Tragedy as lighting kills woman out collecting shellfish down Pattaya way

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Tragedy as lighting kills woman out collecting shellfish down Pattaya way

 

Picture: Sophon Cable

 

Tragedy struck in the form of a lightning bolt yesterday evening when an unidentified woman aged about 50 was killed while collecting shellfish off the coast.

 

The lightning hit during a storm instantly killing the woman. It happened at a muddy stretch of beach known as Pak Klong Chai in Na Klua near Pattaya.

 

The place is a popular spot for locals to go and collect two different kinds of shellfish when the tide goes out. The woman was some 600 meters offshore.

 

The victim, dressed all in black, was found with burns to her head and body and had blood coming from her nose and mouth.

 

Attempts to revive her by Sawang Boriboon medics were to no avail and the victim was pronounced dead at Bang Lamung Hospital.

 

Witnesses said they saw a lightning bolt before rushing to call rescue services.

 

Source: Sophon Cable

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-04-06

[smedly]

tragic

 

you never want to be the tallest or near the tallest  thing during a thunderstorm 

 

RIP

[balo]

A simple reminder , this is what we learned at school and from our parents , never be the tallest point during a thunderstorm, better to lay down on the beach , would have saved her. In a tropical country like Thailand this should be focused on early in their lives, but sadly lack of education and mai pen rai attitude.

[jacko45k]

I never realised the danger of lightening until a bolt hit a tree in my garden some months back. I was in the house and it really shocked me, it also took out a small fortune in electrical/ electronic items.  My Mrs goes out in thunderstorms to clean the car... even the cat has sense to hide indoors!

[Ulic]

32 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

I never realised the danger of lightening until a bolt hit a tree in my garden some months back. I was in the house and it really shocked me, it also took out a small fortune in electrical/ electronic items.  My Mrs goes out in thunderstorms to clean the car... even the cat has sense to hide indoors!

As long as she sits inside the car cleaning, no worries. The body of the car acts like a Faraday cage.

everything inside is safe if the car is hit. Outside the car. Not so safe.

[jacko45k]

15 minutes ago, Ulic said:

As long as she sits inside the car cleaning, no worries. The body of the car acts like a Faraday cage.

everything inside is safe if the car is hit. Outside the car. Not so safe.

Well hardly, she is cleaning the outside of it. This poor lady on the beach collecting shellfish highlights how dangerous that can be.

[overherebc]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I never realised the danger of lightening until a bolt hit a tree in my garden some months back. I was in the house and it really shocked me, it also took out a small fortune in electrical/ electronic items.  My Mrs goes out in thunderstorms to clean the car... even the cat has sense to hide indoors!

Scary

[smedly]

riding a motorbike in open flat terrain carries an element of risk very similar to the lady in the OP who was extremely unlucky, it is an exact science but there are many variables that can determine exactly where lighting will strike, best to find somewhere protected if you think you are really exposed 

[doctormann]

16 hours ago, balo said:

A simple reminder , this is what we learned at school and from our parents , never be the tallest point during a thunderstorm, better to lay down on the beach , would have saved her. In a tropical country like Thailand this should be focused on early in their lives, but sadly lack of education and mai pen rai attitude.

 

Actually, lying down on the ground during a thunderstorm is not a very good idea.  You can still get killed by a nearby lightning strike because of the way that the electrical charge flows through the ground.  There would likely be a a potential difference over the length of your legs/body and you would make quite a good conductor so a charge would flow through you!

 

The best advice, if you are caught out in the open is to crouch down, feet together, head down, make yourself as small a target as possible.  You can probably kiss your ass goodbye at the same time.

[smedly]

40 minutes ago, doctormann said:

 

Actually, lying down on the ground during a thunderstorm is not a very good idea.  You can still get killed by a nearby lightning strike because of the way that the electrical charge flows through the ground.  There would likely be a a potential difference over the length of your legs/body and you would make quite a good conductor so a charge would flow through you!

 

The best advice, if you are caught out in the open is to crouch down, feet together, head down, make yourself as small a target as possible.  You can probably kiss your ass goodbye at the same time.

now getting very technical but entirely correct if you were to be very close to the strike point, same reason power grid engineers take very small steps when approaching a ground leak

[Tonyt00]

Im sure she had no idea that lightning was about to strike. As far as teaching in school, they dont even teach how to drive a car, so do you think they will be teaching about lightning strikes?

[essox essox]

On 4/7/2018 at 3:24 AM, jacko45k said:

I never realised the danger of lightening until a bolt hit a tree in my garden some months back. I was in the house and it really shocked me, it also took out a small fortune in electrical/ electronic items.  My Mrs goes out in thunderstorms to clean the car... even the cat has sense to hide indoors!

so the cat has more sense than your MRS !!! Many animals know what to do .....

[Basil B]

On 4/7/2018 at 2:30 AM, doctormann said:

 

Actually, lying down on the ground during a thunderstorm is not a very good idea.  You can still get killed by a nearby lightning strike because of the way that the electrical charge flows through the ground.  There would likely be a a potential difference over the length of your legs/body and you would make quite a good conductor so a charge would flow through you!

 

The best advice, if you are caught out in the open is to crouch down, feet together, head down, make yourself as small a target as possible.  You can probably kiss your ass goodbye at the same time.

I am sure it is a lot more dangerous if you are in water.

 

On 3/26/2019 at 3:30 AM, essox essox said:

so the cat has more sense than your MRS !!! Many animals know what to do .....

I actually believe Siamese cats a far more intelligent than any other breed.

[smedly]

8 minutes ago, Basil B said:

I am sure it is a lot more dangerous if you are in water.

depends what you mean, a small boat is probably the most dangerous place to be in a thunder storm, actually in the water not so much as you are surrounded by - well sea water, a much better conductor than you, lightning will generally choose the path of least resistance and that includes the tallest most conductive structure, tree building etc, standing under a tree you are likely to get secondary bleed from the tree through you as you are a better conductor than the tree, if caught out and there is no immediate shelter/protection then best to lie flat on the ground and cross your fingers and that includes on an open beach, doing the same close (10m) to a tree or tall post could also help 

[smedly]

the ultimate destination of lightning is the ground, the problem is that pretty much everything conducts electricity better than air, like I said above "path of least resistance" you never want to be that path, it is very difficult to remove yourself from danger on open flat ground or on a small boat in water.

 

Interesting fact - pure distilled water does not conduct electricity, it is impurities in water that conduct which is why you must use distilled water in a battery, not really relevant since most of the water we generally have contact with has impurities lol

Edited March 27, 2019 by smedly

[Basil B]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

depends what you mean, a small boat is probably the most dangerous place to be in a thunder storm, actually in the water not so much as you are surrounded by - well sea water, a much better conductor than you, lightning will generally choose the path of least resistance and that includes the tallest most conductive structure, tree building etc, standing under a tree you are likely to get secondary bleed from the tree through you as you are a better conductor than the tree, if caught out and there is no immediate shelter/protection then best to lie flat on the ground and cross your fingers and that includes on an open beach, doing the same close (10m) to a tree or tall post could also help 

Nether heard of fishing with electrodes, or how seagulls flock over the area a lightening bolt has hit the sea?

[briansbiology]

read the title and genuinely thought she must have been on the stage when the lighting fell. 

Now the article says lightning I guess it makes more sense. 

[Basil B]

On 4/7/2018 at 12:45 AM, overherebc said:

Scary

Makes you wonder what would happen if a lightening bolt were to hit on of those wooden fishing boats...  

[Basil B]

7 minutes ago, briansbiology said:

read the title and genuinely thought she must have been on the stage when the lighting fell. 

Now the article says lightning I guess it makes more sense. 

I missed that one... 

 

Though at first read of many topics I have to read again as "Lawnmowers" dose not make much sense. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by Basil B

[smedly]

1 hour ago, Basil B said:

Makes you wonder what would happen if a lightening bolt were to hit on of those wooden fishing boats...  

it depends on the boat but they can be fitted with lighting protection just like buildings 

[overherebc]

4 hours ago, Basil B said:

Makes you wonder what would happen if a lightening bolt were to hit on of those wooden fishing boats...  

Instant BBQ'd shrimp????