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Despite Near-Misses, Meteorites Are Low Risk By Wil Milan Special to SPACE.com posted: 07:00 am ET 10 August 2000
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perseids_shower_sidebar_000809 In all of recorded human history, no one has ever been killed by a meteor. But there have been a number of people struck by them, as well as some who were nearly struck, along with many cases of damage to animals and property. Some examples: - On November 30, 1954, Alabama housewife Ann Hodges was taking a nap on her couch when she was awakened by a 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) meteor that crashed through the roof of her house, bounced off a piece of furniture and struck her in the hip, causing a large bruise.
- On October 9, 1992,
a large fireball was seen streaking over the eastern United States, finally exploding into many pieces. In Peekskill, New York, one of the pieces struck a Chevrolet automobile owned by Michelle Knapp. Knapp was not in the car at the time, but heard the crash and ran out to her driveway to find a hole punched clear through the trunk of her car and a warm 26-pound (12-kilogram) meteorite lying under the vehicle. But things turned out well in the end -- her old and rather run-down automobile instantly became a collectors item and later sold for tens of thousands of dollars. On June 21, 1994, Jose Martin of Spain was driving with his wife near Madrid when a 3-pound (1.4-kilogram) meteor crashed through his windshield, bent the steering wheel and ended up in the back seat. Martin suffered a broken finger while his wife was uninjured.There have also been incidents of buildings being struck and animals being killed. In 1860, in Ohio, a horse reportedly died after being struck by a meteor. In 1911 a dog was killed in Egypt. But compared with the number of horses, dogs and housewives killed or struck by myriad other objects and collisions over that time, being clobbered by a meteor is an extremely remote possibility.
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