Lightning & Telephones

Junkman · Apr 21, 2005

I called someone yesterday afternoon and he informed me that he doesn't use the telephone when there is a lightning storm in progress. Later that evening I got a e mail from his wife stating ...........

( Junk, I'm sorry but **** was struck by lightening while talking on the telephone during an electrical storm earlier today. I rushed him to Akron General emergency about 4:38 PM EST today.

While not life threatening the plastic on the phone was literally fused to the side of his face because of the close strike.

When I saw what had happened I started laughing so hard that **** really got mad and as a result he fell down the steps as I was taking him to the pole barn to reach the car.

I think at that point he broke his left leg in the fall. Well it may not have been the actual fall but I was behind him and I tripped and landed on top of him and the piece of the phone still stuck to the side of his face.

He's not a happy camper at this point in time. Now, what was your question about lightening again Junk?

**** )

Have you ever heard of this happening before or is he just one unlucky guy??????

GRUMPA · Apr 21, 2005

Oh yes, it happens here and it's on the news from time to time. Next to Florida Arizona gets the second highest amount of lightening strikes per year. And there's so many scientists out here doing research on it, it isn't funny. Last year a family had a good section of there house litterly blown up from a strike.

SkyPup · Apr 21, 2005

Never talk on a telephone during a lighting strike or your it may be the last time you ever talked when the electricity comes out of the phone directly into your brain......more people are wiped out on their phones by lightning than anywhere else.

Wood_Butcher_Dav · Apr 21, 2005

Thats why they make cordless phones. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BillG_in_TX · Apr 21, 2005

I know someone who won't talk on their cordless phone during a storm, because they are convinced that the lightning will travel down the wire to the base unit, and then follow the radio waves to the remote!! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

BarryinMN · Apr 21, 2005

I kept the computer on thru a lightning storm 2 weeks ago & it's modem as well as a FAX wireless phone thing smoked.

The 40 year old rotary dial 2 party phone came thru just fine.

Phone company had 50 DSL businesses down, 100 residential customers out, as well as a switching station crash.

Had to use my cell phone for email for 2 days.

I now have a new lightning arrestor box on the side of the house and a DSL connection. Turns out I have fibre optics running along the highwway now.

Zoom!

riptides · Apr 21, 2005

I have a burn spot in my study where my phone line plug box use to be.

The computer modem that was plugged into it at the time was fried, as was the phone and the surge protector they were all plugged into.

So, I had thought it was "an old wives tale", until I heard it and ran around the house checking.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

DaveNay · Apr 21, 2005

I've never had a problem talking on the phone during a thunderstorm while relaxing in my bathtub after a long day working. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Sometimes it gets a little hard to hear the person on the phone though, due to the radio I have balanced on the edge of the tub, but it's no big deal compared to how loud the hair dryer is when I am trying to take a shower.

Dave

ByronBob · Apr 21, 2005

Blew out my modem during a storm a year or so ago. Sure being on the phone would be the same type of thing.

SkyPup · Apr 21, 2005

( I've never had a problem talking on the phone during a thunderstorm while relaxing in my bathtub after a long day working. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Sometimes it gets a little hard to hear the person on the phone though, due to the radio I have balanced on the edge of the tub, but it's no big deal compared to how loud the hair dryer is when I am trying to take a shower.

Dave )

ROTFL /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You sure do like to live dangerously! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif