Illinois Family Blasted by Thunderbolt in Car

The odds of being struck by lightning in any given year are 1 in over 1 million. Even smaller odds of being struck by lightning in a moving car.

This past Saturday evening a family of three traveling east of Marion, Illinois on highway 13 near the 166 junction heard a loud bang like a gunshot and then their car’s electrical system went dark and the car stopped.

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Turns out their Ford Edge had taken a direct lightning strike to the rear portion of their car’s roof. A jolt that blew apart their rear bumper and exhaust system in pieces across the road.

The impact point shows scorch marks and a small hole. The vehicle had to be towed from the scene.

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Luckily the family was unharmed.  The metal shell of the Edge acted as a Faraday cage directing the electricity around the vehicle’s occupants.