[lutzke21]

Any one else here get struck by lightning while driving?

While returning off leave yesterday, my family and I (5 of us and 2 dogs) were in Pastura, NM, a little no-where-ville, 90 miles north of Roswell, on our way to Colorado Springs when we entered a pretty decent storm system. The train tracks in front of us were struck, causing the signal arms to turn on and drop, without a train. We slowed on approach and they went right back up. About 100 yards from that, there was a huge crack that sounded a lot like my sidearm going off. I said "damn, that was a close one." To which my wife replied that the AC had gone off, along with the stereo. Sure as ****, my '03 Denali got struck. Lost all electrical systems, except the engine. About 5 miles down the road and out of the storm, I pulled over to assess the damages. You could see the top of the antenna was blown out, and my RR tire was quickly losing air. I figure the antenna and the rear axle were the arc points, and maybe the tire is leaking at the bead. I had no blown fuses. Switched out with the spare tire and carried on...

No AC and New Mexico don't mix. But with no window controls, that sucked. Occasionally, a window would work, and sometime the sunroof. Occasionally a gauge would come to life, only to quickly die again. No ABS, no traction control, no ride control, no airbags, no HVAC, no windows/door locks, and of course, no XM radio (a must in this part of America)...

When I get home last night (luckily the lights worked), I notice that my LR tire was going flat, and I could clearly hear the hiss. Because the doors were locked at the time of the "incident", I cannot access the rear area and am forced to unload the entire rear through the front (golf clubs, rifle cases, luggage). GEICO says to bring it in in the morning.

This morning, RF is now also flat, but the rear AC works, though I can't control it. But I find out that lightning is a "deductible waived" item... woohoo, $1000 saved.

I understand the electrical system getting jacked up, but with NO POPPED FUSES? And why THREE FLAT TIRES?

My claim adjuster said I was her first lightning incident, though I don't know how long she's been working. Some say Colorado is the lightning strike capital, with FL in a close second. I've been living here for 8 years, and I gotta go to NM to get hit. Go figure.

Anyone else get hit while driving?

[Apex]

I swear I got hit once about 6 years ago...my ex-girlfriend thought so too. I was driving down the interstate through a nice thunderstorm. Streaks of lightning lighting up the sky when all of a sudden the entire car lit up like it was daylight and everything electrical just quit. No serious damage, just a few blown fuses.

[wk4u2nv]

I was struck while getting a speeding ticket.

I was on the shoulder of the freeway, it was a light storm with not a lot of rain. I was in my car while the cop was writing the ticket, when all the sudden it got real bright and loud. I didnt know what happened, the cop came over and asked if i was ok. I still didnt know what the hell happened. He told me my car was struck by lighting. Every electric component of my car stopped working. The car(99 trans am) had to have a new wiring harness and everything electric replaced, but to my relief it still works good.

[lutzke21]

Yeah, I can't wait to see the bill for this.

Glad I have comp...

[HilltopperYJ]

thats why i like older vehicles with out all the elctronics, New Mexico and no ac and you cant even get the windows down

i can only imagine how much that sucked

[01Limited45324]

When I was training in the field with a Ranger unit in Germany (Good ol' Graf), we were doing a simulated recon on a target building and I set my radio down next to me. Sure enough, weather changed and we had some lightning. Commander decides to continue on with the training mission and we stick it out (a little rain shouldn't bother us) and the lightning strikes the radio that's no more than 10 feet away. Scared the bejeesus out of us, but it's just like everyone describes: loud and bright. We thought a flash bang got pulled by accident.

Good thing it happened in training, a TACP without a radio is useless for CAS...

Glad to hear you're OK though, hopefully you get a fat check from Geico

[lutzke21]

nah, I just hope they get it fixed... I'm off to IG school monday, and I need to make sure this is done for my family.

[_Yeti_]

That sucks, but glad you are alright. Getting struck is an odd fear of mine. I often question if we are less safe in jeep wranglers as the soft top won't provide a barrier around the top...

A couple years ago I opened the front door to let a friend in and lighting hit the townhouse across mine and set it on fire. That was too close for comfort for me.

[NewdRiver_]

Originally Posted by _Yeti_

That sucks, but glad you are alright. Getting struck is an odd fear of mine. I often question if we are less safe in jeep wranglers as the soft top won't provide a barrier around the top...

Well, as long as you aren't grounded somehow you should be fine, same with any other vehicle. If you're not touching anything metal you'd be fine. If you have your arm sticking out the window touching the metal of the door, you're screwed.

Did mythbusters do something on this?

[corndogduff]

I know on an episode of Top Gear, Hampster sat in a car getting shocked by a power station and didnt get hurt...

[rtyler13]

When i was working at Disney one of my coworkers got hit...it wasn't really bright, in fact i thought i just caught a light reflecting off of something until the boom from it hit right next to me (about 4 feet)...my coworker had a metal rod in his arm and this is why we think it went to him over any of us standing with him...scared the hell outta me though. He is alright but it definitely hurt him at the time, thankfully it didn't kill him or do anything serious

[rjt36]

I saw a brand new JK at the dealership that got struck by lightning a few weeks after the JKs came out. The service manager and I were talking and he said that it fried the electrical system. I couldn't believe it. The antenna was about half the size, and the end was charred and bent over. I'd never seen anything like it.

[roadman]

If you were 90 miles north of Roswell, NM, that may not have been lightening...

Just saying. Make sure you've got your tinfoil panties on. That ain't a glow stick that alien's holding...

[sanchagrins]

great! now i'm all paranoid about getting struck by lightning while driving! My closest call was when I was stopped at a traffic light and the pole got struck and reset the light. for a few minutes it was just blinking the yellow caution light instead of cycling through. too bad I don't think my tinfoil hat will protect me from this new paranoia!!!

[lutzke21]

Originally Posted by NewdRiver

Well, as long as you aren't grounded somehow you should be fine, same with any other vehicle. If you're not touching anything metal you'd be fine. If you have your arm sticking out the window touching the metal of the door, you're screwed.

the adjuster said she's heard of people getting burned by the seat belt buckle.