Lightning strike damages electric company vehicle

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Several inches of rain and thousands of lightning strikes poured across the Brazos Valley on the evening of April 20th. While most of those strikes occurred without causing any damage, there were a few notable bolts.

Around 7:00pm on Saturday April 20th, a lightning bot struck the roof of the Backyard on Northgate, causing a fire and destroying some electronic equipment. Just two hours earlier, over on the western end of College Station, a Dailey Company van was also struck, causing extensive damage to both the interior and exterior of the vehicle.

Chance Bloodworth, Vice President of Dailey Company, said he initially had no idea what happened, at that it wasn’t until he “started to notice the little things, like how concentrated all the damage was right down at one side” that he thought lightning may have been involved. Luckily, Dailey Company has a security camera that points right to the spot where the van was parked during the strike, and Bloodworth’s suspicions were confirmed. The entire electrifying event was caught on camera.

Dailey Company Lightning Strike – April 20

Often you are told to take shelter in your car during a thunderstorm to protect yourself from lightning. So what happened here? Well, thanks to data from the Houston Lightning Mapping Array, we have a pretty good idea. A relatively rare and destructive positive bolt struck the antenna of the car, but because of something called a Faraday Cage, the current was channeled around the metal framing of the car rather than into the car. As the current moved around the windshield it was able to heat the glass on the passenger side causing it to expand and shatter. The current then continued to travel through the metal frame and exited out of the tire, scarring the asphalt below.

Dailey Company Lightning Strike – April 20

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the rubber on the tires that protects you from lightning strikes, it is actually the exterior metal frame. Thankfully, no one was in the van at the time of the strike, however, even if someone had been, they likely would not have been impacted directly by the electrical current thanks to the protection provided by the Faraday Cage. The best place to seek shelter during a thunderstorm is inside a sturdy building, away from any windows or doors. With that being said, if a building is not an option, your car will also keep you safe.