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"There's always that last inch (or two, or three) of rubber in between..."

Car (and motorcycle) tires are NOT insulators. See http://www.cmpco.com/safety/tips.html.

The reason a car protects you from lightning is because it is a faraday cage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage#Real-world_Faraday_cages

A motorcycle offers no such protection.

Do some research before you spout off with "conventional wisdom"

I agree with "Beans" in that the iPod probably diverted some of the current away from the electrical path of head-chest (HEART!)-arms-lawnmower.

The bigger issue here is the American society and its citizens becoming less and less responsible for their own actions. This ranks up there with hot McDonald's coffee.

No one deserves to be hit by lightening even if they are listening to Metallica, but on the other hand, there is a naturalness to having stupid DNA being removed from the gene pool. (This is where modern medical technology is weakening human's future DNA.)

Sounds like another movie sequel, "Dumbstruck and Dumber."

"Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest" The long movie version.

"Hi, I'm a dumbass and Mother Nature has taught me a valuable lesson.....NOT!
I'll do it all over again soon because I am an idiot!"

Jason Bunch had my sympathy until he began his groundless invective about the inherent lightning-attracting dangers of the iPod. Other folks might excuse his shameful recrimination as temporary insanity resulting from the lightning strike. I believe that Jason is your typical moron who should be grateful that he survived his own stupidity and carelessness. If Jason is ever again seen wearing an iPod outside during inclement weather, he needs to have his ass whupped and paraded around town.

A Darwin Award runner-up. One of my favorite Darwin Award stories was about an uncle and his nephew in Tennessee that decided to steal electricity by touching the connection on the transformer on the top of the pole with a long radio antenna to the connections at the meter on the house. With bare hands. And bare feet. Jump start the house? Nope. Impromptu family barbecue. More chlorine in the gene pool.

Perhaps the iPod helped dissipate the lighting, thus SAVING his life. Did Mr. "I think I'll mow the lawn during a storm" think of that possibility? He should be thanking Apple...

"Did Mr. "I think I'll mow the lawn during a storm" think of that possibility?"

More likely his mind was filled with thoughts of scamming pro wrestling tickets, Juggs magazine, scrapes from braces, new things to blow up, and increasing his MySpace popularity. Just wild guesses.

Last post! Come on. Let me have this. Please?

MW: over, as in "game over, man!"

The next thing these retards will do is sue the school district for violating their religious belief that the world is flat. I suspect they'll sue. Apple will settle because it would cost them several hundred thousand dollars to win in court. So, pay the dorks ten thousand.

Dorks hate it when you throw science at them.

After there are so many millions of volts of potential between a cloud and the ground, the dielectric strength of air completely breaks down in what is kown as a "cascade failure". When this happens, lightning can travel MILES. In this case, it was more likely on the order of several thousand feet from cloud to CLOD. Milliseconds before clod was struck, faint "positive streamers" were rising up from nearby trees, houses, fence posts… and clod. Clod lost. It's the luck of the draw as to exactly where the stepped leader (coming from above) was pointing at. Clod's positive streamer was nearest. Whether clod wore iPod matters not a twit in the physics of this.

A lawsuit against Apple for this will never fly. Firstly, there is nothing specific about the iPod's earbuds that would attract lightning any more than any other headphone or earbud, so the lawsuit could not single out Apple as being negligent.

Secondly, lightning is considered an Act of God and cannot be used in a lawsuit unless the kid could prove that Apple forced him to be out in the storm.

He should claim that the iPod caused him to spill hot McDonalds coffee on his lawnmower. This would get him into the courtroom for sure!

I wonder if he was listening to Ride the Lightning...

Yeah, I realize I'm not the first to make that remark, but it was still too obvious to leave alone.

Ok Ampar you can have the last post...

what is this i just want to download some movies on a cd to watch later

what is this i just wont to download a movie on a cd to watch later thats all

lol thats funny
not for the teenager obviously but still funny
by the way has anyone ever thought that he couldn't actually hear the thunderstorm as he might have had his ipod up loud and Metallica... it's not soft rock you know
seriously you can him an idiot and jackass and yet there are murders out there that you probably wouldn't say that to.