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Workers' Compensation
Lightning Strikes and Kills Worker - What's the Likelihood?
A ranch employee at the University of Idaho was struck by lightning and killed while riding a horse to drive cattle. The worker was Michael Haslett of Salmon, Idaho. He was 37-years-old. The strike was witnessed by two other people who were herding cattle at the ranch.
Iowa ranks 23rd of all states in the U.S. for lightning strikes causing death and 24th for injury related lightning strikes.
Employees who are killed or injured from lighting while at work would be covered under Iowa's workers' compensation program. There is no indication in this news story whether or not this employee's widow or dependent children would be covered. Laws vary from state to state and workers' compensation programs differ greatly. The reason why there is coverage has to do with the work exposing the employee to special risks or hazards of the particular employment. In this instance a ranch hand is exposed to risks associated with inclement weather, animals and other environmental exposures. The employer benefits from the employees working under such conditions and is better able to spread the cost of such risks to customers.
I wrote this two days ago, then today noticed a news article from Tiffin, Iowa about a teenager working on a laptop computer while at home who was in the house when it was struck by lightning. The house is located at 283 Woodfield Drive in Tiffin. The lightning struck the house at around 3:20 p.m. while he was in the basement. Apparently when the house was struck so was he; although I wonder if the house's electrical grid wasn't itself energized sending a jolt through to him. No smoke, flames or fire were reported. The boy is said to be alright and not to have suffered life threatening injuries. See Tiffin Teenager Struck by Lightning at Home, KCRG, Channel 9, ABC
According to NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-193, Section 4, worldwide it appears the odds are 1:3000 although as you can see from Mr. Sullivan a person's work environment may substantially raise the odds. Also Virginia is noted to have between 35 and 45 thunderstorms every year especially in June through August that 10,000 people are killed each year by lightning. In the United States 90 people are struck and killed. The risk is 1 in 28,500. Wyoming has the highest casualty rate per capita. On December 8, 1963 81 people died when lightning struck a Boeing 707 jetliner near Elkton, Maryland. According to Wikipedia Roy Cleveland Sullivan, a United States forest ranger is reported to have been struck by lightning on seven different occasions. He was later referred to as the nickname "The Human Lightning Rod".
-
The Seven Lightning Strikes
1942: First Strike - Sullivan was hit for the first time when he was hiding from a thunderstorm while hiding in a fire lookout tower. The lightning bolt struck him in a leg and he lost a nail on his big toe.
1969: Second Strike - The second bolt hit him in his truck when he was driving on a mountain road, the bolt bounced off a nearby tree and came into his open window. It knocked him unconscious and burned his eyebrows and hair.
1970: Third Strike - The third strike struck him while standing in his front yard when it struck a transformer and burned his left shoulder.
1972: Fourth Strike - The next hit happened in a ranger station. The strike set his hair on fire. After that, he began to carry a pitcher of water with him.
August 7, 1973: Fifth Strike - A lightning bolt hit Sullivan on the head, blasted him out of his car, and again set his hair on fire.
June 5, 1974: Sixth Strike - Sullivan was struck by the sixth bolt in a campground, injuring his ankle.
June 25, 1977: Seventh Strike - The seventh and final lightning bolt hit him when he was fishing. Sullivan was hospitalized for burns in his chest and stomach.
Roy Sullivan shot himself on September 28, 1983, reputedly over a rejected love.
Two of his ranger hats are on display at two Guinness World Exhibit Halls in New York City and South Carolina.
Apparently he was struck at a very early age but because he was unable to prove it he didn't claim it. His wife was also struck while hanging clothes in the back yard. He happened to be helping her at the time but escaped without injury.
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TABLE 21. Average population, and rate/million people/year of lightning-caused fatalities, injuries, casualties (fatalities and injuries combined), and damage reports for all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico from 1959 to 1994. Population is average of decennial census values from 1960 to 1990. |
|||||||||
|
State |
Average population |
Fatality rate |
Injury rate |
Casualty rate |
Damage rate |
||||
|
[1000s] |
Rate |
Rank |
Rate |
Rank |
Rate |
Rank |
Rate |
Rank |
|
|
Alabama |
3,660 |
0.64 |
24 |
1.60 |
23 |
2.23 |
22 |
2.18 |
34 |
|
Alaska |
369 |
0 |
52 |
0 |
52 |
0 |
52 |
0.23 |
50 |
|
Arizona |
2,364 |
0.69 |
19 |
1.23 |
30 |
1.93 |
26 |
0.99 |
44 |
|
Arkansas |
2,086 |
1.46 |
3 |
3.26 |
4 |
4.73 |
4 |
7.67 |
7 |
|
California |
22,275 |
0.03 |
49 |
0.07 |
51 |
0.10 |
50 |
0.07 |
51 |
|
Colorado |
2,536 |
1.04 |
6 |
3.24 |
5 |
4.28 |
5 |
3.42 |
21 |
|
Connecticut |
2,990 |
0.12 |
45 |
0.70 |
42 |
0.82 |
44 |
2.50 |
29 |
|
Delaware |
564 |
0.74 |
17 |
1.33 |
27 |
2.07 |
24 |
4.09 |
17 |
|
District of Columbia |
691 |
0.20 |
44 |
0.89 |
37 |
0.92 |
41 |
0.56 |
45 |
|
Florida |
8,605 |
1.10 |
4 |
3.80 |
3 |
4.91 |
3 |
1.45 |
40 |
|
Georgia |
5,119 |
0.44 |
28 |
1.79 |
17 |
2.23 |
23 |
3.56 |
19 |
|
Hawaii |
869 |
0 |
51 |
0.10 |
49 |
0.10 |
51 |
0.45 |
46 |
|
Idaho |
833 |
0.67 |
22 |
2.23 |
13 |
2.90 |
13 |
10.17 |
4 |
|
Illinois |
11,011 |
0.21 |
42 |
0.69 |
43 |
0.91 |
43 |
1.04 |
43 |
|
Indiana |
5,223 |
0.39 |
29 |
0.87 |
38 |
1.26 |
37 |
1.86 |
35 |
|
Iowa |
2,818 |
0.64 |
23 |
1.60 |
24 |
2.24 |
21 |
5.71 |
13 |
|
Kansas |
2,317 |
0.67 |
20 |
2.13 |
15 |
2.80 |
14 |
14.17 |
2 |
|
Kentucky |
3,401 |
0.67 |
21 |
1.63 |
21 |
2.30 |
20 |
4.62 |
16 |
|
Louisiana |
3,830 |
0.83 |
9 |
1.65 |
19 |
2.48 |
17 |
2.28 |
32 |
|
Maine |
1,078 |
0.57 |
25 |
2.68 |
6 |
3.25 |
8 |
6.52 |
11 |
|
Maryland |
4,005 |
0.80 |
12 |
0.94 |
36 |
1.74 |
29 |
3.16 |
23 |
|
Massachusetts |
5,648 |
0.12 |
47 |
1.63 |
22 |
1.75 |
28 |
2.97 |
25 |
|
Michigan |
8,813 |
0.28 |
37 |
2.03 |
16 |
2.31 |
19 |
2.57 |
28 |
|
Minnesota |
3,918 |
0.38 |
30 |
0.84 |
39 |
1.21 |
38 |
2.88 |
26 |
|
Mississippi |
2,372 |
1.04 |
5 |
2.42 |
7 |
3.47 |
6 |
2.40 |
30 |
|
Missouri |
4,758 |
0.46 |
27 |
0.54 |
44 |
1.00 |
40 |
1.48 |
38 |
|
Montana |
739 |
0.75 |
15 |
1.65 |
20 |
2.41 |
18 |
3.31 |
22 |
|
Nebraska |
1,511 |
0.75 |
16 |
1.27 |
28 |
2.02 |
25 |
11.36 |
3 |
|
Nevada |
694 |
0.24 |
40 |
0.52 |
45 |
0.76 |
45 |
0.44 |
47 |
|
New Hampshire |
844 |
0.26 |
38 |
2.24 |
12 |
2.50 |
16 |
6.78 |
10 |
|
New Jersey |
7,082 |
0.22 |
41 |
0.49 |
46 |
0.71 |
46 |
0.38 |
49 |
|
New Mexico |
1,200 |
1.88 |
1 |
3.89 |
2 |
5.76 |
2 |
1.25 |
41 |
|
New York |
17,642 |
0.20 |
43 |
0.71 |
41 |
0.91 |
42 |
1.58 |
37 |
|
North Carolina |
5,535 |
0.84 |
8 |
2.32 |
10 |
3.16 |
10 |
4.82 |
15 |
|
North Dakota |
635 |
0.48 |
26 |
1.05 |
34 |
1.53 |
31 |
6.34 |
12 |
|
Ohio |
10,501 |
0.30 |
34 |
<p style="text-align: ri After a worker is injured is when they need the support of their employer the most. But injured workers aren't given a level playing field. The company doctor often times is not helping them and the case manager isn't either. The worker is left alone to fend for themselves and to make mistakes that result in lower benefits or fewer weeks of benefits. Some are sent back to work too soon. There is only one person on your side and that understands this system. If your lawyer doesn't understand the nature of this claim you've got the wrong lawyer. Steve Lombardi has practiced in the area of workers compensation for over 30 years. He's tried hundreds of cases for more than one thousand clients. If you'd like help finding a competent lawyer we do assist people in locating a lawyer in Iowa or in Illinois. Call us. 4 Comments to "Lightning Strikes and Kills Worker - What's the Likelihood?"
Bill: How does the system work and what do you use to predict lightning strikes? If you will write directly to me I'll ask some questions and consider a blog about your services. sdlombardi@aol.com is my email address. Steve Lombardi
Posted by Steve Lombardi
on September 1, 2010 at 05:58 PM
Hi Steve,
For an individual yes, however for schools, YMCA, businesses it seems cost effective.
Posted by Bill Combes
on September 1, 2010 at 05:24 PM
That seems a bit expensive to me.
Posted by Steve Lombardi
on September 1, 2010 at 04:36 PM
All it takes is one strike. There are services such as the one our company provides that can at least give you some notice of approaching lightning. We have schools, businesses and personal users on our system. I can notify you of strikes when they occur up to 30 miles away. @ $35 per month it is a low cost solution.
Posted by Bill Combes
on September 1, 2010 at 01:55 PM
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