– I got a real thought provoking. It wasn’t exactly something I thought would happen.
That’s what Geir Jeilen says, who together with his wife runs Kvila Hytteleie in Lom. On Saturday they had a visit from a young couple from France, and when the man was about to take a shower, he got an alarm clock.
The Frenchman is said to have been struck by lightning.
SKVATT: Landlord Geir Jeilen was surprised when he understood that the incident had occurred. Photo: Private
sea view
– The man seemed very alert when he told us about it. He must have stood with the shower head against his chest and waited for the water to get hot enough. The tourist described seeing a flash of light in the bathroom just before he suffered a severe stroke. Then he let go of the shower head, Jeilen describes.
It was Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen who first mentioned the incident.
Pull out the plug
Little damage
Jeilen further says that the French man was a medical student. A warning for lightning and thunder had been issued earlier in the day, and it therefore did not take long to confirm the suspicion of the lightning strike.
– He was in good spirits, but we still chose to call the emergency room to find out what to do. An ambulance was then sent, says Jeilen.
According to the landlord, the Frenchman only had two wounds on his chest, as a result of the lightning strike.
– He had to postpone a planned walk by a day, but apart from this he has not been injured at all.
WARNING: After the incident, a warning has been put up for future guests. Photo: Private
sea view
– Maximum bad luck
Professor of electricity at the University of South-Eastern Norway and expert on lightning strikes, Svein Thore Hagen, tells Dagbladet that the French tourist has been very unlucky.
– This happens very rarely. At the same time, it is unlikely to be particularly dangerous. Had he been hit directly by the lightning, he would have died due to the force and the temperature, explains the professor.
He says that it is an indirect lightning strike that has struck the Frenchman, and that this has happened as a result of electromagnetic fields that cause electricity in nearby areas.
– Should you be unlucky enough to experience this, you must see a doctor. They have their own procedures for how this should be followed up.
