About 300 Americans are injured by lightning every year. Surviving a lightning strike might seem lucky, but the shock can cause a storm of health effects. "Lightning is so quick and so much of it flashes over the outside of the person instead of going through them that we seldom see any significant burns on the person at all. However, what we do see with lightning, lightning is a neurological injury," says Mary Ann Cooper, MD. Dr. Cooper has practically written the book on lightning injuries, and says the effects can last a lifetime, "We see chronic pain problems. We also see thought processing problems from the brain injury, so that people may have difficulty multi-tasking, returning to their prior work." Her mission is to help you avoid a lightning strike. "You can only hear thunder about ten miles away. That means that lightning strike, the next one that's going to hit can be anywhere within a ten mile radius of that, which means you're already in the danger zone," she says. If you hear thunder, take shelter. And that means inside a substantial building with wiring or plumbing, not an open structure or pavilion. Another option - escape to a car with a solid, metal roof. "Electricity always goes along the outside of a conductor - the outside of copper wires; the outside of the metal car," says Dr. Cooper. And keep this in mind. If your hair feels like it's standing on end, watch out. "If that happens, lightning is getting ready to strike and it's getting ready to come down close to you. So, you want to get to the lowest place that you can possibly get to. Never lay on the ground, but just crouch down, get on the balls of your feet," says Katie Fehlinger of AccuWeather.com. For more safety information, check www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov. And if you're a lightning survivor, you should check out www.lightning-strike.org