pym Member 332 Member For: 21y 8m 10d Location: Sydney, Australia Posted 24/01/04 10:05 AM Share Posted 24/01/04 10:05 AM I feel sorry for the poor copper listed in this following news article.WHEN the truckie behind Inspector Peter Phillips saw lightning strike the NSW police officer's brand new patrol car, he feared the worst.All four tyres blew on the new Ford and the vehicle careered to the side of the road covered in scorch marks and with the horn and the siren blazing.But seconds later the truck driver was amazed to see a shaken but unharmed police officer leap out of the car."He said, `I can't believe you're still alive, your bloody police car was lit up like a Christmas tree'," Insp Phillips said.Insp Phillips had been driving from Gundagai to Tumut in southern NSW on Wednesday night - one of the many trips he makes to regional stations in his role as a staff officer. He was doing about 90kmh on Gocup Road about 8pm (AEDT) when he saw a thunderstorm brewing up ahead."I was bit worried about hailstones because it was a brand new patrol car," he said.As it turned out hailstones were the least of his worries.Lightning struck the car, melted the aerial, scorched the bonnet and boot and burst all four tyres."The experience was like being in an electric lightbulb," he said.A shaken Insp Phillips jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped because he thought it would catch on fire.It was midnight before the stricken car and its shaken driver ended up back in Tumut, where his troubles continued."By the time I got into Tumut I needed a stiff drink and I couldn't find any place open after midnight," Insp Phillips said.Lightning safety expert Michael Makdissi said Insp Phillips - who thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time - was in fact in just the right place."The car is generally one of the safest places, but you've got to have all the windows closed," he said."It sort of acts as a conductor around the body, so it hits the roof and goes through the body of the vehicle and then down through the tyres into the ground so you're fairly safe."Insp Phillips said he didn't get an electric shock and was okay now.However he did have trouble explaining to his boss what had happened to his brand new car.The question is, what type of Ford was he driving...I sure hope not a T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagabond Bored Member Administrator 35,722 Member For: 22y 3m 25d Gender: Male Location: Dé·jà vu Posted 24/01/04 10:26 AM Share Posted 24/01/04 10:26 AM Like to see of that!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrdreaming Lifetime Members 1,693 Member For: 22y 1m 10d Gender: Male Location: Melbourne Posted 24/01/04 10:34 AM Share Posted 24/01/04 10:34 AM Maybe it was a new XR6 Turbo (In Lightning Strike of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
100% Premium Donating Member Donating Members 641 Member For: 21y 4m 19d Gender: Male Location: If it says ONLINE below, in front of the computer, if not, tearin' up some bitumen! Posted 24/01/04 10:54 AM Share Posted 24/01/04 10:54 AM Being an Inspector, that's probably the fastest he's moved in years! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcos Member 289 Member For: 21y 4m 1d Location: Central Coast NSW Posted 24/01/04 12:28 PM Share Posted 24/01/04 12:28 PM ......And just when I was thinking, rubber is a good insulator???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richdave SLOJAM, Gone but not forgotten Lifetime Members 1,841 Member For: 22y 5m 1d Gender: Male Location: Outer east - Melbourne Posted 24/01/04 12:31 PM Share Posted 24/01/04 12:31 PM ......And just when I was thinking, rubber is a good insulator???? Not for 50,000 volts it aint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarraGT Lifetime Members 359 Member For: 22y 5m 1d Gender: Male Location: Canberra, ACT Posted 24/01/04 01:58 PM Share Posted 24/01/04 01:58 PM LOL! That's crazy stuff. What a story to have, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueXR6Turbo The Best Member Donating Members 1,970 Member For: 22y 2m 2d Gender: Male Location: Adelaide Posted 25/01/04 07:27 AM Share Posted 25/01/04 07:27 AM Lightning struck the car, melted the aerial, scorched the bonnet and boot and burst all four tyres. Am I the only person that noticed something wrong with this sentence if it's referring to a BA Falcon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke zeke Member 792 Member For: 21y 8m 18d Location: Adelaide Posted 25/01/04 08:07 AM Share Posted 25/01/04 08:07 AM No, but as it's a cop car, I figured it would have extra aerial(s) for phone, cb, 2-way etc. as well as the radio aerial in the rear screen.Cheerszeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LOK@ChipTorque Guests Posted 25/01/04 11:50 AM Share Posted 25/01/04 11:50 AM ......And just when I was thinking, rubber is a good insulator????Not for 50,000 volts it aint Hmm me thinks a bit more than 50kV to do that damage!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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