A Water Can

Lightning doesn't strike twice, but for Roy Sullivan it struck seven times, and he lived to tell the tale.

Transcript:

Somewhere in the Guinness Book of World Records, somewhere sandwiched between the woman with the longest fingernails and the guy who ate the most hot dogs, is Roy Sullivan. And Roy’s distinction that warrants his inclusion in this book is the fact that he has been struck by lightning more than anyone else on Earth. Roy, also known as the human lightning rod, or the spark ranger, since he was a ranger at Shenandoah National Park for 36 years, has been struck by lightning an incredible and unbelievable seven times. 

It was in 1972, after the fourth time being struck, that Roy gained notoriety. It was the third strike in as many years, so he’d already had a reputation at that point, but soon the whole world would take notice. Those first four strikes got Roy into the book of world records but it also got into his head. He became convinced that something was out to get him, that he was attracting the lightning somehow. He did his best to avoid storms, which was difficult given his job, and still it was as though the storms were following him. Whenever he heard thunder approaching he would keep his distance from other people so as to not cause anyone else harm if he was struck again. He started to bring a can of water with him in his truck. The last time he was hit it caught his hair on fire and he wanted to be prepared if that were to happen again. 

But that first strike, the one that started it all, came many years earlier. It was 1942, when Roy was just 30 years old. Perched in his fire watch tower, a thunderstorm quickly blew in and soon lightning was dancing all around him. Instead of waiting for another strike to hit the tower and potential kill Roy, he decided to make a run for it. He didn’t make it very far though. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and hit Roy on his right side. He survived of course, but it left him burned and bleeding. Years later Roy would say that was the worst of them, but in that moment he never could have predicted it would happen again, let alone six more times. As they say, lightning never strikes twice. 

And for the next 27 years Roy seemed right. There had been many storms in the intervening decades and he went through them untouched by the fire in the sky. But finally in 1969 the lightning came for Roy again, and from that point forward it would never be far from his side. 

That second hit came when Roy was driving his truck at the park. Lightning hit a nearby tree then deflected into his open window and shocked him. His injuries were more minor this time and he was lucky enough that, though the hit knocked him unconscious, the truck rolled harmlessly to a stop. 

The third strike, almost exactly a year later, brought things home for Roy. He was working in his yard when a bolt hit a power pole and bounced down slamming into his left shoulder. At that point Roy certainly would have started to wonder. What was it about him that drew in the lightning? How much more could his body take? And surely that had to be the last one, right? Strike three, you’re out. 

But, no, things were far from over for Roy. 

Then came the strike that made Roy famous, strike number four. This was back at Shenandoah in the Ranger’s station in 1972. Lightning struck the fuse box before bouncing around inside the station. After regaining his composure following the strike, Roy realized his hair had caught fire. He rushed to the bathroom and had to use a wet towel to put out the flames. Then he went to the hospital like he always did to have his wounds treated. By then the nurses must have gotten used to it. Oh, it’s just Roy. The lightning must have found him again.

Newspapers and television stations came to interview Roy after strike four and soon the whole world had heard of his death defying ordeals. Word got to the editors of Gunniess and after verifying the facts they added Roy to their book. The only person to be struck by lightning four times. But they would have to revise that number over the years. Even though Roy was done with the lightning, the lightning wasn’t done with him. 

In August of 1973, while on patrol at Shenandoah, Roy saw storm clouds approaching and decided to take off. He started driving away from the storm and eventually he was able to get a fair distance from the dark clouds and thunder. He stopped his truck and got out to watch the storm. Here he was, safe. He’d finally outrun the lightning. 

Then as Roy looked up at the clouds, a bolt raced down from the sky, striking him on the head - again setting his hair on fire. He remained conscious and was able to crawl to his truck to retrieve the water can he kept there, specifically for this purpose. He poured the water over his head and extinguished the FIRE.

Roy got a little bit of a break after that one. It was nearly three years later, in 1976, that lighting found Roy for a sixth time while he was walking a trail in the park. It was just a glancing blow but that was enough for Roy. His days as a park ranger were over after that. If lightning was going to find him again it would have to start looking for him elsewhere. 

Roy didn’t go far though and neither did the lightning. He moved into a trailer with Patricia, his fourth wife, in the unincorporated area of Dooms, Virginia, not far from Shenandoah. He installed several lightning rods to the structure, making sure to anchor the wire deep in the earth. He was as cautious as he could be at that point. If the universe had it out for him for whatever reason, fine, but he wasn’t going to let it harm those around him. 

Others knew the risks as well. During his days at the park, when storms would move in, other rangers were known to leave his company. Roy tells of a time he was walking with the chief when off in the distance there was a flash of lightning. The chief looked at Roy and said “I’ll see you later”. Even at home, when the thunder started, his wife and kids would go into the living room together while Roy sat alone in the kitchen until the storm had passed. 

It must have been a lonely life for Roy. He claims he was never really scared of storms or being hit by lightning, even after all those strikes and all the injuries and pain. But he did say after a while it made him nervous. More than anything though he wondered why, why him. He theorized it might have been some chemical or mineral in his body that attracted it, but nobody could say for sure. He even told one reporter that while some people are allergic to flowers, maybe he was allergic to lightning. 

The odds of one person being struck by lightning seven times and surviving are astronomical. Which may be why some people don’t believe it. Roy was always alone when he was hit. Never one witness to an actual strike, only the aftermath. But Roy did have injuries to prove it. The scars and burns on his clothes and body. Two ranger hats with scorch marks on the tops, hats which now are on display in museums. 

Maybe some of the stories didn’t happen exactly how Roy told them. Maybe one or two didn’t happen at all. But it’s almost certain that Roy was struck by lightning on more than one occasion. Even once is more than enough. 

The side effects from being struck by lightning can vary greatly from person to person. Besides the obvious of scars and burns from the sheer heat of the jolt, some people have heart attacks since the strike literally stops their heart. Others have something akin to a seizure. But the effects can reach far beyond that and for a long long time. People suffer from headaches and memory loss. People have brain damage and PTSD. People have chronic pain and depression. And all that can happen from getting hit just one time. 

The seventh and final time the lightning found Roy Sullivan was when he was out fishing and enjoying his retirement on June 25th, 1977. He suffered more burns and temporary loss of hearing in one ear but he’d been through it all before. Just another day in the life of lightning rod Roy. But to make matters worse, on his way back to his truck, he ran into a bear that was stealing his day’s catch. Even somewhat disoriented from the strike, Roy swatted at the bear with a stick and drove him off. Something else Roy has had to do many times in his life from the way he tells it, and Roy always liked telling stories.

He went on with his life after that last strike and for the next six years the lightning stayed away. He couldn’t have known that it was gone for good, he could only hope. He lived out the rest of his days with his wife Pat at their home in Dooms until one September night in 1983. We don’t know exactly what led up to the decision he made that night, though some like to speculate. But whatever the reasons were, Roy Sullivan, the spark ranger, decided to end his own life. 

And now, before we leave Roy, let’s go back to his enty in the Guinness book of world records. It highlights all the physical damage he suffered from his lightning strikes. The burned hair, seared skin, and the scars left behind. But what about the long term effects from his years as the human lightning rod? What other types of damage did he suffer from the high voltages running through his body, through his brain? How did it change him? What price did he pay?

And as you move on, to the guy who ate the most hotdogs or the woman with the longest fingernails. Remember the saying, “all records are made to be broken”. A quote meant to be aspirational, and in many cases it can be. But I think Roy would agree, in some cases that’s not true. Maybe for some the price is just too high. Maybe some records no one wants to achieve. Maybe some records are best left unbroken. 

And finally, next episode’s item, A Puzzle Piece.