BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – A family vacation at Smith Mountain Lake took a tragic turn after an 18-year-old high school graduate died.
The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office said that 18-year-old Jesse Hamric from Colorado died Thursday.
Deputies tell 10 News they got a call at 3:44 a.m. about a possible drowning at a home on Lee Drive in Huddleston. Witnesses who jumped into the water to rescue Hamric reported they were physically shocked. They pulled him to shore and administered CPR, but Hamric died at the hospital.
Investigators are now trying to determine if Hamric was electrocuted and drowned.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families,” said Neil Harrington, a retired volunteer with the Smith Mountain Lake Marine Volunteer Fire Rescue and the Saunders Vol. Fire Dept.
He said that stray voltage at the lake has been a problem for years.
“I wish I could say I was surprised, but I wasn’t,” said Harrington.
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.
“It will always look for the path of least resistance,” said Harrington.
Harrington even lobbied in Richmond to try to change current electrical codes, with no luck. After that, he focused on educating the public about the dangers of stray voltage.
“Keep your boat lift and jet ski lifts out of the water. Never swim near a boat or jet ski lift when it’s in the water. And when you’re swimming in the water, never reach up and grab the metal parts of a boat lift,” said Harrington.
While investigators look into Hamric’s death, Harrington warns a tragedy like this could happen again if state and federal leaders don’t make a change.
“Stray voltage is not going to go away,” said Harrington. “It’s a problem in every freshwater lake in the United States.”