds sleeping difficult and is getting fed up with people joking about the holiday recharging her batteries.

Doctors say she suffered no cardiac damage but her heart muscle was affected by the lightning strike, releasing enzymes into her blood, and she must undergo a series of tests before being allowed to return to work.

Becky admitted: "I feel a bit different within myself as I know how close I came to losing my life, and never seeing my loved ones again.

"I have been given a second chance at life and every second is precious. I thank God I'm alive."

[Tijeras_Slim]

Given some of the places that get pierced, it could have been a lot worse.

[Servant of the Nine]

Put some ice on it.

So9

[mountaineer]

Given some of the places that get pierced, it could have been a lot worse.

>^>^>^>ZOT!>^>^>^> Mmm, that felt good!

[Tijeras_Slim]

I know him! His name is Van De Graff isn't it?

[AF68]

What exactly does a "special service agent for Virgin" do, anyway?

[ErnBatavia]

Nothing like having your tongue turned into a bacon strip.

[gitmo]

ZOT!

[afraidfortherepublic]

This storoy begs the question: did she subsequently remove the metal paraphrenalia -- or not??? If not, I hold no sympathy for this bimbo.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I guess Barney has gone punk on us...

[jocon307]

"What exactly does a "special service agent for Virgin" do, anyway?"

Virgin is an airline. Not sure if it was named to shock, or named after Elizabeth I, the virgin queen, as is Virginia.

[AF68]

Lovely. All he's missing are the copper neck-stretching rings and the plate in his lower lip.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Virgin Airlines is owned by Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Records.

[Ole Okie]

Not sure if it was named to shock, or named after Elizabeth I, the virgin queen, as is Virginia.

It is rumored, even to this day, that Miss Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Ann Bolyn, didn't miss near as much as some people assumed she missed.

In other words, Virgin Queen was probably just an honorary title.

I hope the gal hit by lightning only had mouth piercings. And I trust she's discarded them by now, unless the lightning welded them in place.

[Prodigal Son]

Lucky she didn't have braces in her mouth.

[jlogajan]

This storoy begs the question: did she subsequently remove the metal paraphrenalia -- or not??? If not, I hold no sympathy for this bimbo.

Lightning that has just jumped 2000 feet through the air is not going to care whether your body has a little metal or not in it. She would have been hit even if she had no metal within 100 yards of her body.

[jlogajan]

The 26-year-old special service agent for Virgin at Heathrow is still shaken and recovering at her west Reading home after the lightning bolt zeroed in on her lip and tongue piercings.

This is typical pig ignorant media reporting. Lightning is not "attracted" to metal. Lightning is just trying to follow the path of least resistance to ground. After breaking down normally non-conductive air, thousands of feet worth, a tiny bit of metal in the path makes no difference.

She was hit because she was standing in the path where lightning was going to strike anyhow. It had nothing to do with her, or any small amount of metal in the vicinity.

[jocon307]

Yes, you are right, of course. It has surprised me how many people actually DO get struck by lightening. I recall hearing some stories people who had their sight or hearing being restored after such an event. And I remember a woman in NYC who was in a phone booth which got struck by lightening, she was killed. Scary, you wouldn't think that would happen in such an urban environment.

[ChefKeith]

You're grounded!

[lambo]

Very PC of you not to mention the bone through the nose.

Not that there appears to be room for it.

[gitmo]

The metal had nothing to do with the girl getting struck by lightning. She was simply a convenient conductor of electricity to the ground. Although I have known of metal objects being melted when a person is struck.

However, it will be interesting if the story gets out that piercings attract lightning.

[Slyfox]

Becky the virgin:

[Little Bill]

As I tell my Boys at safety meetings, electricy is the safest stuff in the world, as long as you don't become a part of the ground path.

We had, about 15 years ago, a guy who was tired of life and decided to give a 345 KV line a Monica, the pictures of the aftermath kind of get the new guys attention.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I got 18KV about 8 years ago. I was lucky because it was only running about 10mA current limited. Got my attention though.

[Little Bill]

Your lucky, when I worked for another utility the guy with the next locker over did a 119KV shoulder to heel looked like someone carved out a chunk of flesh right down the side of his body, inch wide, inch deep, destroyed his foot. Somebody screwed up the swiching order when he was putting on grounds, made me a believer, 10mA across the chest and St. Peter.

[Fresh Wind]

It's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!!

[cinFLA]

10mA across the chest and St. Peter.

Magnitude of the Current The effect on an adult (weight 68 Kg)

0 to 0.5 mA no sensation
1 mA threshold of perception
1 to 3mA weak sensation
3 to 10 mA painful sensation
10 mA threshold of muscular contraction in the arms
30 mA threshold of respiratory paralysis
75 mA to 100 mA threshold of cardiac fibrillation (probability 0.5%)
250 ma cardiac fibrillation with 99.5% probability (for an exposure time of 5 seconds)
4A threshold of cardiac paralysis (sudden stoppage of the heart)
5A burning of organic tissues

[Little Bill]

10 mA threshold of muscular contraction in the arms.

Across the chest? The 10 mA rule has been our books for 30? years. Cardiac Arremia(SP).

[weegee]

It has surprised me how many people actually DO get struck by lightening.

I think that the odds of being struck by lightning are somewhat greater than the odds for winning some lotteries (and few people are trying to "improve their chances" of being hit by lighting). An online search reveals figures of 1/600k to 1/700k. The odds of winning the top prize in the 6 of 54 number Texas lottery is 1 in 25.8 million. When the game was 6 of 50 numbers, the odds were 1 in 15.9 million.

I saw lightning strike a traffic light pole when I was about 25 feet away in my car (I was stopped at that light). Needless to say, the traffic light went out.

I recently learned that a friend of mine was struck by lighting while a passenger in someone's car. I was surprised when he said he never saw a doctor about it.

[Diddle E. Squat]

and is getting fed up with people joking about the holiday recharging her batteries.

Nice show-stopper!

[weegee]

Can a woman give "Lewinskys" and still be a Virgin? Oral sex not being sex and all...

Ask people what having a tongue pierce means and it will always come down to oral sex.

[A_perfect_lady]

"...I thank God I'm alive."

I wouldn't thank Him, sweetie, it looks like He was trying to kill you. Just be thankful He's apparently not a marksman. LOL!!

[mdmathis6]

wow...some really big names in that movie(sarcasm)....though I think Richard Todd as been in some bigger flicks!

[Fintan]

I'm ashamed to admit I was more concerned about he families and loved ones of those killed in our war on terrorism.

My abject apologies to the Beckys of the world.

Oh, and by the way, what color ribbon should I wear to make others as shallow as myself more aware of the plight of brain-dead dimwits such as Becky?

[cinFLA]

Across the chest? The 10 mA rule has been our books for 30? years. Cardiac Arremia(SP).

I remember as a electrician in the 60's that the rule was >100 ma would be a likelyhood of death. Under 100 ma and you would probably not die. The chart I posted agrees with that.

75 mA to 100 mA threshold of cardiac fibrillation (probability 0.5%)
250 ma cardiac fibrillation with 99.5% probability (for an exposure time of 5 seconds)

[Hinoki Cypress]

I hate the annoying static shocks of carpets and car doors, in Winter. I can't even relate to you folks getting zapped with KVs! Blows my mind.

[Hinoki Cypress]

relate = bad choice.
imagine what it's like = better choice.

I'm still feeling my way around; pls, forgive me.

But dang; KVs! Whooooosh!

[cinFLA]

I hate the annoying static shocks of carpets and car doors, in Winter. I can't even relate to you folks getting zapped with KVs! Blows my mind.

Welcome to the real world of kv!

Typical Electrostatic Voltages at 20% Relative Humidity

Sliding across a foam cushion 10-14 Kv
Walking across a vinyl floor 8-12 Kv
Walking across nylon carpet 2-4 Kv