LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MO – Update: Wednesday, July 4th at 9:58 p.m.:
The highway patrol now suspects an electrical grounding problem on the dock as the source for the electricity.
Update: Wednesday, July 4th at 6:58 p.m.:
While troopers are still investigating the cause, a spokesman with the Highway Patrol told KRCG 13 he knows of one possibility.
“Well, I know they’ve got several docks there with slides they go down and pumps that pump water onto the slides,” Sgt. Paul Reinsch said. “That could be a possibility.”
Reinsch said adults who jumped into the water to rescue the children reported feeling a strange sensation.
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=772755#.T_UNB0We6CO
One child has died and another is in critical condition following a electrocution incident Wednesday afternoon on Cherokee Lake in Grainger County
Sheriff Scott Layel originally said two boys were dead, but the sheriff later reported one was revived by medical personnel.
The boy who died was 10 years old, and the boy who has been revived is 11, TWRA officials said.
Layel said the 11-year-old boy has been transported to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital where he is currently on life support.
The incident happened around 2:15 p.m. on Cherokee Lake in Bean Station, at the German Creek Marina.
In all, six people were transported to the hospital, TWRA and Sheriff Layel said. That number includes three children and three adults.
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/225567/2/Update-One-dead-in-electrocution-other-child-revived
Electric Shock Drowning: A Hidden Danger In Fresh Water
As a kid growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I never thought twice about jumping into the fresh (albeit muddy) waters of Lake Lanier when we went there. In the 60′s and 70′s, powerboats were pretty basic, lacking latte machines and the slew of other appliances found on many boats and yachts today.
When a friend of mine became a fan of the Electric Shock Drowning Facebook page, I clicked on the link expecting to learn about a new alternative band. Instead, I learned about an invisible killer in fresh water that most frequently strikes near boat marinas where a boat or a nearby electrical appliance may be leaking voltage into the water.
I wondered why I’d never seen a story about Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) on “60 Minutes” or “20/20″. Kids, adults and pets have been dying and getting injured from ESD since the mid-1980′s, but only boating magazines have addressed this very real threat.
Many cases of ESD are believed to go unreported because electrocution isn’t a cause of death that a coroner or medical examiner typically considers in a drowning death.
When I was in Dallas, Texas over the 4th of July holiday, I tried to raise awareness about ESD, but my cautionary tale fell on deaf ears. Since Texas has many manmade lakes, I thought people should be aware of the risk of swimming in fresh water near powerboats. Since I couldn’t cite any coverage by any major news outlet, people preferred to concentrate on beer, wine and celebrating freedom rather than learning about ESD.<snip>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-gardner/esd-hidden-danger-in-fres_b_693454.html
