11-Year-Old Girl Hit By Lightning On Sunny Afternoon?

I'm hoping someone on ATS can explain this one... because I don't have a rational, logical or scientific explanation for how this is possible.

CANONSBURG, Pa. (Associated Press) -- An 11-year-old western Pennsylvania girl is recovering after she was struck by a bolt from the blue.

Lisa Wehrle tells the Observer-Reporter newspaper of Washington, Pa., that the sun was shining when her daughter, Britney, was struck by lightning Friday, apparently from a storm several miles away.

Lisa Wehrle says, "There was no rain. It was a beautiful day. All she heard was some thunder."

The lightning hit Britney as she was walking down a hill in North Strabane Township with a friend about 2:30 p.m. that day. The bolt hit her on the left shoulder, leaving a burn-like mark and exited her wrist, where it left another mark.

She was treated at a Pittsburgh hospital. Doctors discovered her arm was broken, but otherwise she's OK.

Source

~Namaste

answer: zues did it

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


I've heard of lightening without any storms striking before, it's rare but can happen, still that's gonna make one hell of a story to tell people..lol

Originally posted by thegoods724
answer: zues did it

You mean Zeus?

I'm not sure he had a hand in it, but seeing the number 11 (yet again) in her age I thought was strange.

~Namaste

reply to post by Nobama


I have heard "myths" about this happening, but usually there was either no proof or a more logical explanation, like a storm nearby.

Statistically, getting struck by lightning in a thunderstorm is not high on the chance list... the odds of this must be astronomically low...

~Namaste

We are constantly reminded by our local weatherman that if you can hear thunder you are close enough to a storm to be struck by lightening.

Interesting.. About 2 years ago something similar happened where i live, It was a bright sunny day.. No storms in the area, and in some freak incident lightning struck a AC in someones window.. apparently it set the building on fire..

Lightning can travel 15-30 miles to strike a target under right conditions... if you can hear thunder, or see the cloud - you can be struck.

reply to post by SonOfTheLawOfOne


I live in PA actually about an hour from there, and there is only one explanation for this....People who live in PA have bad luck!! Hopefully she is doing okay though....But on a scientific note, I have no clue as to how or why this happened, we do have some terrible weather here though and very strange sometimes like that....

I am glad she is okay Yeah It is rare but as we can see from this story it CAN happen! Poor girl... Thanks for sharing great find!

A Bolt From The Blue

A "Bolt from the Blue" is a cloud to ground lightning flash which typically comes out of the back side of the thunderstorm cloud, travels a relatively large distance in clear air away from the storm cloud, and then angles down and strikes the ground. These lightning flashes have been documented to travel more than 25 miles away from the thunderstorm cloud and are a very dangerous type of cloud to ground lightning flash, as they "appear" to come out of the clear sky.

Source

This phenomenon is called a positive strike. It occurs when a cloud top gains a charge and the charge escapes from the side of the cloud to a negative point on the ground up to a couple dozen or so miles away depending on variable atmospheric conditions.

The following image will help clarify what we're dealing with.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0c0aada584e7.jpeg[/atsimg]

Note the (+) positive and (-) negative charges in the illustration. Normal cloud to ground lightning discharges from the bottom of the cloud and is called a negative strike. These negative strikes are quick and short ranged. A positive strike emanates from the top of the storm structure and off to the side, these discharges are longer lasting, longer reaching, and very strong discharges.

What likely happened in the case with the girl is she didn't head the warning to take cover when there's thunder and got nailed by a positive striking bolt. The sun may be shining, but the storm can still hit anyone within the range of several miles, hence the name "bolt from the blue."

More information here.

Did anyone see if she had said 'If I'm lying may God strike me down, right now!' before said freak bolt? Not to make fun of the situation, I'm glad the girl is alright, but still. It's going to be one heck of a story to tell her grandkids