An 18-year-old man from Colorado died Thursday from an apparent electrocution at a lake in Virginia.
According to the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, authorities responded early in the morning to Drowning It happened at Smith Mountain Lake, according to 9 News.
Family and friends at the scene said the pair jumped into the water to help the victim, and although they were in shock, they pulled him from the water and performed CPR until emergency services arrived.
The victim, identified as Steamboat Springs High School graduate Jesse Hamrick, later died at a local hospital, while the two men who jumped into the water to help him were treated at the scene and eventually released.
image show victim:
Jesse Hamrick, 18, of Colorado, was attending a Fourth of July gathering with family and friends when he jumped into a lake in Virginia that he thought was electrified and drowned.
May he rest in peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/FBZAtSQVYP
— True Crime Update (@TrueCrimeUpdat) July 6, 2024
“The medical examiner will determine Hamrick’s exact cause of death following an autopsy,” 9News reported, adding that the family had been enjoying a holiday at the time of the incident.
Authorities are investigating whether the young man was electrocuted and drowned, said Neil Harrington, a former volunteer with Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire and Rescue and the Saunders County Fire Department. Said Stray voltages on the lake have long been a problem, WSLS.
The media continues:
Harrington said he first learned about stray voltages in 2017. He teamed up with electrical engineers, physicists and lawyers to begin investigating the problem, and he said they found stray voltages in the water at nearly every residential pier they surveyed.
“I’ve inspected over 209 piers, I think it was 201, 203 of them had stray voltage coming from the metal parts of the boat lifts,” Harrington said.
Even if your dock’s electrical system is up to code, leakage voltages can travel from the power grid through your home, up the ground wire, and into the water through the metal parts of the dock.
Home Specs Define Stray voltage is a “potential electric current in water.” If a person enters the water and touches a grounded object, they can get an electric shock.
“Drowning often occurs when a person is paralyzed and unable to keep their head above water, and of course shock can cause the heart to stop,” the site says.
