Lightning kills about 24,000 people worldwide every year, and the destructive power of a bolt seems unsurvivable. But thanks to the way lightning actually interacts with the human body, around 90% of people who are struck do survive.
When lightning hits a person, most of the current flashes over the outside of the body - a phenomenon called the flashover effect - rather than going straight through. Survivors often have severe burns where the lightning entered and exited, and many experience cardiac or respiratory arrest. CPR and emergency medical treatment save most who reach the hospital in time. Long-term effects can be significant: chronic pain, nerve damage, memory issues, depression - but the immediate survival rate is high.
The most extreme case is a U.S. park ranger named Roy Sullivan, who held the verified record for being struck by lightning the most times. Between 1942 and 1977, lightning hit him seven different times - and he survived every single one. He lost hair, eyebrows, and toenails to various strikes, but lived a long life and died of unrelated causes at age 71. Lightning protection rules are simple: when thunder roars, go indoors. But if it does hit you, your odds of surviving are actually pretty good.
