Riding with rain and lightning

https://www.wpbf.com/article/motorc...m=facebook&utm_source=trueAnthem:+New+Content


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I'm not sure this passes the smell test.

I feel sad for the family, and the bike rider. But I'm not sure how a non-conductive helmet attracted lightning.

BMWGSA said:

But I'm not sure how a non-conductive helmet attracted lightning.

Click to expand...

The helmet had nothing to do with this. You really imagine a non-conductive helmet would protect against lightning? Motorcyclists are killed every year while riding by lightning strikes.

It is likely the lightning strike killed him instantly.

Harry

RIP Rider...

This happens more often than most people realize. Florida is pretty much at the top of most people hit/killed by lightning every year.
It is especially scary when you're out in open water on a boat... DAMHIK...
Seen plenty of lightning in Florida Bay and the Keys when I was a charter captain... No place to hide anywhere...

More info. Off duty VA state police witness the strike...
Hard to believe but there it is..
I guess when it's your time.

Florida motorcyclist killed by lightning strike to the head: police

https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-motorcyclist-killed-by-lightning-strike-police

Neither the reporter, nor the investigating police, claimed that the motorcyclist’s helmet “attracted” the lightning strike that prompted the accident.

Just as an aside, the helmet is no less conductive than the air the lightening bolt passed through on its way toward the ground.

The rider’s helmet:



The strike was observed by a Highway Patrol Trooper who said the rider left the roadway and died at the scene. It is unclear whether it was the lightening strike that killed the rider or if he died as a result of injuries sustained in the subsequent crash.

I know a person who was hit in the helmet by lightening in Washington State. He survived and managed to keep his Wing upright. He lost some hearing and he belives he lost some cognitive capabilities (he is an MD and has a PhD in physics). In his case he may have been saved by the audio cable that ran from his helmet to a plug-in on the bike. The cable was fried as were all the electronics of the bike.

This article summarizes the situation:

https://weather.com/news/news/2019-...led-by-lightning-strike-on-florida-interstate

Harry

BMWGSA said:

I'm not sure this passes the smell test.

I feel sad for the family, and the bike rider. But I'm not sure how a non-conductive helmet attracted lightning.

Click to expand...

It hit's those non-conductive trees too.

30 plus years ago there was a news story that made its way around the motorcycle industry. A guy was wearing a Hein Gericke jacket and was struck by lighting. First responders accredited his metalized Thinsulate jacket liner to saving his life.. They said it acted like a Faraday Cage and made the current flow around his body. I was always a bit skeptical, because the outside of the liner, while reflective, is sort of like one of those space saver blankets, it looks metal, but is really just chrome Mylar. My guess was it was good press and no one questioned it. IIRC his son was a passenger and was able to reach around and bring the bike to a stop, which seems almost as incredible as a lightening strike.



Maybe someone needs to invent a lightning rod for a motorcycle. Lol.

BMWGSA said:

I feel sad for the family, and the bike rider. But I'm not sure how a non-conductive helmet attracted lightning.

Click to expand...

Wrong place, wrong time.



Big lightning

OM

I had a lightning suppressor added to my previous house's wiring after we had lighting strike that came in on a phone wire. When I asked how good the protection was, the electrician said "A lightning bolt jumps three miles to get here. There's really nothing I can do to prevent damage if it hits your house".