iPod-wearing jogger struck by lightning

[Keebler]

I hadn't heard about this poor fellow. I guess the ipods are like a lot of things...stay out of the rain and thunderstorms.

wow :(

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070711/mp3_dangers_070711/20070711?hub=TopStories

[puckhead193]

yea, i heard about it on the news a few mins ago.

[Marky_Mark]

The man's jawbone was fractured by muscle contractions. Jesus H! :eek:

[MacBytes]

http://www.macbytes.com/images/bytessig.gif (http://www.macbytes.com)

Category: News and Press Releases
Link: iPod-wearing jogger struck by lightning (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20070711201335)
Description:: iPods are far more dangerous than most people realize.

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)
Approved by Mudbug

[korndog2003]

LOL thats unfortunate :)

[Vidd]

LOL thats unfortunate :)

How can you laugh at that? It's depressing.

[WildCowboy]

These stories pop up every once in a while...not entirely sure why this one is getting so much prominence now when it happened two years ago.

Here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=215504)'s a MacBytes article from almost exactly a year ago on another incident.

[korndog2003]

I just found it ironic how he was listening to religous music an it happed to him.

[Vidd]

The man's jawbone was fractured by muscle contractions. Jesus H! :eek:

Is it just an urban legend that if an electric current goes through your mouth and causes it to react too quickly, your teeth can shatter? I remember hearing something to that effect a while ago and remember in Mission Impossible 3 that he put wood between his teeth when he anticipated a shock.
If so, it would make sense that it might have fractured. It sounds horrific. :(

[nagromme]

It's truly a mark of the iPod's cultural pervasiveness if a man is STRUCK BY LIGHTING and the brand of music player he carries makes it into the headline :o

(Headlines 2 years after he was struck, no less.)

I was told by my science teacher that if you feel your hair start to rise you have about 4 seconds to run away from the point of impact. Sounds fishy to me, but I pass it along since if ever DO feel my hair rise in a thunderstorm I will probably run!

[macFanDave]

There is the suggestion that the iPod somehow caused the lightning strike. Buried WAAAYYY at the end is an expert who states that an iPod cannot attract lightning, but this is counter to the entire tone of the rest of the piece.

It also seems to suggest that the iPod is somehow more dangerous than other MP3 players, Walkmans (Walkmen?) or portable CD players (remember those?) I think it stinks that the writer used the popularity of the iPod brand to draw attention to this sad, but not all that uncommon, story.

What if the headline read "MP3-player-wearing jogger struck by lightning?" Would you read it? I wouldn't have.

[impierced]

How can you laugh at that? It's depressing.

It is depressing... he cheated us from nominating him for a Darwin award by surviving! :eek:

[brad.c]

When the storm clouds loom, it might be a good idea to put away your iPod. A Vancouver jogger learned that lesson the hard way two years ago when a lightning strike zapped him via the mp3 player. The lightning transferred to him after striking a nearby tree, leaving burn marks along the path of the device's white earbuds, singeing his chest and rupturing his eardrums, and left burn marks down his left leg before the electricity blew up his sneaker as it left his body. He also fractured his jaw in the incident.

Get your Bluetooth™ headphones today, folks!

Link (http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_12801.aspx)

[someninjamaster]

Out of 100 million ipods sold there has only been one reported case. When you think that you have a 1 in 5000 chance of being struck by lighting. Someone is bound to be hit by lighting while they carry an ipod. i have a real hard time trusting that the lighting sought out this person for wearing their ipod. Unless ms got a weather controlling machine going in which case we're all dead.

[NightStorm]

Why do these reports always single out the iPod... this can/would happen with any electronic device.

[kdarling]

Reading comprehension: 0 pts :)

It doesn't say that lightning sought out a person with an iPod.

It does give examples where having wires and devices on the person's body, resulted in extra burns and injuries.

Most common reason for having extra wires? Yeah, probably an iPod !

[elistan]

Who knows, he might have been worse off if he didn't have the iPod. Obviously some of the lightning went through the earbud cables. If those weren't there, that electricity would have gone through his body instead. Might not have made a difference, or might have killed him. Hard to say really - lightning is freaky stuff. Personally, I'd rather have some burns on my chest rather than IN my chest.

The real moral of this story has nothing to do with wearing electronic devices in a storm - the point we should all take home from this is to not be out in a storm that has lightning.

[brad.c]

Why do these reports always single out the iPod... this can/would happen with any electronic device.

I know! Although they do attract tornados. Watch out Ohio!

[Sobe]

Solution: Don't get struck by lightning with or without iPod and earphones.

Problem solved.

[Moral Orel]

Must be a slow day for science if this is what they are releasing as news.

[Sobe]

Must be a slow day for science if this is what they are releasing as news.

well said, well spoken beegee.

[iAmLegend]

Do not wear headphones attached to an iPod or other musical device.

:D

I love how the iPod is put in a class by itself.

[mrsebastian]

“Using things like this, a mobile phone or an IPod, there isn't actually an increased risk (of incurring a lightning injury),”

the above should be the headline for this useless, sensationalist journalism. people do get struck by lighting and that sucks, but if it says "ipod-wearing jogger struck by lightning suffers burns, hearing loss" you read it thinking holy **** and therefore help their revenue stream.

[Vidd]

It is depressing... he cheated us from nominating him for a Darwin award by surviving! :eek:

I'd hardly say it's eligible for a Darwin award; the iPod didn't attract the lightning, it only made the effectts worse.

[thejadedmonkey]

It's truly a mark of the iPod's cultural pervasiveness if a man is STRUCK BY LIGHTING and the brand of music player he carries makes it into the headline :o

(Headlines 2 years after he was struck, no less.)

I was told by my science teacher that if you feel your hair start to rise you have about 4 seconds to run away from the point of impact. Sounds fishy to me, but I pass it along since if ever DO feel my hair rise in a thunderstorm I will probably run!

That's because the trail of charged electrons (it has a name, I just don't remember) starts at the bottom, and once it makes it way to the top it grounds the cloud and *ZAP* the electricity goes down the path of electrons. If you're standing in the path of electrons before it gets up to the cloud, the electricity will cause your hair to repel and you should run.
I know I'm off slightly, but I haven't had a good physics class in 2 years...

My teacher showed us a pictures of some lady.. her hair was standing on end, and they thought it was cool and took a picture. a second later she was struck by lightening and died.

[Sherman Homan]

I think the whole thing smells like a lawsuit. Lightening can split an oak tree. An iPod is too small, there isn't enough metal in it to make your body more of a conductor of electricity. I don't even see how it could make the damage of a lightening strike worse.

[tveric]

And before the super-fans throw a fit pointing this out, YES, this phenomenon occurs with ANY mp3 player, as well as any "personal electronic devices such as beepers, Walkman players and laptop computers" that are taken outdoors Amusing nonetheless.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/12/ipods.lightning.ap/index.html

If you're going to post complaining about how they only named ipods in the title of the article, I'll save you the time - yes, they're trying to grab your attention by pointing up the most popular and most likely device to be taken outdoors. Relax, open your door, and get some fresh air. Unless, of course, there are thunderstorms directly overhead.

[someninjamaster]

I think its funny that the iphone rocks and it gets singled out yet the zune sucks and gets no bad press.

[Stampyhead]

It should be pointed out, for anyone who didn't read the article fully, that using an iPod outdoors doesn't increase your chances of being hit by lightning, but increases your chance of injury if you are hit by lightning. Although it's good to be careful, what really are one's chances of being hit by lightning?

[PlaceofDis]

It should be pointed out, for anyone who didn't read the article fully, that using an iPod outdoors doesn't increase your chances of being hit by lightning, but increases your chance of injury if you are hit by lightning. Although it's good to be careful, what really are one's chances of being hit by lightning?

pretty slim. and yeah, electronic devices don't increase your chance, the increase the severity of the strike were it to occur.

[Gymnut]

AppleCare cover lightning strikes? ;)

[raggedjimmi]

I hope they warn against wearing jewellery too. They can leave nasty marks when struck by lightning.

I should be careful. Every year I seem to get caught out in a lightning storm on my way home from town. Every year, even though we only see 1-3 lightning storms a year.

[Sun Baked]

Not as dangerous as using a propane BBQ in a lightning storm. ;)

[nagromme]

I think its funny that the iphone rocks and it gets singled out yet the zune sucks and gets no bad press.

Well, a person getting hit by lightning while listening to a Zune is the very definition of unlikely. Those odds can't even be calculated.

That's because the trail of charged electrons (it has a name, I just don't remember) starts at the bottom, and once it makes it way to the top it grounds the cloud and *ZAP* the electricity goes down the path of electrons. If you're standing in the path of electrons before it gets up to the cloud, the electricity will cause your hair to repel and you should run.

That sounds reasonable enough that I will NOT hold still if I feel my hair rise!