Lightning lashes out in Olde Towne Dahpne

Staff Report
Posted 6/14/08

DAPHNE, Ala. — A man during a storm on Friday was knocked to the floor by a shock from lightning at Manci's Antique Club on Main Street, according to witnesses.

Emergency responders immediately checked on the man, who reportedly was unharmed. …

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Lightning lashes out in Olde Towne Dahpne

Posted

DAPHNE, Ala. — A man during a storm on Friday was knocked to the floor by a shock from lightning at Manci's Antique Club on Main Street, according to witnesses.

Emergency responders immediately checked on the man, who reportedly was unharmed. The smell of smoke permeated the air of Olde Towne Daphne but no fire was evident.

The storm hit close to the Daphne Bulletin office, two buildings away, where two staffers felt shocks while on deadline for their Saturday edition.

Tony Whitehead, the paper's sports coordinator, said he was "knocked breathless" when he touched a keyboard just as a loud crash was heard.

Thomas Boni, the editor, felt a shock in his left leg that he believes came through the floor since he wasn't touching computer equipment at the time.

Lightning enters homes and buildings through a direct strike, through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure, and through the ground, according to the National Weather Service. Lightning can travel through electrical lines, metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring, and phone, plumbing or radio and television systems, according the service.

Phone use is the leading cause of indoor lightning strikes; avoid them during a storm, according to the service.

For more safety tips, see http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/indoors.htm.