iPod 'saved' girl hit by lightning

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/827911/ipod-saved-girl-hit-by-lightning


She's very lucky to be alive.

You sometimes hear stories of different objects saving peoples lives from a lightning strike

Doctors say they believe an iPod saved the life of a British schoolgirl struck by lightning.

Sophie Frost, 14, was walking with her boyfriend Mason Billington near her home in Essex, eastern England when a fierce storm struck, the Daily Mail newspaper reports.

The frightened pair were sheltering under a tree and holding hands when Sophie was hit by a 300,000-volt lightning bolt.

Medical experts have said Sophie only survived the strike because the bolt travelled through the headphone wires of the iPod she was wearing at the time, diverting it away from her vital organs.

"Everybody's said the iPod must have diverted the lightning away from my body, which probably saved my life," Sophie said to The Times newspaper.

But both Sophie and Mason, 14, were knocked unconscious by the bolt.

Mason woke first and managed to carry Sophie, who was still unconscious, to a nearby road.

He flagged down a female motorist who took the couple to a local hospital.

Sophie was admitted with burns to her chest and legs, while Mason suffered damage to his eyes.

Both are expected to make a full recovery.

Speaking from her hospital bed, Sophie told the Daily Mail her grandmother had given her the iPod just four days before.

"I’m just glad to be alive … I don't remember a thing about what happened, but from what everyone tells me it’s a miracle I’m still here," Sophie said.

 

Q: How many volts of electricity does a lightning bolt have?


A: A typical lightning bolt contains 1 billion volts and contains between 10,000 to 200,000 amperes of current. The average flash would light a 100 watt lightbulb for 3 months.