Is listening to your iPod dangerous when a thunderstorm is near? According to Jason Brunch, a US citizen, it really is.
He was mowing the lawn, when lightning struck him, while he was listening to Metallica on his iPod. Next thing he knew, he was in bed, vomiting and bleeding from his ears. He managed to call for help, however.
His ears are burnt on the inside, and on his body, wounds were found following the line of the iPod, from his ears to his pocket, where the iPod was. The iPod had a hole in the back, which is I think quite logical...
Bruch thinks that the iPod acted as some kind of antenna, and attracted the lightning. Weather experts however say that there is no proof whatsoever that the device is the cause of of lightning hitting the boy. They do say that when someone wearing earbuds, is struck by lightning, the current may run into the ears. "There are stories of current running through telephone wires, and killing the people on the phone", an expert said.
In my opinion, the pod is indeed not the cause of him being hit. Was the lawnmower on electricity perhaps? Or was he in an open area when he was hit? These things are much more dangerous than wearing an iPod I guess...
The fact that his ears are damaged, might be because he was wearing the earbuds. However, I wouldn't be surprised if this resulted in a lawsuit against Apple...