By Chris Alleman
Published Jun 11, 2005 12:35
“I’m a typical mom. I was just trying to do six things at the same time,” Kulfan said.
On Monday, Kulfan decided to do a quick load of laundry while a lightning storm was passing through Ephrata.
“It takes two seconds to turn the washer on — I never gave it a second thought,” Kulfan said.
As she was setting the dial on the washing machine, lightning struck the 46-year-old mother of four.
The lightning bolt struck the Brookfield Drive house and traveled through the pipes to her washing machine and then to her hand, which was on the dial.
“Immediately I felt it. It was like a light bolt of purple on my hand,” she said.
Kulfan described the sensation as a “searing pain” across her shoulders, chest and neck that exited through her head.
“The instant when it happened I felt like I was on fire, and then it felt like a piano dropped on my head.”
Kulfan said the lights in her house, which were turned off, appeared to light up, turn purple, and pop.
“Everything glowed purple,” she said. “I immediately ran upstairs to check on my two children.”
Her two teenagers were OK, but her daughter quickly realized Kulfan had been struck by lightning.
“I was completely burned,” Kulfan said. “It was like a really bad sunburn across my shoulders, chest and neck.”
A neighbor drove Kulfan and her son and daughter to Ephrata Community Hospital’s emergency room, where Kulfan was examined and treated.
Later that night, all three were released.
“The doctor said I should be grateful,” Kulfan said. “And I really am.”
Considering an average bolt of lightning delivers about 300 kilovolts, Kulfan is quite lucky to be able to tell her story.
Kulfan said she does not expect to have any permanent injury, but she is still prone to dizziness and some difficulty with balance. And, she is being treated for head and neck pain.
“The first days after it happened I couldn’t get out of bed without passing out,” Kulfan said. “But each day I’ve noticed a 500 percent improvement.”
Kulfan said when she returned home, her two older children not living with her came home to help take care of her.
“My two older children became like mother hens,” Kulfan said proudly. “One is always here to help me out.”
Kulfan said that there was no serious damage to her house from Monday’s lightning strike. She has replaced light bulbs, but her home’s electrical appliances seem to working properly.
Kulfan said her advice to people is not to use any type of electrical appliance during a storm because it only takes is a split second for lightning to find a mark.
