Keep Clear!
Apparently an injury not uncommon on golf courses is burns to the posterior. Someone sat on a shooting stick stool is a better path than the surrounding ground. Lightning strikes a nearby tree, and as the charge spreads out from the roots it travels up the shooting stick, through the seat, and down the legs. Ouch. Don't sit inline with the radius from the nearest tree...
Grounding an aircraft through even a thick conductor won't do it. There's still a large potential difference across that conductor, so a ground handler also touching aircraft and ground will still get a hell of a belt. Best way is to stop the aircraft getting struck in the first place. Easier at the terminal / gate because there's somewhere to put taller lightning conductors, not so easy further out into the apron, on taxi ways, etc.