The return stroke is a type of discharge that can cause the death of a person or animal even if they are far from the lightning's impact zone. This happens because when a storm cloud is at a certain distance from a living being, it influences the electricity in their body, attracting the opposite potential and repelling the same potential.
When the spark occurs, this potential difference is interrupted and, consequently, the cloud's electrical influence on the living being ceases. As it returns to its neutral state, it suffers a small internal discharge that causes death.
