Posted on 07/05/2003 8:59:55 AM PDT by 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."
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.
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
Across the chest? The 10 mA rule has been our books for 30? years. Cardiac Arremia(SP).
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.
Nice show-stopper!
Ask people what having a tongue pierce means and it will always come down to oral sex.
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!!
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?
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)
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
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