It's been a while since I wrote about Walter Summerford, but while I was researching him, I found a man who claimed to have been struck by lightning on seven different occasions.
This dude was a park ranger in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, and get this—he got zapped by lightning seven times between 1942 and 1977 and lived to tell the tale. Seven! That’s so wild it’s in the Guinness World Records as the most lightning strikes survived by any human. They called him the “Human Lightning Rod” or “Human Lightning Conductor,” and honestly, can you blame them?
Unlike Summerford's story, this man's terror was recorded by the superintendent of Shenandoah National Park, R. Taylor Hoskins. From a critical point of view, I have a hypothesis related to this person that I would also like to share at the end.
He has also been mentioned in the Guinness World Records. Here is an article about him on the Guinness World Records website.
 |
| A page from Guinness world record 2001. |
Now, you’re probably thinking, “How does that even happen?” Well, nobody’s done any fancy science to figure out why lightning loved Roy so much, but we can guess. He was always out in the open, working in a place that gets hit by storms a lot—Virginia sees like 35–45 thunderstorms a year, mostly in spring and summer. Plus, park rangers carry stuff like metal tools or radios, which might not attract lightning but sure don’t help if it’s nearby. Still, seven times? That’s next-level unlucky. Or maybe lucky, since he survived. Let’s dive into each of these crazy stories, as told by Roy and backed up by the park’s superintendent, R. Taylor Hoskins. Buckle up, ‘cause it’s a wild ride.
Roy Sullivan’s Seven Lightning Strikes:
| Strike Number | Date | Location/Details | Injuries/Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 1942 | Hiding in a fire lookout tower without a lightning rod, struck while running out | Burned a half-inch strip along right leg, hit toe, left hole in shoe |
| 2 | July 1969 | Driving in truck on mountain road, lightning hit nearby trees, entered window | Knocked unconscious, burned off eyebrows and eyelashes, set hair on fire, truck stopped near cliff |
| 3 | July 1970 | In front yard, lightning hit nearby power transformer, jumped to left shoulder | Seared left shoulder |
| 4 | Spring 1972 | Working inside ranger station, Shenandoah National Park | Set hair on fire, smothered with jacket, used wet towel, developed fear of death |
| 5 | August 7, 1973 | Out on patrol, cloud followed him, struck after leaving truck | Lightning moved down left arm and leg, knocked off shoe, crossed to right leg, poured water on head |
| 6 | June 5, 1976 | Saw cloud following, tried to run, struck anyway | Injured ankle, hair caught fire |
| 7 | June 25, 1977 | Fishing in freshwater pool, bear approached during strike | Hit top of head, set hair on fire, burnt chest and stomach, struck bear with branch |
Here's a short story of his seven strikes.
Strike 1: April 1942 – The Fire Tower Fiasco
Picture this: it’s April 1942, and Roy’s chilling in a brand-new fire lookout tower at Millers Head in Shenandoah National Park. A thunderstorm’s raging, and this tower? It’s got no lightning rod. Big oops. Lightning slams the tower seven or eight times, turning it into a fiery nightmare. Roy, probably thinking, “I’m outta here,” bolts for the door. But just a few feet outside, bam! Lightning nails him. It scorches a half-inch strip down his right leg, obliterates his big toe nail, and blood’s gushing from his foot. It even blows a hole in his shoe! Can you imagine the shock—pun intended? That’s strike one, and it’s only the start. How’s this guy still standing?
Strike 2: July 1969 – The Truck Takedown
Fast forward to July 1969. Roy’s cruising in his truck near milepost 97 on Skyline Drive, minding his own business. It’s stormy, and lightning zaps some trees nearby. Instead of staying put, the bolt pulls a sneaky move and shoots through his open truck window, smacking him right in the face. It fries his wristwatch, burns off his eyebrows and eyelashes, and sets his hair on fire. Oh, and it knocks him out cold. His truck keeps rolling, stopping just shy of a ditch. When Roy wakes up, he’s gotta be thinking, “Not again, right?” But yep, strike two. Allegedly, the truck’s metal body should’ve protected him, so what gives? Was lightning just stalking this guy?
Strike 3: July 1970 – The Garden Jolt
It’s July 1970, and Roy’s at home, tending his garden at his house trailer in Sawmill Run. Out of nowhere, lightning strikes, hitting his left shoulder and sending him flying. It sears his shoulder, leaving him dazed. Now, here’s where it gets weirder: it’s said his wife, Pat, got struck once too, while hanging clothes in their yard another time, but Roy was fine that day. Makes you wonder, was lightning just drawn to their address? Strike three, and Roy’s still kicking, but you gotta ask—why him, and why so often?
Strike 4: April 16, 1972 – The Guardhouse Blaze
On April 16, 1972, Roy’s working in a guardhouse atop Loft Mountain, checking in park visitors. A storm rolls in, and lightning decides to crash the party, blasting the fuse box next to him. His hair catches fire—yep, again—and he’s scrambling to put it out with wet paper towels. Then, cool as you like, he drives himself to the hospital. Can you even picture that? Your hair’s on fire, and you’re like, “Guess I’ll drive to the ER.” Strike four, and it’s starting to feel like lightning’s got Roy’s number on speed dial. What’s going on here?
Strike 5: August 7, 1973 – The Storm Chase
August 7, 1973, and Roy’s back in his truck on Skyline Drive, trying to outrun a storm. He thinks he’s dodged it and steps out, but lightning’s like, “Gotcha!” It hits his head, sets his hair on fire (sensing a theme?), and sends a jolt down his left arm and leg, knocking his shoe clean off—lace still tied, mind you. He grabs a water can he’s started carrying (smart move, Roy) and douses the flames. This is strike five, and it’s almost like the storm was chasing him. Was it just bad luck, or was something in Roy—like some mineral or vibe—calling out to the sky?
Strike 6: June 5, 1976 – The Trail Terror
By June 5, 1976, Roy’s gotta be paranoid about clouds. He’s walking alone on the Sawmill Shelter Trail, about a mile from where he got hit in ‘69, when he spots a cloud that seems to be following him. He tries to run, but lightning doesn’t play fair—it strikes him, burns his ankle, and, you guessed it, sets his hair on fire again. Roy retires from the Park Service five months later and moves to a place called Dooms, where he decks out his house with lightning rods. Who could blame him? Strike six, and you’re left wondering if Roy was cursed or just in the wrong place way too often.
Strike 7: June 25, 1977 – The Fishing Fiasco
Last but not least, June 25, 1977. Roy’s out trout fishing, maybe hoping for a quiet day. Nope. He smells sulphur, feels his hair bristle—bad signs—and wham, lightning hits his head. It singes his hair, burns his chest and stomach, and messes up his hearing in one ear. His T-shirt and underwear get holes burned through them. And if that’s not enough, a bear shows up to steal his fish! So, Roy, hair still smoldering, has to fight off a bear. It’s said this was his 22nd bear encounter, but that’s another story. Strike seven seals his record, but man, what a way to end it. How does one guy survive all this?
Why Roy? A Few Guesses
So, why was Roy struck so many times? His job as a park ranger kept him outdoors in Virginia’s stormy seasons—spring and summer, when lightning’s most active. He might’ve carried metal gear like radios or axes, which could’ve made him a better target if lightning was already striking nearby. But seven times? That’s beyond normal odds. Some folks speculated maybe something in his body, like a mineral or chemical, made him a lightning magnet, but there’s no proof. It’s all guesswork, and it leaves you scratching your head. Was it fate, bad luck, or something we’ll never understand?
A Sad Ending
Roy’s story didn’t end with lightning. Sadly, on September 28, 1983, he passed away from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reportedly over unrequited love. It’s heartbreaking to think that after surviving seven lightning strikes, it was personal pain that took him. People avoided him later in life, scared they’d get zapped just standing nearby, and that isolation hit him hard. His tale is equal parts awe-inspiring and tragic, making you wonder about the man behind the record.
My Critical Hypothesis (Just a Speculative Theory)
Let’s step back for a moment and think about this logically.
Roy Sullivan’s story of being struck by lightning seven times is undoubtedly strange. But here’s where things get a bit tricky. The man who documented these strikes was never actually present when any of them happened. So, we don’t have much more than Roy’s word on this.
Now, let’s look at the incidents. The first recorded strike happened while Sullivan was inside a tower that was repeatedly hit by lightning. The second time, he was in a truck. The third occurred when he was near a power transformer. Then, he was struck again in a ranger station. After that, he became so terrified of lightning that he started carrying a bottle of water around, just in case his hair caught fire again.
But here’s where it starts to feel a little stretched.
The fifth time, Sullivan claimed that a cloud chased him, and the sixth time, he again noticed a cloud following him. By the seventh strike, he was severely burned and even managed to fight off a bear trying to steal his fish.
This raises a big question: Seven times? That’s an incredibly rare occurrence. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s a lot to swallow.
Here’s what I think might have happened, though it’s all just a hypothesis, based on my own speculations.
First off, he might’ve been struck by lightning once—maybe even twice—but not seven times. The first strike could have been the one in his childhood, which he mentioned but didn’t claim because he couldn’t prove it. His second strike may have been the one in the tower. After that, I think something changed in him: fear.
By the time the second strike happened while he was driving a truck, maybe he was so terrified of lightning that his panic caused him to crash or injure himself. The third time, near the power transformer, could have just been a transformer explosion during a storm, and Roy got caught in the blast.
Then, there’s the fourth strike, where his hair supposedly caught fire. Well, it’s totally possible that lightning caused a surge that could ignite something nearby or his own hair. It wouldn’t be the first time a close lightning strike caused that kind of damage.
As for the fifth incident, where he said a cloud was chasing him—well, I can totally see how someone’s fear could turn into a full-on panic attack. It’s possible that Roy hurt himself while running away from something that he thought was chasing him. But it’s also documented that his shoe was blown off, which could happen with a strong lightning strike, or maybe even just static electricity from the storm.
The sixth time, where he reportedly injured his ankle and his hair caught fire again, is a bit harder to explain. Maybe there was another lightning surge or something in the environment that caused the injury and the fire-like burns on his body. Unfortunately, the details are scarce on this one.
Then, we get to the seventh strike. He claimed he was burned badly while fishing but still had the strength to fight off a bear. Now, this part really raises a few eyebrows. If we take lightning out of the equation for a second, what could cause burns like that?
Maybe it was something else—like a fishing stove mishap or a chemical burn from something he was using. Those types of accidents can happen, though they’re not super common. It seems unlikely it was just sunlight or steam burns, as they wouldn’t be severe enough to “set his hair on fire.”
Again, I’m just throwing out some possibilities here. Could Roy have really been struck seven times? Sure, but I think it’s more likely that his fear, combined with a few unlucky accidents, led him to interpret things differently. His experiences might’ve been mixed up over time, creating this bigger-than-life story of being struck by lightning repeatedly.
But hey, maybe I’m wrong, and his story is 100% true. It’s a fascinating tale either way.
Maybe it was something else—like a fishing stove mishap or a chemical burn from something he was using. Those types of accidents can happen, though they’re not super common. It seems unlikely it was just sunlight or steam burns, as they wouldn’t be severe enough to “set his hair on fire.”
Again, I’m just throwing out some possibilities here. Could Roy have really been struck seven times? Sure, but I think it’s more likely that his fear, combined with a few unlucky accidents, led him to interpret things differently. His experiences might’ve been mixed up over time, creating this bigger-than-life story of being struck by lightning repeatedly.
But hey, maybe I’m wrong, and his story is 100% true. It’s a fascinating tale either way.
0 Comments