(StraightNews.org) – An 18-year-old has died in Virginia after jumping into an electrified lake. Jesse Hamric, from Colorado, was visiting friends at their home in Huddleston over the Fourth of July holiday when the incident occurred. The Smith Mountain Lake has a private dock, and investigators believe stray voltages from there electrified the water. Friends who saw Hamric in distress jumped into the lake and felt an electric charge, though they were otherwise unharmed. The friends attempted CPR on Jesse, but he did not regain consciousness and died at a local hospital the same day.
Hamric, the son of a school principal and elementary school teacher, studied at Steamboat Springs High School in Colorado, where friends described him as “one of a kind” and someone who “always had a smile on his face.” The 18-year-old was also an avid football and baseball player. The school issued a statement saying its staff were deeply saddened and that counseling would be offered to students.
Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue and the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident, and initial reports indicate that it will be classified as accidental, though inquiries are ongoing. Additionally, the Sheriff’s office confirmed that foul play is not suspected.
Fire officers tested the lake and confirmed the presence of electrical currents. Experts say electrified water usually results from faulty equipment, and many people are unaware of water’s capacity to transmit electrical currents, which is facilitated by components such as ions. If a person enters water with an electrical current present, it can penetrate the body and cause muscle paralysis and drowning.
Known as Electric Shock Drowning, it has killed several Americans over the past decade. Last year, one person died, and four were hospitalized in Florida when a mall water fountain malfunctioned, sending currents into the water. A Harbourside Place spokesperson said the incident that killed one child and injured two took place in an area that restricts public entry.
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