Electrocution may have been a factor in the drowning death of a teenage girl in Alabama in April. She and another teen had jumped off the dock and were swimming back in when the accident happened.

According to Fox 13 News the cause of her death was ruled an accidental drowning, but may have been due to a hidden danger that can be found near freshwater docks, marinas, and boats. They believe that Carmen Johnson, a 15-year-old Priceville High School cheerleader, was killed as a result of electric shock drowning (ESD) from electrical currents in the water "leaking" from the increasing number of electric appliances and devices on boats and docks. The result was essentially as if she had jumped into the bathtub with a plugged in hairdryer.

What is Electric Shock Drowning (ESD)?

Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association website describes ESD as the result of the passage of a typically low level AC current through the body with sufficient force to cause skeletal muscular paralysis, rendering the victim unable to help himself/herself, while immersed in fresh water, eventually resulting in drowning of the victim. In the vast majority of ESDs, the victim’s autopsy shows no signs of electrical injury and investigators often never learn that electricity was the cause of the drowning. The typical victim of Electric Shock Drowning is a child swimming in or around a marina or dock where electricity is present. 

Why is it a silent killer? There is no visible warning or way to tell if water surrounding a boat, marina or dock is energized or within seconds will become energized with fatal levels of electricity. The electricity that enters the water and causes ESD originates from the wiring of the dock or marina, or from boats that are connected to the marina’s or dock’s power supply. If an electric fault occurs on a boat while it is connected to a marina’s or dock’s shore power and the boat or marina is not properly wired to meet current ABYC and NFPA standards, the water surrounding the boat will become electrified.

Preventing Electric Shock Drowning

Electric Shock Drowning FAQs

Visit the website Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association for more information and additional resources. Their non-profit organization is devoted to saving the lives of those who frequent our recreation waters.

Mike Holt newsletters about pool deaths:

7-Year-Old Electrocuted in Family Pool

After recent tragic events in South Florida, counties push for better pool safety laws

Another Near Tragedy - Terrifying Video of Kids Shocked in Pool

Electrical Problems at a Boat Dock

Man Electrocuted in Pool After Jumping In to Save Daughter

Related links:

Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) Pool and Spa Safety

US Consumer Product Safety Commission Red Cross - Don’t Swim with Shocks [PDF]