NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!
It was a shocking moment to say the least.
Michael May Whalen was driving through the Tampa Bay area on July 1 on his way home to Indiana when the car he was in was caught in a lightning storm.
Whelan and her family were returning to Indiana from Florida when the accident happened. (Michael May Whalen via Storyful)
She pulled out her phone camera to film it, using the slow-motion setting to capture the impacts, just before one hit the pickup in front of her, carrying her husband, Edward, and three children.
HALO RESCUES FORMULA 1 DRIVER IN SCARY ROLL-OVER DISASTER
The bolt can be seen taking four quick hits as the Ram pickup plows through it and scatters right in front of Whelan’s car.
She captured on video the moment the light hit her husband’s Ram pickup. (Michael May Whalen via Storyful)
She told Fox 13 that her husband and everyone in the vehicle were fine.
US TRAVEL DEATHS TOUCH 16-YEAR RECORD IN 2021
“He really had to come back to me and give me a hug and let me know that, ‘Yes, I’m fine, yes, the kids are fine.'” Unfortunately, the brand new truck was “totally fried.”
The new Ram Pickup was “totally fried.” (Michael May Whalen via Storyful)
“I’ve always wanted a Dodge Ram since I was a little kid,” Whalen said. “And I finally managed to get one. And I just made my third car payment and – bam.”
Although the odds of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million, several hundred people are struck each year, with Florida being one of the most common places where it happens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). . The inside of a hardtop car is one of the safest places anyone can be.
The rubber tires don’t insulate it, but the metal body acts as a Faraday cell that directs the charge around the outside of the body to ground. In fact, the steel belts inside the tires can heat up and cause them to explode as electricity passes through them. Electrical systems can also be damaged, and defroster wires in windows can cause them to break from the intense heat.
Faraday cells are commonly used in science museum demonstrations. (SERGE GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)
It is important to keep the windows closed, try not to touch any metal surfaces or controls, and stay completely inside the vehicle. If one touches the ground, lightning can find its way through it.
However, convertibles do not offer the same protection. The CDC recommends that anyone caught outside in a storm seek shelter indoors or even under a rock or rocky outcropping.
If none is available, it is best to find the lowest possible spot away from the water and crouch rather than lie down. Avoid trees, wire fences, power lines, windmills, or anything that may conduct electricity, regardless of where you are huddled, and if you are in a group of people, separate to reduce the number of injuries that can occur.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
As for vehicles, Progressive Insurance says it will only be covered if drivers have a comprehensive policy because a lightning strike is considered an act of nature, not a collision.
Gary Gastelou is FoxNews.com’s automotive editor covering the auto industry and racing @foxnewsautos
Add Comment