Lightning is occurring all around us, and while most of those bolts go harmlessly into the ground, every so often kids are struck by lightning and seriously injured or killed. Worldwide, lightning strikes kill an estimated 6,000-24,000 people each and every year. (The wide range is due to the fact that in many parts of the world there is either no reporting, or accurate reporting is hard to come by.)

How kids are killed by lightning

A lightning bolt carries up to 200 amps of electricity and can reach temperatures of 50,000 degrees. To put this in perspective, as little as one-tenth of an amp can kill a person. Kids needn’t be hit by the bolt directly; many are injured or killed when lightning strikes a body of water they’re in or travels across a wet ground when it hits nearby.

Stories of kids struck by lightning

In August of 2023, four girls were injured after lightning struck near where they were swimming at a popular swimming spot: Blue Hole Park, in Oklahoma.

Normally lightning strikes involve a single person, or a few at most. But in an especially deadly lightning strike that occurred at an elementary school in Uganda in 2011, 20 children were killed and another 100 were injured.

Where & How Children Are Struck by Lightening
Two boys survived a lightening strike while both were struck in a metal deer stand in Angelina National Forest.  (USA Today, 10-15-14, p. 4A)

Lightning Facts & Statistics:

1. Lightning strikes cause around 100 deaths and 400-500 serious injuries (of all ages) each year in the United States.

2. Graciously, lightning fatalities have been steadily dropping despite an increased population in the U.S. Better electrical protection on structures, fewer corded phones, enclosed cabs on farm equipment, and increased use of CPR and defibrillators have all played a role.

3. The lightning capital of the U.S. is between Tampa and Orlando, Florida.

4. Lightning can strike up to 25 miles away from its origin in a cloud.