An 18-year-old from Colorado died Thursday at a lake in Virginia due to what was believed to be electrocution.
According to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, officials got a report in the early hours about a possible drowning at Smith Mountain Lake, per 9 News.
Family members and friends at the scene said two people jumped into the water to help the victim. Although they felt a shock, the two individuals were able to get the victim out of the water and perform CPR until emergency crews arrived to take over.
The victim was identified as recent Steamboat Springs High School graduate Jesse Hamric, who later died at a local hospital. The two individuals who leaped into the water to help him were treated at the scene and eventually released.
An image shows the victim:
“The medical examiner will determine Hamric’s exact cause of death after an autopsy,” the 9 News report said, adding the family was enjoying vacation at the time of the incident.
As officials work to figure out if the young man was electrocuted and drowned, Neil Harrington, a retired volunteer with the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue and the Saunders Vol. Fire Department, told WSLS that stray voltage at the lake has been an issue for a long time.
The outlet continued:
Harrington said he first learned about stray voltage back in 2017. He teamed up with an electrician, a physicist and a lawyer and they started looking into the problem. Harrington said he found that there was stray voltage in the water at nearly every residential dock he tested.
“I tested over 209 docks and of those, 201 I think it was or 203 had stray voltage coming from the metal parts of the boat lifts,” said Harrington.
Even when electrical systems on docks are up to code, stray voltage can travel from the electric grid, through a home, over the ground wires, to any metal on a dock and into the water.
HomeSpec defines stray voltage as “a potential current in the water.” When a person gets into the water and touches a grounded object, electrocution can happen.
“Drowning frequently occurs because the body is paralyzed and they cannot bring their head above water. Of course, the shock can cause the heart to stop also,” the site reads.