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A fifth mechanism of lightning injury
1Departments of Bioengineering Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612-7354, USA. macooper@uic.edu
Abstract:
The four classic electrical mechanisms of lightning injury cannot account for all injuries. A fifth mechanism, injury by a weak upward streamer that does not become part of a completed lightning channel, has long been postulated in the engineering literature by lightning researchers. This paper reports a case of death where injury from a weak upward streamer is strongly suspected following forensic investigation. Neither high voltage nor any of the previously accepted mechanisms of lightning injury can explain this incident.
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