France suffers from many storms which arouse the fear of lightning… Not necessarily false, because each year, in France, more than a hundred people who brave the elements are struck down by lightning. To behave…
The battle against lightning is uneven and dangerous: 10% of those struck down die, and the majority of survivors suffer permanent and disabling sequelae. Indeed, in addition to a psychological shock that the survivors describe as extraordinary, electrification, this is what we call the passage of current through the body, even if most of it passes on the surface. in the form of a flashover arc, the electricity that remains is enough to cause heart problems – they are basically arrhythmias, because the heart is a battery – consciousness and memory problems, or all just severe internal burns. The struck down, if it is not unconscious, suffers from its members, even paralysis which fades rather quickly. Another dangerous feature: it is not uncommon for lightning to throw the body violently, adding to the electricity the brutality of the fall. The consequence is sometimes also that of the fall of a branch when one takes shelter wrongly under a tree. Finally, it must be repeated, to be struck down – and popular language has understood this – is to become different and expose oneself to sleep disorders, memory problems, symptoms that are similar to a form of depression. reaction.
What to do in front of a lightning strike?
Nothing more than emergency measures in the face of a loss of consciousness. However, if the victim claims to have no problem, it is necessary to insist that all struck down be hospitalized for a complete assessment, because the majority of the internal lesions, especially minimal, are not seen immediately.
The best advice is still prevention
It is important to know that in our country lightning strikes usually occur:
- Outdoors, away from residential areas;
- During sports or leisure activities, and more rarely, during professional activities such as agriculture and construction;
- During the two stormiest months of the year, July and August, which are unfortunately those of the holidays;
- And with a predilection in the areas that receive the most impact on the ground, that is to the south of a line connecting Bordeaux and Strasbourg.
