Lightning is quite unpredictable. A rare direct hit may result in nothing more than minor skin burns, serious internal damage, possibly leading to death or instant death. Years ago a woman sitting admiring the view over Megalong Valley suffered a direct hit. She suffered minor skin burns, but her greatest injury was to her dignity, as it blew the bum out of her jeans.
Often, injuries are caused, not by a direct hit, but by the potential difference between the victim's feet, due to a nearby strike. Cattle are often killed by a strike on or near a fence or metal trough that they are in contact with.
I'm not sure of the physics of it, but I've seen a report of a fence wire that was struck, that melted into length about 1 metre long. I saw a possible explanation that talked about resonance. I didn't understand it then, and have forgotten the details. Perhaps some of the techies here can offer an explanation.