Surviving 125k voltage through the body

[cyphoon]

You are extremely lucky. It only takes 50 mA of 60 Hz AC to fibrillate the heart. You hit a combination that is often lethal:

* 60 Hz AC (DC is less lethal, higher frequencies are also less lethal)
* High voltage
* A voltage source with near infinite current sourcing ability (as far as your life is concerned)

Most of the electrical resistance in our bodies is in the skin, and is typically around 50 kOhms if dry. The rest of the body is considerably less, and is pretty much significant. Your footgear may have also been working in your favor, especially if they were dry.

If your total resistance of skin and clothing was around 250 kOhms, then you would have had 500 mA flowing through you. Since you literally burned a whole in your foot (ie you became a giant human welding rod), I would guess that current flow was way higher that that. Either way, plenty to interrupt your heart rhythm. Either the circuit was really short lived, or the current flow through your body was primarily in low resistance tissues that diverted it away from the heart

One factor working in your favor is that you didn't grab the line with one hand while the other was touching the lift. That would have put the voltage directly across your heart while also seizing up your muscles so you couldn't let go.

Glad you are still with us
H

 

[CycloneWanderer]

Don't fly your kite near power lines. I can hear it in my head.

 

[jdcyclone19]

I always used to think this too, but...

Dictionary.com:

noun

1. the injury or killing of someone by electric shock.
   "they switched off the power supply to avoid any risk of electrocution"

Merriam-Webster:

Definition of electrocute

transitive verb
1: to kill or severely injure by electric shock

Oxford:

mass noun

• The injury or killing of someone by electric shock.

Maybe it is another one of those words that has changed since so many people have used it wrong for so long.

Take a look at the "legal" definition, NFPA, any electician, or anyone in the energy industry.

Electrocution Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary

Electrocution definition: The accidental <a>death</a> or <a>suicide</a> by electric shock.

www.yourdictionary.com

 

[VeloClone]

When I was a kid I had a friend who was a year older than me who was electrocuted by a farm fuel pump. He was standing in stocking feet in a puddle and apparently was turning on or shutting it off when it shorted and killed him. It was quite the eye opener for a young kid that a healthy kid about my age that I knew personally very well could be gone instantly. There were two people I knew very well with the same first name as me die that year. That really brought home mortality to me for the first time.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

Really debated on posting this as it was really stupid on my part. Nearly 2 weeks ago I was in a man lift panning around the top of my pole barn, not realizing how high I as backed my head into a high power transmission line (no insulation, 125k v). The experience was horrific, burned the edges of my tongue and shot a small hole out my right foot, but I walked away from it. My question: Have you or anyone you know ever contacted this high of voltage and survived to talk about it? This is not a contest of stupidity, but rather looking for some insite as what to what later effects I may see. I have a clean bill of heath from the doc for now.

I hope you went to the hospital. This type of injury can scar you internally. That electrical burn out he side of your foot had to get from your head to there somehow.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

Don't fly your kite near power lines. I can hear it in my head.

Thanks. Hope it sticks in everyone's head now.

 

[cypher]

I gotta ask the question..... Did you lose all bodily functions? Pee/crap your pants? I know someone mentioned about smoke coming out.

My under shorts remained clean. As far as losing body functions, my jaw muscles must have bit down through part of my tongue (some of the tongue was burned from the fillings in my teeth). I do not remember releasing my fingers from the control panel, just falling down to the bottom of the basket then screaming.

 

[cypher]

I hope you went to the hospital. This type of injury can scar you internally. That electrical burn out he side of your foot had to get from your head to there somehow.

I did go to the hospital a day latter (wife was not happy with me), everything checks out good, same with the follow up 3 days latter. Foot is still a little tender around the exit wound, hard to walk on it.

 

[simply1]

I did go to the hospital a day latter (wife was not happy with me), everything checks out good, same with the follow up 3 days latter. Foot is still a little tender around the exit wound, hard to walk on it.

That one they don't see every day at the hospital.

 

[cycloner29]

That one they don't see every day at the hospital.

Just like getting your foot caught in a lawnmower! One slice across the bottom of my toes. Seven stitches. Dr. said it was the cleanest cut from a mower he had seen in his 28 years of practice. Happened when I was 13. He just shook his head in amazement. Probably having work shoes on instead of tennis shoes saved my toes.