Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors, International, (LSESSI) is a support group for survivors of lightning and electrical injury, their friends and families. The group provides information and support to survivors, their families and their physicians about the consequences of the injury and how to deal with it. They also have written materials. You can email the group at lightnin@nternet.net; phone 910-346-4708.
The stories below are submitted by lightning victims and are NOT corroborated by NOAA. If you would like to email a story, please state that NWS has permission to your story on this site. Please include your first name, location, date and any medical impacts.
| Name | Location/Activity When Struck | Medical Impacts |
| Glenn | Long Beach Island, NJ | No long term impacts |
| Scott K | Texas Hill Country, outside house with family | Had to relearn reading and writing |
| George | Cape Lookout, NC, fishing on boat | PTSD, burns |
| Lindsey | Orlando, FL, standing on line at a theme park | pain, heart problems, headaches, fatigue |
| Johanna | Copenhagen, Denmark, unlocking bike outside | depression, headaches, fatigue |
| Natalie | Houston, TX, inside at back door | brain fog, memory loss |
| Alan | Colorado Springs, CO, in backyard | ringing in ears, hearing loss |
| Anita | Morehead City, NC, on patio | Buzzing in ears 24/7 |
| Michael | New Milford, CT, under tree | None noticed |
| Aaron and Heidi | Venango County, PA, in house | Fortunately none but lost two expensive computer systems. |
| Rachel | Sierra Nevada, CA, Donner Lake | Felt like bones were shaking |
| Pam | Matagorda, TX, Hit while Deep sea fishing | Electrical problem in the left part of heart |
| Gary | Connecticut, struck three separate times, once in garage and twice in house | Ringing in my ears, joint and muscle pain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, anger issues, memory loss, concentration problems, PTSD, etc |
| Justin | Woods Canyon, AZ, fishing with family | Severe burns, three fractured vertebrae on my spine, can no longer work, bad depression, anger issues, joint swelling, nueroprathy, memory issues, word recall issues, PTSD |
| Luke | St Augustine, FL, on his back deck | In a coma. |
| Zach | Florence, SC, Coaching Little League team | Ear pain, pain in his hip and back. Legs and feet tingle and get numb, taste buds have changed after three months. Random but excruciating pain from time to time. |
| Brad | Jacksonville, FL, Closing metal-framed patio door | Temporary loss of speech, knocked flat, burn mark |
| David | Pinson, AL. In bathroom taking shower. | Depression, psychic abilities |
| Blair | Puerto, Vallarta, Mexico: in apartment with doors open | Depression, tremors, psychic abilities |
| John | Gainesville, GA: Playing football | heart stopped, coma, surgery |
| Jennifer | Millville, NJ: Working as Game Warden | Vision, concentration, nausea |
| Charmaine | Belfair, WA: At a concert | Intense pain, memory loss, depression |
| Lisa | Naples, FL: On the beach | Fatigue, headaches, concussion |
| Jennifer | Pensacola, FL: At home, inside, on Telephone and Touching Stove | Memory loss, vision problems, hypersensitive hearing, numbness, and all over weakness. |
| Rachel | Thetford Forest, UK: Hit twice, once outside, once inside | No lasting problems. |
| Peter | Northwest New Jersey: Hit while camping with scouts | Hearts problems |
| John | Blair, WI: Hit standing in open garage leaning on freezer | Headaches, muscle pains. |
| Thais | Nashville, TN: Inside, near open window | Neurologic symptoms, watches don't work, increased psychic abilities. |
| Rickey | Location not known: Hit while on cell phone attached by a cord to a charger. | Swelling on upper back, chest and neck. |
| Kevin | Point, TX: Hit while getting into car | Depression, headaches, pain, numbness, anger. |
| Geneva | Location not known: Hit twice, once indoors, once outdoors | Headaches, hand pain, I can feel the barometric pressure more, digestive problems, chronic pain, fatigue, pain in joints |
| Larry | Location not known: Installing plumbing inside house | Memory loss, chronic pain, headaches, dizziness, joint pain, hearing loss on one side, inability to concentrate, depression. |
| Dave | East Coast, FL: Working Outside on Dock | Chronic pain, heightened startle response, near total inability to sleep, heart palpitations, headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, memory problems, inability to concentrate, loud ringing in my ears, etc. |
| Jesse | Brandon, MS: In open garage working with power tool | No severe medical impact. |
| Nathalie | Boston, MA: On sail boat | Heart stopped but restarted. Burn marks. |
| Paul | Location not known: Outside working on Mobile Home | Short term memory loss, trouble sleeping, pain in joints |
| Missy | Location not known: At home on phone | Extrasensory Perception |
| Angela |
|
Severe neuropathy, chronic pain, digestive problems, apraxia, frontal lobe damage, PTSD and short term memory loss |
| Dana | Merida, Yucatan, Mexico: Hit while on phone in house | Dizziness, strong headaches, fatigue, Fibromyalgia, toxins sensitivity |
| Hope | Omaha, NE: Struck outside waiting for concert and fireworks | Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, migraines |
| Lorianna | Middle Tennessee: Struck sheltering under partially enclosed barn. Save by horse. | Burn marks, some depression. |
| Julie | Austin, TX: Struck unloading her store's truck | Memory loss. |
| Dave | Orlando, FL: Struck by lightning while out fishing | Burns on 60% of his body. Recovered over long period. |
| Mike |
Cape Cod, MA: Struck by lightning on a Cape Cod golf course. |
Completely paralyzed. Steadily recovering and resuming normal life. |
| Cheryl | Winston-Salem, NC, area: Home, calling husband on home telephone to warn him about the coming storm. | Petit mal seizures |
| David | Blair, WI: 911 Medical Dispatcher on duty in southern Florida | Severe headaches, deafness, short and long term memory loss, and insomnia |
| Robert | Moosehead Lake, Maine: Returning home from ice fishing on | Memory loss, joint pain, and headaches |
| Charles | Location not known: Hit while having lunch in a park | Insomnia, fatigue, memory impairment |
| Todd | Location not known: Inside his garage, repairing the exhaust system of his car | Burns, chronic pain, and short-term memory loss |
For more information on lightning survivors, contact LSESSI above or Dr. Mary Ann Cooper. If you have a lightning survivor story you'd like to share, please email us
