Virginia park ranger survived seven lightning strikes over 35 years
Roy Sullivan earned a Guinness World Record for surviving the most lightning strikes between 1942 and 1977.
Shenandoah National Park ranger Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977, according to the Times of India. Sullivan survived every incident, earning him a Guinness World Record for the most lightning strikes survived.
The first strike occurred in April 1942 while Sullivan was at a fire lookout tower in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The bolt struck his right leg, leaving a scorch mark and damaging his big toe nail. He went 27 years without another strike until July 1969, when lightning entered his truck through an open window, burning his eyebrows and knocking him unconscious.
Sullivan faced further strikes in July 1970 while gardening, in April 1972 inside a park guardhouse, and on August 7, 1973, while driving. On June 5, 1976, he suffered an ankle injury and singed hair while walking a trail. His seventh and final strike occurred on June 25, 1977, while he was fishing, resulting in burns to his chest and stomach.
The ranger, nicknamed the “Spark Ranger”, attempted precautions such as carrying water and installing copper lightning rods at his home near Waynesboro, Virginia. A 2013 Washington Post profile noted that none of the seven strikes were directly witnessed by another person, though a family doctor and a former park superintendent reportedly verified his injuries.
Sullivan died in September 1983 at the age of 71.
