Woman struck by lightning saved by flip flops

A woman who was struck by lightning in Wiltshire was saved by the rubber on her flip flops.

Jennifer Lyons, 49, was on the phone when a 300,000-volt strike hit a satellite dish and the electricity was then attracted to the microwaves emitted by her phone and struck her on the head.

Plugs came out of the walls, and the hot water, phone lines and internet were all blown out.

But, luckily for Jennifer, she was wearing rubber-soled flip flops, which probably saved her life by insulating her against the electricity running straight through her body.

Speaking to the Metro, Jennifer, a care home nurse, said: "The electricity just shot down my arm, then my leg and into my foot. I think it then kind of shot out of my leg and into the wall."

Jennifer, from Chippenham, told the Mirror: "It was like a bomb. I was knocked back. There was debris everywhere.

"A fireman said it was one of the most unusual cases he'd seen."

Jennifer added that neighbours have rallied round to help her since the strike hit.

She told the Daily Mail: "It was like a bomb blast.

"The neighbours were amazing, they all queued up outside my house to help, but it's a horrendous mess to clean up.

'I thought I was going to die."

But, thanks to her £2 flip flops, Jennifer survived the ordeal.

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