Sep 10, 2008 10:28 am US/Eastern
A Look At Lightning Myths
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Does it seem that lightning keeps striking people in our area? In New Jersey, 19 people have been struck so far this year. In Pennsylvania, 12 and two of them have died.
CBS 3 meteorologist Doug Kammerer shows the myths people believe that can put their lives in danger.
At the speed of light, your life can end.
One pair of kids -- whose close call was caught on home video -- was lucky.
Mike Utley wasn't. He was hit by lightning on a golf course in 2000.
"My buddies were about eight to ten feet in front of me, and they heard this loud bang," said Utley. They turned around to see me smoking, steam coming from me, stumbling, and I fell to the ground."
Mike Utley had once been an active sportsman. But after he was hit, he spent almost a month in a coma. Even now, he walks with a limp.
With all we know about lightning, many people still have misconceptions about it. First off, just because you don't see lightning doesn't mean you're safe.
Myth number two: A storm far off in the distance can't kill you … that's wrong.
Just ask Jack Lindeman, a lifeguard struck on the beach at Cape May this summer.
"I remember standing, and then I was on the ground with my head in my hands, and I felt a lot of pressure and a weird, weird taste in my mouth," said Lindeman.
As Jack now probably knows, an average lightning bolt is more than five miles long. It can reach past the storm right to you -- even with the sun above you. If you hear thunder, you're at risk - period.
"When thunder roars, go indoors," said Utley.
If you're outside, don't stand under a tree or any other high object. If you go inside, stay off corded phones, away from plumbing, and away from the porch and windows.
"People are struck every year sitting in a window watching, sitting on a porch watching," said Utley.
How can you protect yourself?
Mike Utley's Web site, StruckByLightning.org, has an alert system. Just sign up, pinpoint your location, and you will get an alert on your cell phone when a storm is near.
RELATED LINKS:
StruckByLightning.org
Lightning Safety
Lightning Primer
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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