“An Essex teenager who was hit by lightning in a storm says that her life was saved by her iPod – and the fact that she was holding her boyfriend’s hand at the time,” Philippe Naughton reports for The Times Online.
“Sophie Frost and Mason Billington, both 14, took shelter under a tree in King George V Playing Field, in Rayleigh during a thunderstorm on Monday night when they were hit by the 3,000-volt lightning bolt,” Naughton reports.
“Sophie passed out as the current travelled through her iPod headphones, which were hanging from her school uniform, and burned her chest and stomach,” Naughton reports. “Although his eyesight was affected by the bolt, Mason put Sophie over his shoulder and carried her to nearby Websters Way to get help.”
“‘Everybody’s said the iPod must have diverted the lightning away from my body, which probably saved my life,’ said Sophie, who has been dubbed ‘Sparky’ by her friends and family,” Naughton reports. “Sophie’s mother, Julie, told The Sun: ‘I just thank God my daughter is still alive. The doctors say her iPod saved her. Her nan only bought it a few days ago… Mind you, the only thing Sophie seemed worried about was that her new iPod was frazzled.”
Full article here.
