On a hot summer day, stormy weather in southern Colorado ruined a hike for Zach O’Neal, 15, and Ernie Elbert, 16. Lightning struck Zach as they walked down a mountain. The impact knocked him out.
It shredded his clothes and blew off his shoes. Ernie was so close he got burned. Even so, he did CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on Zach, who had stopped breathing. Both boys lived.
That’s pretty amazing, since each bolt packs enough electricity to run a 100-watt lightbulb for three months. Lightning kills about 100 people each year in the U.S. Another 1,000 are injured.
