SPORTS ACTIVITIES & LIGHTNING INJURIES

Lightning is among the most awesome and frightening phenomenon known to man. In the US an average of about 100 people die from lightning strikes each year and about 250 are injured. About 30% of lightning strikes to humans result in death.

The sports activities that are associated with the highest number of lightning injuries and deaths are water sports, golf, camping, hiking, baseball and football.  Most fatalities occur in water-related activities such as swimming, fishing, and boating. The risk exists not only in water, but also next to lakes, rivers and on beaches.

Sports Activities and Lightning Strikes
Activity

 No. of injured Survivors

No. Killed 
Water activities 

134

118
Golf

147

  32
Camping/picnicking

148

  28
Hiking 

  32

  16
Baseball/softball

107

    8
Football

  52

  8
Soccer 

  17

  7
Hunting

 16 

    6
Bicycling 

  12

  4
Motorcycling

  10

    8
Horseback riding

     8

    4 
Jogging

  13

   6

 

LIGHTNING FACTOIDS
• A lightning stroke discharges about a 100 million volts of electricity and travels at 87,000 MPH.
• The temperature along the lightning path is about 54,000 degrees F (30,000 C), six times hotter than the sun's surface (9,940 degrees F).
• The sudden air expansion creates a shockwave which is heard as thunder.
• Time in seconds from lightning flash to thunder divided by 5 = Distance in miles from lightning source.

SOURCES
Lightning Injuries: Who Is at Greatest Risk?
Michael Cherington, MD / Physician and Sports Medicine. Vol 18. No 8. Aug 90


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