Friday, Nov. 29, 2013
A father in Loxahatchee, Fla. is claiming that his 7-year-old son was struck by meteorite fragments while playing outdoors. The odds of being struck by meteorite fragments are extremely rare, but experts say that doesn't mean it isn't possible. Wayne Lippard claims his son, Steven was playing in the driveway when he was struck by an object. The blow left a laceration on the boy's head that required stitches. Initially, the father and son were unsure what had caused the injury.
After searching the ground near the driveway, Lippard found a number of tiny, pea-sized rock fragments which were sent for testing at Florida Atlantic University. Though the school was unprepared to properly test the fragments, they were able to determine that the stones were metallic, suggesting they could have come from space. Still, additional testing will need to be done to positively confirm the fragments are, indeed, from a meteorite.
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