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Man Electrocuted in Pool After Jumping In to Save Daughter
  
 
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A 43-year-old man was electrocuted in the Northern California area on Sunday after he jumped into the swimming pool to rescue his daughter who was in the pool and turning blue.

Marianne Favro of the NBC Bay Area news reported that James Tramel of Burlingame was electrocuted after jumping in to try to save his daughter. He died a short time later at the medical center. His daughter remains in critical condition; a 6-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl and a 45-year old woman were all treated for related injuries, and released.

Investigators suspect faulty pool wiring sent electricity surging through the water.

Read the full story here.

 

Mike Holt's comment: Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of this terrible tragedy.

ImageJust a couple of weeks ago we sent out a newsletter with a free PDF publication on the NEC rules governing Article 680 for Swimming Pools, Spas and Similar Installations (3.47KB). Click here (or on the book image) for the link to download and print the PDF, in case you missed it. I would encourage electrical contractors to make sure that they understand these requirements, and to use every opportunity to teach and educate others so that they keep safety a priority.

 

 
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Comments

  • From the video, it appears the light fixture is 3/4 full of water. A working GFCI should have prevented the pool from being energized. Either it failed 'ON', or it was not there. Remember, everything fails eventually. Newer GFCI's are not supposed to fail ON but I have seen older one's do so. There is enough voltage gradient (call it resistance) from the hot side of the conductor to the ground that a a breaker did not trip. Remember grounding is not bonding. It will be interesting to find out what the cause was. We can all learn from it. What a horrible experience for a family. There needs to be a better way of telling when water is energized, that is, without using a meter.

    Vince  April 6 2016, 12:51 pm EDT
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