This Saturday, eleven people were struck by lightning in Parc Monceau (Paris) after taking refuge under a tree. Behavior to avoid in the event of a thunderstorm.
The eleven people – including eight children – gathered in Parc Monceau, a garden at 8e district of Paris popular with residents, for a birthday party. When the storm arrived, they took refuge under a tree, and were struck by lightning.
The new data by Prof. Pierre Carli, director of the Samu in Paris, has proven to be reassuring. “The situation is looking pretty good this evening for the majority of the victims,” he said on Saturday evening during a press briefing at Necker hospital, report The world. There remains, however, a child in serious condition, still placed in intensive care.
It was a commander of the Paris firefighters, present by chance on the scene, who discovered the victims and brought first aid. “I saw immediately that one of the children was in cardiac arrest, so I provided first aid, cardiac massage and artificial ventilation”, he said on BFM TV.
The effects of a lightning strike
Lightning can cause a lot of damage to the body, due to the intensity of the electric current or the heat released. The most typical effect is heart failure, due to depolarization of heart cells, and ventilatory distress, due to tetanization of chest muscles, or damage to the respiratory nerve centers. The victim is then in cardio-respiratory arrest or in a state of syncope with a weak pulse.
The best solution is then to provide as quickly as possible cardiopulmonary resuscitation (cardiac massage and insufflations), while waiting for help to arrive. A person struck by lightning can be touched without danger, it is not charged with electricity. It is however advisable, if the circumstances allow it, to take shelter from a new lightning strike.
Do not take shelter under a tree
According to the Lightning Protection association, certain actions are useful to protect yourself in the event of a thunderstorm. Taking refuge under a tree is typically a bad idea: tall and sharp, trees are regularly struck by lightning. It is better to take refuge in a building and keep away from trees and metal structures such as park gates.
In the majority of cases, the lightning strike is not due to a direct impact with the lightning. It can be due to a side flash, diffused for example from a low branch of a tree struck by lightning. When you are in a group, it is therefore advisable to move away from each other at least three meters, to avoid the diffusion of lightning between people.
Mobile does not increase risk
But most accidents are the result of step tension. The lightning generates an electric field at its point of impact, which decreases rapidly as one moves away from it. When the legs are apart, the voltage difference between the person’s feet can thus be the source of a strong electric current.
It is therefore advisable to curl up on the ground and avoid taking big steps. On the other hand, unless it is held overhead like a lightning rod, the mobile phone does not increase the risk of being struck by lightning. It is therefore possible – and even perfectly essential – to call for help when a person has been struck by lightning.
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