LIGHTNING KILLED MY PRIUS!

This was shot on April 12th, just 5 miles East of Gilmore City, IA right after an amazing tornado passed nearbye.

6/8 UPDATE: The dealer replaced the ECM, then gave me list of 3 more ECUs to replace next. They wanted $2400 to do it, in addition to the $900 I already spent, so Sister Pi and I ended up towing back the Prius to Colorado with her truck after storm chase so I could work on it myself. I bought the ECUs used for less than $200, replaced them over a few days, and the Prius FIRED right up! And boy did the engine sound rough for a hot minute there after running for the first time in nearly 2 months! Just about every warning light is still on in the car, and over a dozen codes are being reported to Toyota Techstream, but at least I can drive it to whatever place I want now to finish the diagnostic if I need to!

The problems I've found so far are the airbags aren't functioning, the skid control doesn't work, the cruise crontrol doesn't turn on, I think the regenerative breaks aren't recharging the hybrid battery, and the headlights (which actually still work) don't shut off and are somehow aimed too low. But the engine's running good, the hybrid battery's responsive, even the RADIO still works! Next steps are to replace the Airbag ECU and Break Control Power Supply and see which codes are still lingering.

Even with all the problems I need to fix, I feel confortable enough storm chase in it again! Which is a relief with the new surge in gas prices.

[styropyro]

this is the best footage i've seen to squash the myth that rubber tires protect a car's occupants from a lightning strike! clearly the bolt had no problem jumping the air gap around the tires to the ground. he was safe because he was sitting inside the conductive frame of the car, which acts as a pretty good faraday cage for lightning.

[mathiasyt]

I knew I recognized that Prius on the weather channel

[snowdaysrule]

I can't believe how incredibly well-documented this incident was. One camera angle was incredible enough but two is just spectacular!

[Ken-wuqf]

"Gosh! Dang it!" If you can get hit by lightning and not swear, you are a certified wholesome person.

[charlesyaryan]

Fun fact : That was also a Positive Lightening strike... much much more powerful then a Negative strike, which make up about 90% of all lightening you see. Every piece of electronics in that car are toast for good. A strike like that to a person alone would vaporize the person. Lucky man.

[TyTEI]

I can't recall a lightning strike getting caught on video from a car close to the strike and in the strike. Great video and I'm glad you are ok!

[joeschoe]

It's interesting that, even when struck by lightning, your immediate utterance is, "GOSH....DANGIT!". There really are people who don't swear, I guess.

[Cutter-jxxj]

I chased storms for 20 years and I am waaaay more afraid of lightning than tornadoes. I had 2 extremely close strikes. 1 deafened me for 2 days

[-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

This is the clearest footage of an up-close lightning strike I've ever seen, and we even got to experience it from multiple points of view. That's awesome. Thanks for this. Glad no one was hurt. I remember my 7th grade science teacher telling us that the inside of a car is the safest place (within most people's means) to be during a lightning storm, because it is basically a faraday cage.

[ulfmusskacken]

"hey boss, can't come in today. My prius got hit by lighting" "riiiight"

[garrisonbrumblay]

Pi a couple years ago: Hydroplaned at 60 MPH

Pi now: Nearly gets struck by lightning

[MyPing]

You've just earned an infinite supply of bragging rights lmao

[texasabbott]

Great Scott! Why weren't you rolling along at 88 mph? 1.21Jigawatts wasted! Along with a chance to right the wrongs of the past!

[djSpinege]

i love how we live in a world where we can see everything from every angle

[berkan]

Gets hit by lightning
- PRIUS : Power at 400% capacity

[charleschi]

00:58 Surprised you all walked outside. Lightning is the most terrifying part of tornado chasing to me. Glad you are ok.

[mhellcat]

Judging by how fast the bolt dissipated after the strike, visible plasma being left behind, and the shrill clap of thunder after the strike (even if it was literally on top of him), I’d say you got struck by a positive charged lightning bolt, the most dangerous bolt to be struck by. Negative bolts tend to last a smidge longer than positive bolts, are not near as hot as positive, so they have a lower clap of thunder. Not to mention they don’t typically leave much of a trail after they strike. I’m not an expert, just making an educated observation thanks to Pecos Hank’s video about lightning. Stay safe! (:

[carsons]

Yo, can you PLEASE PLEASE get the dealership to detail what kind of damage was done to your Prius? Because this raises and interesting but mostly outlying issue. What happens to electric powered vehicles if they're struck by lighting?

Happy to know that it didn't just explode! lol! Great video. I'm subscribing!

[enilenis]

I believe, insurance classifies this as an "act of god". Curious to know if anything was covered. There isn't much physical damage, but after a surge, you can't trust any wires or chips. You practically have to reassemble the vehicle from scratch, swapping every chip and relay preemptively. The cost of repair would exceed the cost of the vehicle, unless the mechanic works for free.

[gtKeon]

How i managed to come across this clip is insane, I was litterly just watching the clip from The other vehicle, and this started afterwards, your lucky man. How loud was it inside the car at the time of the strike