Getting hit by lighning

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My boyfriend told me getting hit by lightning is very hard. It's harder than winning the lottery.
But I have heard this fact when I was a kid, if you're stuck in the middle of the thunderstorm and there is no shelter, get on the ground and curl in up in a ball. So if getting hit by lightning is very slim, then why curl up in a ball?
It sounds like you do have a high chance of getting hit by lightning if you have to curl up in a ball.
Anyone know?

I think you would be safer if you laid out flat on the ground. I'm not sure though. It's a bad idea to stay under a tree or stand in the open though.

Then again there might be a voltage difference created by lightning in the ground and/or air, and that's where you'll get shocked, even if you're laying flat on the ground.

I'm not sure.

Lying flat on the ground is actually a really bad idea because it puts you in really great electrical contact with the ground, which is where all electricity (lightning included) wants to go.

What you want to do is go into the fetal position, but on the balls of your feet. This minimizes both your height and contact with the ground, both very desirable.

It's not likely, but it does happen. The lightning will head for the nearest and sharpest concentration of electrical charge. Your standing up is a sharper shape than you curled in a ball. Standing puts your head higher the ground, so lying down is better. Also, get away from anything sticking up and don't get on a hilltop for a better view. And stay away from priests playing golf in thunderstorms.

Hi Spokane, I think you are committing a logical error. Even though the chance of getting hit by lightning is slim, it can make sense to curl up into a ball. This is because the consequences of getting hit are so big.

Fabricated example. I just made these numbers up.

Event 1: Getting hit by lightning while standing up in a storming field without shelter.
Chance of getting hit: 1 / 500,000
Result of getting hit: Severe, life-long injury and disability. 10% chance of death.

Event 2: Getting hit by lightning while crouched down in a ball in a storming field without shelter.
Chance of getting hit: 1 / 1,000,000
Result of getting hit: Severe, life-long injury and disability. 10% chance of death.

Even though the chance of getting hit is pretty small, it may make sense to take action to make it even smaller if the result is disastrous. Why take a 1 / 500,000 shot at severe disability when you could make it a 1 / 1,000,000 shot?

When you evaluate the potential benefit or harm of any situation, you must weigh two factors: The chance it will happen and the magnitude of the benefit/harm if it does happen. Multiply these together to get an "expected value" of the benefit/harm. Then compare this against the cost of the alternative.

For example, this is why we wear seatbelts. The chance of you actually needing the benefit of a seat belt during a given small car ride is very, very small under normal circumstances. But when it actually used, it can provide enormous benefit, like saving your life. The cost of clicking it on is so small, it makes logical sense to wear, even though it is very likely to not have done any good for more than 99% of your car rides.

I hope that makes sense.

For actual Lightning data, look here: http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/ams ... ng_rec.htm. If caught in a storm with close lightning, they recommend 1.) Going inside 2. ) Getting in a car and not touching the steering wheel 3.) Going to high ground and staying away from trees 4. ) Balling up while crouching (only your feet are touching the ground.)

I was almost struck by lightning, on my way home from school, when I was in Grade 11. I was even bragging about it, to my teachers and my classmates. I was a little suicidal, at the time.

My older brother was struck by lightning. It didn't cause him any harm (because he is the luckiest idiot alive ), but it sure did scare the bejesus out of the person who found him lying there twitching. It was really crazy too because he got struck by lightning in the middle of Hollywood, not out in some field in North Dakota. The paramedics were really excited though because they never had anyone who was struck by lightning before.

I have seen lightning hitting the ground before. I can remember when I was 14, my family and I were going to Las Vegas, and we were going through Salt Lake City and there was a thunderstorm and it was raining and we were stuck in a traffic jam and I saw the lightning hit the ground on the other side of the freeway not far from where we are. It was very loud then it thundered right after. My dad did the math and said it happened less than a 1/4 mile and I said it was right next to us and told him where it had hit.