Both survived without serious injury.

My father was standing on top of a sand dredge, saw a flash and next thing he knew he was flat on his back on the upper deck of the dredge. He had a small spot on his head where the hair was burned off, but no burn on the skin. We were really lucky that he fell on the deck - if he had fallen into the pond that was being dredged he might have drowned since he was working alone.

My great great grandfather had just come in from picking up his mail, slit open an envelope and was standing at his sink with the knife resting on the handle of the pump. Lightning struck the house, traveled through the wiring, came out through a picture frame, and jumped across the room, striking him. Apparently the connection of the knife on the pump grounded him.

My family has the painting with the damaged picture frame. My grandmother had the letter he'd been holding, which was blown to pieces apparently, but I am not sure if it is still in existence. Grandmother talked about getting it conserved and attaching it to the back of the painting when she wrote about the day her grandfather was struck by lightning.

The picture frame was originally wood covered with gesso with a layer of gilding. Now there is a hole burned through the wood where the lightning came through on a nail holding the hanging wire. The gold leaf has turned a strange silver gray over most of the frame with a few traces of the original gold showing. The painting is a generic Hudson River Valley style and I'm not sure if it has ever been removed from the original, damaged frame.

And struck twice in your family. Odds are you are safe?

Once when walking back from the barn on top of our ridge while a thunderstorm moved in. As I crossed the open field in the middle, my hair started standing up - which is a feat since it was nearly down to my butt in those days. I ran the rest of the way home and got in the door just as lightning struck a tree on the top of our ridge.

Another time I was on the deck next to the house. Again I felt the static electricity working on my hair, stepped inside and pulled the door shut just as I heard a "CRACK!" and lightning struck a pine about fifty feet downhill from the house. It blew a chunk of wood out of the side of the tree about two inches thick, eight inches wide and ten, twelve feet long.

It killed the mature loblolly pine, but we left the stob for decades. The hawks, owls and woodpeckers loved that tree. The week we started building our new house a storm came through and in the middle of the night I heard a "BOOM!" When I shone my big spotlight down the hill, the pine had finally fallen. I ran out into the storm since there had been a family of pileated woodpeckers nesting in it for a number of years. I found the cavity which had broken open, but there were no chicks or eggs in it that year.

Those two times are as close as I ever want to get to being struck by lightning!

Actually seems to be incredibly lucky, lightening just rolls right off you.

I have problems in the winter with getting zapped when touching metal. My sister can't wear watches because they always stop, no matter what kind of watch it is.

It's strange.

haven't been able to buy a Rolex to try yet, but all watches I place on my wrist stop in less than 24 hours.

I thought I was weird or something. Tel her I said

who was struck by lightning twice within about 4 years.

He was very lucky to be alive.

Yep.

DT was elected President.


Sorry, someone had to say it.

Seriously tho, the closest I ever came to being struck was having lightning strike within ~90 feet of me many decades ago. It was during a bad thunderstorm on Gregory Bald (elevation 4,949') in the GSMNP. The expression being "Blinded by the Light" is true. Then came the horrifically loud thunder clap after the light flash. It left me weak-kneed for a few mins and the experience left hubs and myself even more cautious of thunderstorms. Folks, check the weather forecast if you're planning a hike.

I've much compassion for victims of lightning strikes. It's amazing how anyone lives through one.

Thanks for an interesting thread.