[A case of fatal lightning stroke at an unusual site--the city center]

A case of a fatal lighting stroke involving a young man staying in a storm near the center of a big city is presented. The atypical character of this case lies in the fact that the lightning stroke usually occurs in open areas (mountains, fields, meadows), or involves people trying to find shelter from the storm under a tree or an isolated object in an open area. In the described case, a contributory factor to the lightning stroke was the fact that during the storm, the man was most probably standing on metal heating pipes, built in the 70's and 80's, long stretches of which were erected high above the ground. Metal used in the construction of the pipes most probably attracted lightning and generated the current which electrocuted the man standing on their surface.