But it wasn't like somebody just tripping and falling on the ground. That slow motion feeling is not particular to lightning strikes. Doctors say it happens in all sorts of life-threatening situations. Being knocked backwards by the lightning, or punched, or knocked over, is something several of these Chicago victims talk about. What's knocking them over is probably not the lightning itself, but a wall of pressurized air.
Lightning is electrical current.
When it cuts through the air, it heats it, to 50-thousand degrees fahrenheit. This hot compressed air moves away from the bolt of lightning with enough speed and force that it can burst an eardrum or break windows or knock you down. It actually moves faster than the speed of sound, and produces a sonic boom. When you hear thunder, you're hearing this wall of compressed air. When it hit Elbert Gates, it felt like someone slapped him on the side of his face.