In July of 2019, my boyfriend Calum and I had just left Edmonton on a road trip to Penticton with my parents. We were all very excited about the road trip, as it was the first trip we did as a group, and we packed for a week of relaxation and wine drinking.
As we exited the Edmonton area our hot summer’s day had quickly turned cloudy and grey, which we were ok with because it meant we didn’t need to stare into the sun on the highway! However, within a matter of minutes, it started to rain heavily. We kept driving and were heading south towards Ponoka.
Suddenly, we heard a huge bang! Then, we saw a MASSIVE fireball on the hood of the car!!! It was gone in a flash (literally lol). We immediately thought we had hit something, but none of us saw anything on the road prior to the sound. As all of this was happening, we were still driving 100km/h, so we had to pull over to assess the situation!
It became clear to us that our minivan had been struck by lightning! The lightning bolt hit the hood of the van, and travelled through the chassis, exiting the car through the back tires.
The reason we were ok after being struck by lightning is due to the Faraday cage effect, as I explained in this short video:
https://www.britannica.com/video/185595/physics-lightning-strikes-channel-Faraday-cages-objects
Once we got to the roadside tried to get out of the car, but the doors were stuck shut, which we later realized was due to the metal frame fusing together on impact. Calum and I had to climb out the driver’s door. It also became clear to me right away that electrical systems of the car were shot, and that if we turned off the vehicle, we would likely not be able to start it again.
So, an hour into our summer vacation my mom, dad, boyfriend, and I were standing on the side of the highway in the rain, emotionally shocked but physically fine!!
We called a tow truck who had to bring a flatbed for the van, not because of the size but due to the nature of the accident. Because we got hit on the front of the van, the battery became supercharged and would possibly break the tow truck if connected!
We arrived at a Honda dealership in Red Deer, where our van was assessed for an “Act of God”. The battery supercharge also caused the headlights to stay lit when the vehicle was turned off.
With our vehicle totalled we got a tiny rental car and decided to go ahead with the rest of our vacation, wowing everyone along the way with our funny story. A week later, we returned to Red Deer to see if we could salvage anything from the van, but the dealership said that the entire frame of the vehicle had super-heated and melted EVERY SINGLE joint. Oof. Not only was that van unsalvageable, but the CDs in the player were melted and the license plated fused onto the back door. Oh well! We still feel incredibly lucky, even if it cost us a vehicle!
Luckily, I had help documenting the experience, as my friend wrote an article for the Edmonton Journal about the incident! Here’s the link:
https://pressreader.com/article/281646781727314
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