Careful where you park!

yeoblade

yeoblade

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Driving down through France stopped of at Lapalisse, near Lyon, for a night, lovely
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town, chateau etc. 3am torrential thunderstorm , and woke to the sound of a chainsaw at 7 am clearing up a near miss 😨
 
Never park near trees,they are also good lightning conductors and do get struck.
 
Reminds me of a grassy Aire we were on a few years back near Troyes. I remember it well as it was scorching hot and I had a hangover and spent most of the day under a tree. That night there was a humongous storm. Bits of the tree came down but missed the van. The next day there was bits of trees down all around the Aire (only three or four vans on it fortunately). We set off for Jura and it took us hours to get out of the area as there was trees, bails of hay and all sorts strewn everywhere. It made the national news I seem to remember.

Scariest but most impressive was a huge thunderstorm over looking the sea on a grassy hill in Brittany. It had been full of cars and beach goers earlier but they all left and we were on our own for the night. It was amazing but I couldnt help thinking we were one of the highest objects on the hill.
 
A friend of mine got struck by lightning once and didn't even know it had happened.

He was watching a football match during a thunderstorm and had put an umbrella up, there was a loud clap of thunder but he thought nothing of it. A couple approached him and said "didn't you realise you were just struck by lightning?". They pointed to the metal spike on top of his umbrella and sure enough it had a blackened hole punched straight through it.

Apparently 90% of people who get struck survive.
 
Always suspicious of lots of space near trees on a site now.

I found a quiet spot on a large busy site in Marrakesh, by trees it looked lovely, private with the possibility of shade. Couldn't understand why it was free - until roosting time.

Then, quite literally dozens and dozens peacocks and hens started settling down for the night. Anyone who has had to put up with the noise that a couple make would understand why we moved pitch at dawn😀
 
Chap that gives me a hand now and again had his cousin a girl hit by lightning when out on a horse, the strike hit her wrist watch went through her and killed the horse, her arm to this day has a burn ring where the watch was. :eek:
Just as my wifes aunt covers mirrors and hides under the stairs during t lightning, my gran also covered mirrors clossed curtins and covered the fire incase it came down the chiminey.😂
 
My Mother in law was frightened to death of thunderstorms.

Every now and then, just for the hell of it I would set off the flash gun on my camera just to see her reaction. She was convinced it was lightning and would scuttle off and hide under the stairs. I never told her. 🙂
 
In the mid 1970's my Wife was driving down the Farm road to do the afternoon milking (she milked about 100 cows). lightning struck a huge Oak tree as she drove past it. It split this massive tree in half, the car cut out with the high voltage in the air but she was OK. She was in a Faraday cage (the car) and it was insulated by the rubber tyres.
 
maingate said:
In the mid 1970's my Wife was driving down the Farm road to do the afternoon milking (she milked about 100 cows). lightning struck a huge Oak tree as she drove past it. It split this massive tree in half, the car cut out with the high voltage in the air but she was OK. She was in a Faraday cage (the car) and it was insulated by the rubber tyres.
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We were always told when working near overhead power lines to stay in the vehicle if we caught them. Can’t earth out so long as you stay in there 👍
 
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