Lightning strike survival is higher than you think

This week a Middlesex County man was struck by lightning while working on painting lines for a middle school soccer field.

Eric Baumgartner works for Woodbridge Public Works and he got hit on Wednesday while working at Iselin Middle School. Thankfully a coworker was there and called the police. Thankfully there was an officer in the area trained in CPR. Looks like in this case, the victim should make a full recovery.

Got me thinking about how often this happens. Turns out, on average, over the past 10 years, 270 people are struck every year with 27 dying from the injury. That means 9 out of every 10 people, struck survive.

We heard calls from around the state of stories about people getting hit. One really stuck out in my mind. A listener shared her story about her late husband being hit while crossing under the George Washington Bridge in the family's boat. He felt a shock but didn't realize he was hit until he got home and saw a burn mark on his clothes.

When you hear thunder, be careful. Lightning strikes the ground approximately 40 million times a year! Of course, if you do the math, it's pretty rare to get hit and even if you do, you're most likely to survive and possibly have a great story to share!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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