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When Lightning Strikes

When I was younger we spent a lot of time in and near lakes, rivers and ponds. Were were allowed to swim and play as long as there were no lightning storms. It made sense, lightning is dangerous, but I had never actually seen anyone get hit by lightning on a lake until now. I came across these gruesome photos a little while back and was blown away. It’s a grim reminder of how important it is to get your boat off the water when the weather gets bad.

LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) – A lightning strike on a fishing boat killed one man
and injured another. State wildlife agents say Saturday’s strike on Old
Black Bayou near Lake Charles killed 44-year-old Joe Landry. He was
pronounced dead at the scene. His fishing partner – Richard Bergeron of Lake
Charles- was treated and released later Saturday from a hospital.
Investigators say the two were attempting to pick up anchor and retreat from
a small storm when lightning hit.

More images on MCB Boats

2 Comments

November 6, 2009 by Clive Mathias

Filed Under: Accidents, Fishing, United States
Tagged: boats, Damage, Danger, Lightning, Scary, Storms

2 Comments on “When Lightning Strikes...”

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Brad Orcutt
8 months, 3 weeks ago #
That is crazy. No wonder I always get this uneazy feeling when out on the water and dark clouds start to roll in. I know a lot of people who always say, “ah don’t worry nothing will happen” or “it won’t happen to us” but I guess they will be saying something different after I show them this.
szomo.ca
8 months, 3 weeks ago #
That is absolutly rediculous. I was in some pretty nasty ones this year and i was scared for my life. The storm on couchaching caught me by suprise because it was a foggy day. We started to hear a rumble but by the time we realized it was too late. I could see flashes all over the place. We tried to run back but it wasnt going to happen. It was pooring hard and the lightening was hitting very near by. In fact all around us the lightening hit islands around us throwing distance. I thought it was the end for me but nothing ever happened. The big key to point out in this news post is the anchor. This was what connected them to the ground and thus exposed for the explosive lightening reaction which happened… Had they not anchored and not be pulling an anchor out they would have been fine.
Lesson though is , find shelter or get off the water if you can… you can never be too safe. TIP if your fishing line is floating off the water and you hear a buzzing sound. No matter the current weather its a good indication you should be on your way to shelter or off the water .