Even if you’re not in the immediate vicinity of a lightning strike, you can still be struck – indirectly. A bolt of lightning will be distributed in all directions when it hits the ground, so the actual danger zone extends to a radius of at least ten metres from the point of entry.
If you are ever caught unawares during a thunderstorm, you should crouch as close to the ground as possible while keeping your legs together. Otherwise a lethal step voltage could travel between them and may, in the worst case scenario, cause a cardiac arrest.
