The Human Lighting Rod

Most of us fear being struck by lighting during electrical storms, but the chances of that happening are, in fact, rather slim. Being struck more than once is even more improbable. For Betty Jo Hudson, however, the odds are more higher. The Winburn Chapel, Mississippi, woman has come to the conclusion that she's a human lightning rod.

Hudson first noticed her electrical affinity when she was a child and lightning struck her in the face. Not long afterward, her parents' home received a powerful electrical jolt and, in 1957, the house was completely destroyed by yet another lightning blast. When the woman married Ernest Hudson, however, the lightning seemed to change the course. Her new home became the focus and was struck three times. Now, even the neighbors were being hit during electrical storms. And lightning has struck trees as well as a water pump in the yard. One bolt even killed the Hudson's dog.

One of the more recent episodes occured when the Hudsons were butter beans on their front porch one summer afternoon. A flash storm passed through, sending the couple scurrying inside. As they huddled together, they heard a horrifying crash: the lightning has devastated the bedroom.