Lightning struck directly in player: what helped to survive the young athlete?

Went to the ball to pass, but to finish the movement prevented bright flash… the Ball flies away, the man falls on the football field. The video, which was published by the Moscow club “Znamya Truda”. The footage is the same fraction of a second, which almost cost the life of 16-year-old goalkeeper.

Ivan Zaborovsky was struck by lightning. At this point, around him on the field no other players. And thunderstorms, although cloudy, was not expected. So the team did not even realize what happened. However, after quickly oriented: the coach did chest compressions and artificial respiration.

Then — the ambulance, resuscitation. And here is a welcome message for all the supporters: “Threat of life”. As representatives of the club, now the condition of the injured goalkeeper stable, ECG normal. But there are severe burns “as the entry and exit of the lightning bolt”.

That is, the hit was direct, but the stark statistics in such cases often shows fatal on the spot. What helped to survive to the young man and how an accident can affect the career of a footballer? Usually lightning strikes without consequences are not…

Saturday, almost the center of Moscow. Night and morning weather stations in this area recorded storm activity. The atmosphere was restless. But this development, of course, one could not expect…

It may surprise you, but not all lightning strikes end with the death of a man. Mortality from this phenomenon is variously estimated from 10 to 30 percent.

However, this statistic includes all types of lesions of the lightning discharges. And they are different. Most often lightning injure people directly, but then when you throw in other objects. For example, with tree electricity can jump to the hiding person. Or the charge will spread across the earth, hitting everything that is in a certain area. The kick will be weak and the chances of survival will be high.

But in this case lightning struck right in the player! This is a rare five percent of all cases — but the most lethal type of lesion. Through man is the discharge current in tens of thousands of amps. The impact lasts very short — hundredths of a second. A large part of the electrons flows in the ground on the surface of the skin. But, as the doctors say, and what penetrates, is enough to cause enormous damage to the body. And it’s not just severe burns. Suffer literally every system — from hearing and vision to musculoskeletal. And usually becomes fatal, respiratory disorders and blood supply.

“the Main thing that suffers is the function of the heart and the function of the respiratory system, — says Andrey Litvinenko, the doctor-the traumatologist. — There is a cardiac arrest and disturbed heart rhythm. It is, in fact, can lead to death. Simply a bolt of lightning, an electric shock blocks the transmission of impulses to these structures, these bodies. As a result, they just switch off”.

a Direct lightning strike is almost always death. Survive unit! How did it young footballer? First, appeared next to trained professionals. It is reported that immediately after a lightning strike, one of the coaches of the team made the player artificial respiration and heart massage. According to doctors, this first aid helped saved the guy’s life.

secondly, its role could be played by age 16. The young body more strength to resist the effects of electricity. Thirdly, it happened in training and it is likely that by the time of the tragedy, the player had to break a sweat. Sweat conducts electricity perfectly. So, a large proportion of the energy can go in the ground on the surface of the skin. Well and the fourth is luck. The lightning are different and, most likely, Ivan Zaborovsky were not the strongest.

“Parameters of lightning differ in hundred times or even thousand, — says Stanislav Winesogrodow, Deputy head of the Department of General physics MIPT. — Current big — time small. Accordingly, the power is big. And if such energy were directed, say, second, the person would just disappear. And so, due to the fact that the little time — intense heat. But if you are lucky, you can survive it.”

whether zaborowski again to play football on a professional level? Alas, according to research, three of the four survivors of lightning strikes then all the life suffering the consequences. Most often it is a neurological problem: sleep disorders, memory loss, constant pain. Over time, can begin to deteriorate eyesight and hearing. However, Zaborowska — only 16 years old. Let’s hope that the reserves of the body will allow the young goalkeeper to go in the frame.