RESUMO
Skiers and other snow sports enthusiasts can become lightning casualties. Two such accidents are reported, one being fatal. There are fewer warning signals of impending lightning strikes in winter-like conditions. However, outdoor activists should be aware of at least two suspicious clues: the appearance of convective clouds, and the presence of graupel (snow pellets) during precipitation.
Assuntos
Queimaduras por Corrente Elétrica/etiologia , Lesões Provocadas por Raio/complicações , Esqui , Neve , Adulto , Segmento Anterior do Olho/lesões , Lesões da Córnea , Pálpebras/lesões , Humanos , Lesões Provocadas por Raio/prevenção & controle , MasculinoRESUMO
We report an extraordinary event of a lightning strike to the head of a helmeted bicyclist that occurred under fair weather conditions with a cloudless sky. The patient sustained a cardiac arrest and hypoxic encephalopathy with residual neurologic impairment. With the availability of highly developed meteorologic equipment, we were able to determine that the lightning "bolt from the blue" probably originated in a thunderstorm that was about 16 km away and obscured by the mountains.
