lightning strike caught on camera

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Because you insisted, here's the unedited screaming version. I also added video from a minute before the lightning struck so you can get an idea of how hard it was raining. From what i understand, it went through my right hand holding the railing, crossed my back and exited out of my left hand holding onto the camera. No entry or exit wounds, as i was not directly struck, i got just a really good zap from a "streamer". And if you want to make a metal railing joke...go ahead, but holding onto one is actually what kept me from frying.

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Comments

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(207 comments)

Fam. Snoeren says:

wow you got lucky

I have also a realy cute video of my Basset with my brand new baby:

www.flickr.com/photos/25045747@N04/2600036471 /

you will love it, its even on explore
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

jonrawlinson says:

wow!

thank god youre ok!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

asafros says:

amazing!!!! you're lucky that you're around to tell this story...
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

juanpg says:

Wow... this is insane. Really intense! wow.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Alex Mahan says:

INTERNET FAMoUS.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Alex Mahan says:

Also, really glad you're okay! See you at Heck Fest next weekend, yes?
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

army71rich says:

Yikes - that had to be quite the scare.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Neal Jansons says:

Wow, that's crazy!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

thedrjazz says:

so glad you are ok! what a experience... thunderstruck!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

tony.eckersley says:

Holy crap!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

cjgibbs says:

Wow
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

blanks57 says:

o...m....f....g....
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Steffe says:

Wow is the word.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

bootsky says:

do it again cos lightening strikes twice!!! this time we want to see what happens after so can you leave the camera running??? seriously glad that you are ok though!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

pinksaturn says:

I almost died laughing at the ringtone comment. Great vid- thanks:-)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

~Kristin Taking Flight~ says:

Oh MY!!!! Incredible!!!!!! Glad you are ok!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

jmacias says:

WTF! I am glad that you are ok and made it through to post this. That was crazy.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

embryonicboy says:

WOAH!!!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Andrea Gennari says:

che culo!!!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

SLOWLORIS says:

The lightening hit in the trees in front of my house. I'd say i was about 200-250 feet from the strike. This happened in the middle of a huge lightning storm that i had been filming for 20 minutes already. Most of the lightning had been occurring way far away, over the ocean before this one hit.

I only can show you what i got on film, and then describe what happened to me after... I'm not sure about anything. i don't think it touched the camera, i think it entered my left thumb holding the camera, because that's where i immediately felt it. I read up all over the internet afterwards and figured it was transferred through the heavy rain, to my extended hand. i'd love any insight on the matter though, as obviously i am not an expert.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

nicoyogui says:

What an electrifying video! :P
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Kym•ber•lee™ says:

Holy SH*T. That is NUTS.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

joshua_a_simon says:

I work for a medical television show on cbs! I want to talk to you about this!! Please contact me at Josh.Simon@cbs.com
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

ksd73 says:

Great video!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Kym•ber•lee™ says:

relaydump. I don't think she's claiming to have been "struck", but when you're THAT close to a lightening strike, you're going to feel the electricity...especially if you're holding a metal rail.

However, with that said, I'm interested in knowing who "confirmed" this to be a fake. It clearly is not.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

mike abazaba says:

Awesome!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Zach Bonnell says:

Found this in the explore blog. Crazy stuff.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

allyallyoops2002 says:

Only you jj. The ghost of jasper?
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

daluga says:

how wonderfull life is after that :-)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

abusch8 says:

Nock4Six, She claimed that she got struck by lightning in her explanation of the video right under it.

I don't believe she got struck either but i wouldn't go and say its a fake video because she was obviously ridiculously close to the lightning.

Amazing Video all in all and glad you're okay.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

scott3eh says:

WOW!!!!! I take lightning pics off my balcony and worry about this! Once I hear the snap of lightning so it must have struck the top of my building. ie TOO CLOSE! But this is even closer!!! Just saw this on gizmodo.com.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

szekely.gergely says:

I am pretty sure that cannot be direct hit. The sound of the bolt came a moment later than the flash, but still the main channel must have been somewhere within a 50-100 meters.
And also a direct impact would have knocked you down if not killed you, and furthermore the electromagnetic shock would have probably distorted the frame, or even shut the camera down.
However, i still would not call it a fake, because since lighntnigs are highly anomolous phenomena of nature, even a nearby nearby bolt can zap you somehow.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

orangescale says:

WOW! What a video!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

xadrian says:

Glad you're ok, no matter the happenstance. That's a terrifying event. My uncle's been hit twice and he's got a great scar on the top of his head for his troubles. I had something similar happen to me in a hail storm when I was a kid. I was watching the storm from the window, lightning struck and my window and arms flashed blue/white and then my arms went numb. I wasn't technically hit, but something happened.

There are several different types of lighting and a handful of ways it behaves when it comes to people. It can completely pass over you, you can feel the effects from several meters away. I don't for a minute believe this was a fake, and I'm glad you're ok.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

ejgpnut says:

Wow! :|
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

bon vivant2007 says:

What's up with relaydump? Being hit by lightning doesn't mean you have to be hit by the main bolt. There can be many small fingers near where the main bolt hits, and anyone nearby can be struck by one of those. It's like a big electric shock that knocks you off your feet, but might not cause any burns.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

.schill says:

When lightning hit my neighbours' place, a roommate of mine said he got a mild shock (he had his hand in a computer tower at the time), presumably as a side "spike" from the lightning strike. A bunch of electronics equipment was fried too, so I assume a spike from lightning right around the area it hits is quite logical.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

doviine says:

I'm so glad you're alive and ok. I took pics as a storm rolled in a few days
ago, with my cell phone..
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

lucky i says:

Wow!!! You are just very lucky that you didn't get hurt! I am always fearful of lightning. I always try to be careful even when there isn't a sign of any lightning in a rainy or stormy time. You can almst feel your mouth being meatalic or copper test. That's one sign of being in a charged air. You can also have your hair being static.

Holding onto a metal rod explains it too. One thing you had a camera on one hand which somehow had created some electic field around you, and another thing was that your another hand was connected to a conductive material, the metal rod that was connected to the earth ground. So as the air around you was filled with opposite charges, the high voltage from the sky was perfect to discharge through you in a perfectly +ve to -ve path!

Since your camera didn't malfunction and you actually didn't get fried, the thousands volts lightning actually didn't drop on you. The actual lightning striked the earth probably a few miles away from you, and you had the weakest vibe of the spreaded charge on you. That's a very very tiny fraction of the entire strike! Yet, you could ave been seriouly hurt from it, and I am glad you are okay!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

dogfaceboy says:

I have a friend who was struck by lightning three times. THREE. You have two more to catch up. But I hope it never happens to you again. And I hope you don't have any lasting effects.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

stulka says:

The interview on Wired.com (http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/07/ligh tning-zaps.html) explains it all I would say! The lightning shock hit her thumb holding the camera, not the apparatus itself.

DogFaceboy... three times!?!??!?
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

lendingzen says:

Well, I'm glad you're ok......though that bolt most definitely did not hit you. As you can see from your own instictive reaction to turn towards what made the flash, there is a flash burn on the ground for a slpit second where the bolt actually hit. Watch the trees below the skyline, and you can clearly see that they all have a shadow on their right side, taking up mose of the body of the tree. there is a strong illumination on the left side and seems to also come through the tree somewhat...indicating that this lightning trike hit to the left, and a bit behind the first row of visible trees. Roughly 50-80 yards down and to the left fo your camera angle. Pretty damn close though!!! You would not have been able to enunciate, let alone think of anything to say had you actually been hit.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

mailarvi says:

WOW, glad you're ok.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

corsakti says:

oh my god!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

radiospike photography says:

glad you are ok!

see? god doesn't want video on flickr.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Sigrún M says:

That is unbelievable footage and lucky that you did not get harmed from this. Just unbelievable!

p.s. I am Erin´s friend from when we lived in Brussels :o)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

RedandJonny says:

That was AWESOME!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

HDangerism says:

Did you get any super powers???
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

MatthewPHX says:

Wow, that is crazy! It's good to know that you are OK.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Eric Bono says:

Do it again. I missed it.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

lepato says:

Now you are more of an expert than more of us.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

adtp says:

Crazy, cool and scary - good that you are ok!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

David-O'Neill says:

www.broadcaster.com/clip/14262

Follow the above link to see another lightning strike. Makes this one look like a firecracker!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

godzillalaughs says:

wow. this happened to me when i was walking to the bus stop when i was a kid
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

RuutAckses says:

I'm glad you are OK, too. It's an awesome clip though, definately worth sharing.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

soupysoupysuesue says:

Now being shown on the Metro site!
theridiculant.metro.co.uk/2008/07/videographe r-ge.html

Thanks for posting this. Scary stuff! So glad you're ok.

Sue
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

FotoGianca says:

This video wont play anymore on my browsers (firefox & safari) as for 07/11/2008 morning; are anyone else having issues?
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Esther17 says:

came here from the flickr blog to say that i'm very glad you are alright. i can't even imagine how terrifying that must have been!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

dogfaceboy says:

I love how people assume you couldn't have been hit or struck or whatever language they want to use to say the same thing. It is completely possible to be struck or hit or zapped or blasted or electrocuted by lightning and survive—even with no ill effects. As I said earlier, I have a friend who was struck by lightning three times. The first time, it burned her finger. It was in the 1980s all three times, and I was her friend for two of the strikes.

Many, many people who survive lightning strikes have brain damage or a slew of other side effects. But the lightning can touch you or zap you through something else, and you can live.

If you're about to get struck by lightning, your hair will stand on end for a few seconds before. RUN.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Kyrre i verden says:

some more...
MSNBC www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25643427/
Guemes Island woman hit by lightning

Blog RenoPassport
renopassport.blogspot.com/2008/07/struck-by-l ightning-whi...
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Gabe Global says:

You should go national with this. CNN International maybe.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Dirty Danny says:

You're on fire, baby!

(also, most comments ever. Woot!)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

silverbelly says:

hardcore
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

goudaguy7 says:

Omg!! Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

O moon says:

Wow.

Glad you're okay! Electricity and water is always a scary combo.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Jackie Hutch says:

Amazing, lucky you are okay, I wouldn't have wanted to see it otherwise.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

JakeInVan says:

WOW. I had one strike about twenty feet away from me once. Scary as hell! When you hear the sizzle, you're too close.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Mark Grealish says:

Oh wow. O.o
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Goat Roper says:

Been there, had this happen to me a couple times. A fork of the bolt did not hit you, that I can assure you of but just your general proximity to the strike surely had you tingling. The closer you are the worse it gets, it goes without saying. Sure is a rush though isn't it! Love how the multiple pulses are actually caught on audio. Nice grab!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

injoyflying says:

Great scream!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

ZLamperti says:

Ouch, what a horrible experience. But think this way: probably you won't be hit by a lightning again.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Burger.Boy says:

lol, people say its your hand that got hit
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

cutwithflourish says:

That's quite something. Glad that you're still here to post about it.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

DoggXXL says:

Hope you're ok. Just saw your story on CNN!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Shamrockah says:

Wow, impressive capture. Glad your OK!

Seen on CNN.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

sanguin_ary says:

All I can think of is the time that my father got struck by lightning in a similar situation (filming the storm)...you sound TERRIFIED, while he screamed "YAHOOO!" and jumped feet into the air.

I guess it just depends on the person. I'm glad you're okay and able to post this. :]
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

warzabidul says:

You've got yourself a viral video. What's good is you didn't get hurt.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

johnsadowskiii says:

The "unedited screaming version" is always better.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

theotherinternet says:

I am glad you are okay..
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Karl Johnston says:

That's national geographic material right there, I bet you'll make a ton of money from that tape if you submit it around to RealTV or shock shows like that.

Do you have any cool scars? I know someone who was electrocuted twice in one month, in her life, lightning attracts to good people !
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

elisson1 says:

Thank goodness you're OK and have a story you can tell your grandchildren one day.

My wife's sister was struck by lightning 33 years ago. She wasn't quite as lucky; she was killed on the spot.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Ceuthophilus says:

6.7 billion people, and the internet - it was bound to happen! Thanks for sharing - interesting on many levels. And nice scenery (early on).
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Sapphireblue says:

Glad you lived to tell. And thanks for posting to Flickr! Can the next version be slow-mo so we can see what's going on with that sparking/flashing? I keep replaying to try to figure out what I'm seeing and getting nowhere. Inquiring minds want to know.

Also: that's quite a scream. I had occasion a few days ago to make one of the more spontaneous/terrified screams of my own life---I saw my dog hit by a car and dragged. She's going to be fine, but I had time enough in that awful moment to be sure that she was going to be dead and that what I would see when I got to her was going to be horrific. The replay that keeps going through my head is, like this version of your film, full-audio. I keep wondering if it's possible that I really made *that noise*. How very odd that you have a recording of yours to know for sure.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

ǝoɾ says:

HOLY CHIT!!!
Amazing capture!
I bet you were buzzin!

=p
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

n4yog1 says:

I will think of this video every time I am on the porch watching a good Thunderstorm. Cool Video, Glad you lived to tell about it.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

embrownny says:

Wow! You are extremely fortunate! I saw this on CNN on Sunday morning.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

avlxyz says:

Holy crap!
i gotta lean out of 2nd floor windows during thunder storms more :)

wicked video!
glad u're ok though...

--
Seen on gizmodo.com.au (?)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

SnipeJaz says:

sorry, callin BS on this.. saw this via gizmodo and the people there are right
1) if the lightning was right on top of you you would not see a flash and THEN the bang (not to mention it'd b louder)
2) you can see glowing red on the ground for a split second during the "lightning strike" which my guess is the lightning, or just some type of firecracker/explosive that gives off a flash first
3) the camera would be toast, or at the very least the hard drive would be wiped clean.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

mmmm, brains says:

Wow. I'm glad you're okay.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Fort Photo says:

Wow and just wow!

--
Seen on gizmodo.com (?)
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

martytdx says:

Wow - that's a pretty intense video. Glad to hear you're okay.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

SLOWLORIS says:

If i truly wanted to "make myself famous" i would have accepted offers from CNN, Fox news, Good Morning America, and every other news station, that have contacted me about doing more feature interviews about this. I have been getting calls and emails everyday. Anyone who knows me, is well aware that this attention makes me very uncomfortable.

I have seen a doctor, and i've talked to a few different meteorologists inquiring about what they think happened. All i can show you is the video i took, and explain to you what happened to me afterwards. I never claimed i was directly hit. But because i was so close, i did get a good shock. The jolt i received hit my thumb, not the camera, and it wasn't until 20 minutes later (after experiencing breathing problems) that i even knew i took this video. After the lightning hit, i was completely confused, and my immediate short term memory did not work so well. I couldn't complete a simple thought process. I've been told that because i was not directly hit, is why i lived and why the camera didn't fry.

The headlines you've read or heard, such as "Woman stuck by lighting!" or "Lightning strikes woman!" or "Skagit county woman struck by lightning!" were all fabricated by the media for dramatic interest value and not me. Of course that's what they're going to say, they want people to watch their tv shows! I'm just another flickr user uploading a video of something that happened to me in my day to day life, and it happened to catch wind. The fact that this clip spread so fast, stuns me and is absolutely crazy to witness. I simply gave permission for my video to be used and have no control over the hundreds of blogs that chose to write about it.

Thanks to everyone for their nice comments, asking if i was okay, telling me i'm an idiot for hanging out a window, or calling me a liar.
I appreciate you all.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Tabby Cream XD says:

Awesome! Xd
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Brenda Anderson says:

championbrain, why do you keep harping on? It's obvious that she was hit by an electrical shock... sure, the lightning bolt itself didn't hit her (or she wouldn't be here to answer your questions), but you can get a mighty big jolt from a nearby strike if the conditions are right. Why do you keep calling her a liar? And why do you care so much?
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

clickykbd says:

People are struck by (or near shocked by) lightning relatively frequently all around the world... It's just not many are holding a video device when it happens. I guess that is why the news agencies love it so much... byproducts of our mobilely documented lives... the good, bad, and just plain weird.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Rafael P. Campoamor says:

Unbelievable!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

UnstoppableDrew says:

Amazing capture, glad you're ok.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

eddiemalone says:

If you're about to get struck by lightning, your hair will stand on end for a few seconds before. RUN.

Oh I see God ganging up on us balding fellas again...bastard!

Glad you're okay Slowris and smug in the knowledge that any campfire conversations that start "Did I ever tell you about the time...." are yours to own!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

dogfaceboy says:

Eddie, it goes for arm hair, too.
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

Mark Griffith says:

Wow wow wow. I had major static electricity on top of Mt. Adams but nothing like this!
Posted 18 months ago. ( permalink )

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