Sporting an iPod isn't always the care-free, non-stop dance party that Apple's marketing department would like us to believe. We already knew that the devices could
cause accelerated hearing loss,
get you mugged on the subway, and
take away your free will, and now it seems that the popular DAP may also make you an attractive target for the cruel wrath of Mother Nature. Seventeen-year-old Jason Bunch of Colorado was enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon mowing the lawn this past weekend, when all of a sudden he woke up in bed with burns all over his face, vomiting and bleeding from his ears. Although its not clear whether the iPod he was listening to acted as an antenna for the bolt of lightning that ran through his body, its melted earbuds and a hole in the back of the case would seem to indicate that it did indeed serve as a pathway for the harmful electricity. Not only did Bunch lose hearing in one ear and his sense of equilibrium, but even worse, the incident also forced him to stand up his date for the evening -- and we doubt he'll get another chance with this particular girl after offering such an unbelievable and lame-sounding excuse for his absence.
[Via
The Raw Feed]
posted Jul 7th 2006 9:57AM
Who the hell mows the lawn when it's storming anyway?
Now I look at my Ipod, it stares back at me and tells me I'm next.
It also seems the cord prevented the charge to go through his heart, thus keeping it safe from arrest and saved his life... no? ;-)
All the iPod silhouttes look like they're being electrocuted when they dance in those damn commercials... was apple forseeing this? =O
Thank god those porkchops didn't suffer any damage or else he would never be able to date again, ever!
Now the important question...Did the iPod survive?
two points I found confusing
1. An ipod is relatively small, especially in comparison to a lawn mower, which, I have found, are general constructed of a metallic material
2. Why the hell are you mowing a lawn with a lightning storm approaching. I am assuming, of course, that the first bolt was not the one to strike him and that clouds did form to warn of the on-coming storm
This sounds more like a nominee for a Darwin award than a case of someone I should feel bad for
lol
But I suppose he wasn't hit because of the iPod.
Mythbusters proofed in an Experiment that was about lightning attracting piecrings that you have to wear a door knob in your face to higher the chance of getting hit by a lighnting.
But that the power went trgough his headphone is possible although it was probably molten trough after some microseconds.
If the Apple market share is 70 Percent 70 percent of all people geting hit by a lightning with headphones use an iPod.
I wonder if the lawnmower he was holding onto was one of those with a handle bar made of metal...
Why is it that anything even remotely connected to an iPod becomes news? I doubt the ipod had any effect in attracting lightning (and if it did, it would be pretty nonsignificant).
Isn't the phrase "iPod equipped teen" a bit redundant?
I seem to remember everyone's favorite Myth Busters address the increased chance of lightning striking a person with heavy facial piercings -- perhaps it's time for an iPod revisit?
And I agree with Z -- I'd think that if the iPod did anything at all, it avoided the fatal path through the heart.
(PS: We (Colorado) are fortunate enough to have more lightning strike victims than any other state -- like I need another excuse not to go to work this morning)
Suggestion: DONT MOW THE LAWN WHILE ITS RAINING!
I don't understand how he can possibly believe that it was his iPod when he was sitting there mowing the lawn. It is not uncommon to get struck by lightning while mowing the lawn. How can this guy possibly believe it was the iPod and not the lawn mower?
This is why if you hear thunder or see rain clouds you shouldnt be outside. Honeslty to show how f'in stupid people are. On the 4th of july in my neighborhood a storm was coming and i could hear thunder in the distance. Yet people on our street stayed in the pools and playing outside till it started raining really hard. Its really ashame but its natures way of weeding out the morons.
Yikes!
I also question why he was mowing in an (assumed) rain storm, but still...that's crazy.
The dude lost his hearing... it hardly matters whether the iPod works. You can see where the melting earbud burned into his flesh ffs. How about "Best wishes..." instead of a lame date joke?
So, when does the class action lawsuit come out?
it says in most manuals, the warranty does not cover acts of god. I found that one funny myself. One thing that makes me wonder is that if he was using a lawnmower, and he was probably touching it, which meant electricity would have gone through the mower too, doesnt that mean theres a pretty good chance the electricity would have ignited the gas in it?
wickedawesome needs a tall glass of chill the f out. It's just a blog, settle down.
"Jason Bunch was listening to Metallica on his iPod while mowing the lawn outside his Castle Rock home Sunday afternoon when lightning hit him."
Dear Lord, please tell me he was listening to the particular album I'm thinking of right now.....
Actually the iPod SAVED HIS LIFE... THe iPod sucked the lightning instead of hitting him directly.
Why people always blame iPod stuffs.. pfffff
How exactly does one vomit out of the ear?
I agree the ipod gave up it's own life to save that of a stupid young boy.
Watch out ! Metallicas gonna be maiking sure he paid for their songs :)
I'm sure glad that I got a CREATIVE instead!
I agree the ipod gave up it's own life to save that of a stupid young boy.
----
LOL!! iawtc
Hey, I feel real sorry for the guy, but just one thing...
HOW COULD HE HEAR THE IPOD OVER THE NOISE OF THE LAWN MOWER?!
He must have lost some of his hearing already if it was turned up THAT loud.
"How exactly does one vomit out of the ear?"
I was thinking the same thing...
Looks like he's a big fan of sideburns.
Lightning can strike as much as 20 miles away from any lightning generating storm. And freaking accidents can happen: lightning is only the connection of negative particles in the air with positive particles from the ground (I think I have the charges right).
Or simply: God hates Apples. I could see why, since they helped to ruin the garden of eden.
Yep, he should have got an iriver...
Ride the Lightning...yikes!
> How exactly does one vomit out of the ear?
Easy. Read here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eardrum
Or to be more precise here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_tube
Sounds like an episode of The Twilight Zone..
Make room for the new wooden version coming soon.
Must have been listening to AC/DC!
2006 Darwin Award Nominee
This is why people shouldn't be outsdie mowing lawns in thunder and lightning (heck - or even rain). Duh and duh.
Lesson #1. Don't turn the volume up so loud that you can't hear a thunderstorm.
Lesson #2. If it's raining, stop mowing the lawn and go inside.
Lesson #3. Girls are not impressed by guys that haven't learned lesson #2.
If anything, the iPod saved his life. Even though he shouldn't have been mowing the lawn in what we'd assume to be bad weather, it would appear as though the lightning was focused mainly on the copper wire of the headphone cord and the iPod itself.
So what's the big concern about the iPod ? There are so much people having an iPod, a news like "underwear-equipped teen stuck by lightning" would have the same chance to happen.
What About the poor Girl.....is she still willing to go on a date??
How about the more obvious..."God hates metallica" instead of "God hates iPods"
and, as a matter of fact...it is very unlikely that it was an apple that Adam and Eve ate in the garden of Eden
He's dumb to think that he lost his chance with the girl. Women love it when men are taken from their point of being strong, it's where they can really show their motherly power. If he was smart he'd milk this for as long as he could.
The mom:
"It's a miracle," she said. "He should not have lived through it."
What, she's a doctor? Lots of people survive being struck by lightning. I'm glad the kid is alive and everything, but come on. I can't stand it when people speak their opinion in a way that makes them sound like they actually know what they're talking about.
I don't think you people read articles correcly. He wasn't mowing the lawn in a storm or rain. It said he had atleast 15 minutes to go inside before the storm hits. The lightning must have hit before the storm even arrived.
I would stress that even if the iPod played any role whatsoever in the guy getting hit by lightning, the fact that it was an iPod is irrelevant. It could have been an old Sony cassette Walkman and it would have done the same. I find it gratuitous that the fact it was an iPod was such a big part of the story.
RIAA is gonna serve him a lawsuit in the hospital bed for illigally downloading Metallica
"enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon mowing the lawn"
Yeah, if you're a masochist. Lazy and enjoyable were never terms I associated with cutting the grass when I was a teenager.
This kid was a fucktard... The iPod was not the Conductor of the strike. As someone elce said in one of the other posts... On Mythbusters they did many lightning experments and the only thing that directly Conducted the lightning was a door knob. The small amount of copper in the head phone conducted the the electricity but after it came through some other Conductor such as the mower. And I noticed that someone said... If the mower was hit would'ent the gas explode?? No it would not. he tank is made out of plastic and the tubes are rubber. The most gas that would have exploded would have been the small ammount of gas that was already in the carborator and in the cylinder.I am thikning that the iPod saved him by compleating a circut to the head phones. In turn just burning them up and causeing no hard to his heart or the rest of is body. Also I was thinking. The hole in the back of the iPod had to of been the battery explodeing due to the high voltage the went into it. The iPod was a mear buffer... a blocker to the lightning to enter his heart
I was typing on an iMac once and an earthquake happened. It was undoubtedly caused by the iMac.
Now iPods save lives... why don't you marry one
Wow, you guys are being pretty hard on this kid. He was just trying to finish his chore before the storm hit. Weather in Denver has a habit of happening faster than you think it will.
iPods are quickly becoming the Michael Jackson of the consumer goods industry. The guy farts and it becomes scandalous news.
I for one welcome our new powerful iPod masters.
Nice one nizzy1115!
People saying "Darwin Award" need to STFU. There arent always obvious signs of an impending lighting strike. This person lost his hearing have some sympathy and stop being dicks.
poor guy. hey Blass, do you have this guy's address? i want to send him a basket of muffins and some flowers
God doesn't hate iPods. Clearly what was happening here is that God was offended by the kid's assinine facial hair and chose to send him a message. Seriously, man, SHAVE. Unless of course you've taken a vow of celibacy, then by all means grow those mutton chops, Chewbacca!
Whether it's the kid's fault or not, I feel sorry for him. I guess the lightning turned his hair grey too?
Mythbusters did a show on lighting and its affinity to electronics and metals on your body.
They proved that with anything less than a door knob on your head, your chances of getting hit by lightning increasing due to wearing piercings was 0%
Why is it about ipods and not underwear... hmmm lemme think.... because electronics are prone to electrical interference, discharge, surge, etc... undies are prone to skid marks...
It's pretty obvious by the photo that whereas the kid was the lightning rod the ipod was the diffuser. It's unfortunate for him that his hearing may not return.
From what I have read of the comments most of you are know-nothing no-talent a$$ clowns that wouldn't know polarity from parity.
For those that assume that the ipod saved his life because it redirected the charge away from his heart, ask the other thousands of lightning strike survivors that were hit without ipods. It didn't stop their hearts and often times left through their extremeties.
To those that left intelligent comments... I apologize for my terse comment. For the others... I shake my head and wish you plenty of electrical problems in the near future!
Now if only more people with iPods would get hit by lightning...
sounds like this guy just wants to cash in! i want proof other than the self-inflicted ear wound.
This should read
"iPod saves lightning struck teen"
Seriously, for the iPod to attract lightning, he would have had to have it on the top of his head. If it changed the result of the strike at all it gave the charge a more or less harmless way past his heart, which could have killed him dead (if you will excuse the expression.)
I can't imagine being half deaf and dizzy, so I feel for the kid. Humor is a good thing, but I ask that the jokes not directly pick on him. It is just adding insult to injury, literally.
Ok, I'm not so smart either... I was actually mowing my lawn in the same freekin' storm in colorado about 30 miles south of CastleRock but thankfully I don't own an ipod!
Dude! He's cute.
Alright, those of you yeilding the "knowledge" gained by mythbusters need a better source than a mid budget cable tv show. The amount of energy in a bolt of lightning is ridiculously ENOURMUS. just an example: it takes 60,000 volts to go through 1cm of air. The lawnmower didnt explode because the chasis directs the electricity away from the gas tank, not because the tank was made of plastic. That amount of plastic would not protect anything from lightning. Now if he was mowing his lawn, that would mean hes probably in an open field; which makes him the most likely target for lightning since hes taller. He survied NOT because the ipod directed the electricity from his heart, but because he was holding on the the lawmower which completed the circuit to ground. The fact that the ipod was fried means nothing. High voltages such as lightning spread out to anything thats conductive. Hence the phrase "...path of least resistance." Im more suprised that his brain wasnt burned due to the headphones... but the cables probably burnt up in a microsecond. In either case, hes extreamly lucky.
Just a few "mythbusts" before i go: 1. Rubber soles on your shoes will NOT save you from lightning. rubber, plastic, glass and any other insulator CAN be conducters at high enough voltages.
2. Dont hide under trees during a storm. If the tree gets struck, the lightning can branch out to you.
3. if you get caught in such a storm, the safest place is in your car. The chasis directs the lightning away from you.
4. (this is just a fun one) lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun. Hence why rubber soles and plastic wont save you.
oh yeah, and WHO GIVES A DAMN ABOUT THE IPOD?! those of you freakin out, dont worry. The ipod isnt going to make you a lightning target (nor will it save you!)
Geez. Is this what you have to go through to get one of the "free" ipods. Maybe it should be zap the stoned teen off the mower instead of punch the monkey.
Well, honstly i would say that if i were in his position, i would name the mower...would be more beliveable as the primary conductor for the lightning source. I may also sue god for making copper, as that also was a conductor (also for not having a brain, as mowing in a storm is just plain dumb). After that i would move onto the brand of batteries, as those most likely exploded. I mean come on people, the ipod is just something that the press would say to grab attention. The true loss is metallica as Lars Ulrich cant afford his golden tiki bar because of illegal downloading. On the good side, he may have to shave off the sideburns, so he wont have to lie about having a date. I think that the ipod would have as much to do with a lightning strike as his sideburns give him a chance of landing a date...
look, people shouldn't be listening to their iPods (or any other audio player) while mowing the lawn in the first place. Have you ever stopped to notice how loud your lawnmower really is? Turn the music up enough to hear over the lawnmower and you're well on your way to damaged eardrums.
All this proves is that people are irreverently evil, and god is not pro-life, ipods save lives and you shouldn't mow lawns outside at 6000 feet!!!!!!!!! What probably happened after watching the interview was the kid was stoned out of his mind outside smoking mad reefer and sucking down some beers, when his buddies crack pipe exploded insinerating the boys poor fro and scorching his clothes, lightning my butt, plus he had his ipod nano in the sleeve in his pants, he doesn't even own a lanyard, look at the burn marks...If the ipod sock doesn't fit you must acquit!
Ok,
For those of you wondering why he was mowing the lawn in the storm, you have obviously not read the entire story. He should of had about 15 minutes before the storm was over him. The lightning hit him from 6 miles away. I also happen to know this kid personally. He is a smart and sweet kid, so I would STOP being so rude. A lot of you really have no clue what you are talking about, so you should not say anything at all. Get the facts first.
To all ignorant people asking why he was mowing in a storm. Living in Colorado. there are these things called mountains. Storm clouds can be behind these mountains and it can be clear as the noon day sun wherever he is. Well lightning, can and will strike from many miles away. he could very well have been mowing and it was clear sunshine out. Colorado has some strange freaking weather.
or he could have just been a lazy idiot that waited til the last minute to mow his lawn, and did it in the rain. I'm guessing the latter.
Just another reason for someone to come up with a Roomba Lawnmower hack ASAP!
Here was a similar incident where the lighting was hit when cellphone was used
http://www.infosrama.com/digitalseeker/2006/06/cell-phones-usage-dangerous-during.html
I am still not sure this ipod story as it has no antena and also head phone doesn't conduct electricty as seth mentioned in above comment.
Harsha
Here is the similar incident where a cellphone was used.
http://www.infosrama.com/digitalseeker/2006/06/cell-
phones-usage-dangerous-during.html
I am still not sure how the lighting propagated as headphone is not a conductor of electricity. May be this is not true..
"I find it gratuitous that the fact it was an iPod was such a big part of the story."
Gratuitous? Maybe. But it's also great advertisement for Apple.
To suggest that the iPod somehow attracted this lighting strike is pretty silly. The young man's body, which is approx. 60% water, likely had much more to do with it. (Not to mention the metal in the lawn mower.)
As for the iPod saving his life--this is even more far fetched. I could explain why, but it's a lot easier to just provide a link:
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2796.htm
The earbuds and iPod case were just another path that the "diffuse" current traveled on while trying to reach a ground--the hole in the case is evidence of the charge jumping to another conduction pathway.
Anyway, having treated electrical shock victims before, I feel for the guy and wish him a speedy recovery.
Hey this kid is inmy class right now sitting right next to me, you would have no clue that he got hit by lightning