Lightning accidents in the Austrian alps – a 10-year retrospective nationwide analysis

Abstract

BackgroundLightning strikes are rare but potentially lethal. The risk for suffering a lightning strike in a mountain environment is unknown. The aim of this nationwide study was to analyse all lightning accidents in the Austrian Alps from 2005 to 2015, to assess the circumstances of the accident, the injury pattern as well as the outcome.MethodsFrom 2005 to 2015, data from the national Austrian Alpine Police database as well as the Clinical Information System of Innsbruck Medical University Hospital were searched for the keywords lightning injury, lightning strike, lightning as well as ICD-10 Code T75.0. Additionally, the archive data of Innsbruck Medical University Hospital was searched manually.ResultsThe Austrian Alpine Police database, containing 109.168 patients for the years 2005–2015, was screened for lightning accidents. Sixty-four patients had been hit by lightning in the Austrian Alps, 54 were male. Four persons died on scene; survival rate was 93.8%. Two deceased persons were hunters, who were killed by the same lightning strike. Sixty-three patients suffered a lightning strike while doing a recreational activity, mostly hiking (n = 55), a few hunting and only one doing occupational timberwork. Sixty-three patients suffered a lightning strike between June and August with nearly half (46.9%) of the accidents happening on a Saturday or Sunday, and mainly (95.3%) between 12:00 and 22:00 h.DiscussionPersons who perform recreational outdoor and occupational activities in an alpine environment during summer and after noon incur a higher risk of sustaining a lightning strike. The primary risk group includes young male mountaineers and hunters. The mortality rate was low.Trial registrationThe study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Innsbruck (AN4757 315/4.4) and retrospectively registered with Clinical Trials NCT03405467, January 19, 2018.

Canyoning Accidents in Austria from 2005 to 2018

“…For the Austrian Alps, fatalities per year can therefore be summarised as approximately 110 for mountain hiking, 20 for rock climbing, 6 for via ferrata climbing and 5 for mountain biking [18,19]. With 0.7 canyoning-related deaths per year in the Austrian Alps, the absolute mortality is not far away from in the figure for being struck by lightning (0.4 deaths/year) [20]. Of course, incidences are not taken into account for these comparisons.…”

Lightning strike-induced acute lung injury: A case report

“…These results confirm the likely higher mortality of the transthoracic current transition. [1] Parallel with these findings, Ströhle et al [11] reported 64 patients who were exposed to a lightning strike, indicating that 6.3% of these patients died, and 10.9% had serious injuries. No lung injury was reported in any of the cases in this study.…”

Cases of Lightning Strikes during Mountain-Sports Activities: An Analysis of Emergencies from the Swiss Alps

“…Avalanches, falls, frostbite, rock falls, or becoming lost are known dangers that go hand in hand with these mountaineering activities [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. In comparison to these frequent causes of emergencies, less is known about lighting strikes [ 8 ]. While the general risk of being struck by lightning is low, the risk is increased in the mountains due to one’s proximity to the atmosphere [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

“…In comparison to these frequent causes of emergencies, less is known about lighting strikes [ 8 ]. While the general risk of being struck by lightning is low, the risk is increased in the mountains due to one’s proximity to the atmosphere [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Lightning strikes are electrical discharges in the earth’s atmosphere [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

“…In doing so, it expands explosively, causing the well-known acoustic effects of a thunderstorm [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. More than 100 of these natural events occur each second worldwide, whereby most of them are intracloud flashes and only around ten percent cloud to ground flashes [ 8 , 9 , 15 ]. For Switzerland, around 60,000–80,000 lightnings (intracloud and cloud-to-ground) are reported [ 16 , 17 ].…”