Shot in the head by a particle accelerator.

It’s surprising what people are capable of surviving. This little article is dedicated to three people who survived some truly amazing circumstances, from jumping out of a five story window (Twice), to being shot in the head with a particle accelerator beam, and more importantly- how they survived.

They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. Tell that to Roy Sullivan, who was struck a total of Seven Times In his life.

He was struck in 1942, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976 and 1977. Supposedly, he developed a case of paranoia after the third time and became convinced a higher power was out to get him. Mind you, considering the odds of being struck by lightning ONCE in 80 years are 576,000 to one, and the odds of being struck by lightning seven times are 10^25 to one, can you blame him?

Strangely it was not the lightning that killed him. He killed himself over unrequited love.
The Facts

I’m afraid I’ve mislead you somewhat here, as the odds of surviving a lightning strike are actually not all that bad. A bolt of lightning is a truly phenomenal piece of nature, a bolt lasts only a split second, but is hotter than the surface of the sun. Individual bolts are also not that large, in effect being struck by lightning is in many respects like being shot- with the added bonus that the wound is instantly cauterized.

Reports of people surviving lightning strikes abound, the most common injury is usually a burn, which while very painful and debilitating, is not usually fatal. Those who have had a direct strike land on their bodies often have holes or other full blown wounds to show for it, and if the strike passes through a vital organ, it will of course destroy it. The point is that being struck by lightening is not like being electrocuted per se (Although I wouldn’t handle electronics without a wriest strap immediately after a strike), it’s more like being shot with a high energy beam that burns through your body rather than relying on the kinetic energy of a bullet. Speaking of which…

Here's your linkey to the rest of the piece.