Electric Shock Drownings Prompt a Call for Alertness

Two recent terrible events involving electric shock drownings are a heartbreaking reminder that silent dangers of electrocution exist in our swimming pools, saunas or hot tubs, and can also take place in lakes and even other large bodies of water.

Should we really be concerned about the possibility of electric shock drownings happening in lakes and other large bodies of water? Unfortunately, yes - all it takes is a current stemming from a short circuit in the wiring of a dock, marina or boat to quickly spread through the water. If someone happens to be in the water and the shock is strong enough, lake electricity can simply cause anyone to drown.  As the old saying goes, it can happen to anyone who is at “the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Electricity dominates from there.

That’s just what caused Evan Currie’s death. Evan, a 19-year-old, was electrocuted in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, by a current near his family’s 33-foot-long power boat in western Lake Erie.

As the news describes it, “The boat had just been plugged in for shore power when Currie’s dog fell into the water. Currie’s father jumped in to save the dog but immediately began struggling against an undetected electrical current running through the water.”

Currie’s Dad was able to get back onto the boat after the shore power was unplugged, but Currie didn’t make it.

Then there’s also the heartbreaking case of Kayla Matos, 11.

Kayla and two of her friends were enjoying an inflatable raft and swimming in a lagoon in Toms River, New Jersey. Kayla and another friend both touched the rail of a metal boat lift, causing a surge that electrocuted Kayla and injured her friend.

These two incidents occur a year after yet another tragic death.

In April 2016, Carmen Johnson, a 15-year-old girl from Alabama, passed away after accidentally coming into contact with currents from rusty electrical work at the dock in her family’s backyard.

Attorney Jeffrey Feldman, who’s an electrocution attorney, says he’s investigated cases involving electric shock drownings in both man-made and natural lakes. “Each death has a confluence of events that comes together when someone is present in the zone of danger.  Some of these events are predictable and some unpredictable.  This gets us back to the random coincidence of a person just being in the wrong place at the wrong time for an electric shock drowning to occur.”

Staying Safe and Preventing Electric Shock Drownings

It’s important that we are aware that these electric shock drownings took place because, as mentioned, large bodies of water have the same prospective for electrocution as smaller ones.

Several states are discussing the need for circuit breakers to be installed close to the water, which are the best safety devices to prevent electrocution.

Marina Dock Master Jim Picuri at Penn’s Landing in Philly said he always makes sure no one is in harm’s way of electrocution:

“We don’t allow anybody in the water. [You] can’t sit on the dock dangling your feet. We don’t allow jet skis [because] they create wakes and splash up,” creating a potential hazard.

Prevent Electric Shock Drownings in Lakes

If you happen to own a property with a dock, here’s a few measures to prevent electric shock drowning:

• Replace your metal ladder with a carbon fiber one instead.
• Have your docking wires professionally inspected annually.
• Let your neighbors know where the power cutoffs are located, and be familiar with them yourself.

What to do if Someone is Being Shocked While Swimming in a Lake

If you’re at a dock and you believe someone is being shocked while swimming, here’s what you should be aware of:

• Storms and continuously moving water can rapidly create faulty wiring on boat docks.
• Even when your dock is fine; electric current from a neighboring dock can move to ground at yours.
• If a person is being electrocuted in the water, do not jump in and attempt to save them.
• Swim away from the dock, ladder, or whatever source is causing the electricity.
• Call 9-1-1.