4 Children in 2 States Electrocuted in Lakes

While you may have thought that swimming electrocutions are rare, there were several tragic reminders this week.

In two separate incidents, three children were killed as they swam in lakes that became electrified.

In the first incident, a 13-year-old girl and her 8-year-old brother were killed when they were shocked while swimming in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, reports NBC. The Missouri Highway Patrol is looking into the incident and suspect that electricity powering lights and a pump that supplies water to a slide children use at a dock, may have been the cause of the electricity.

In the second incident, two boys were swimming in Cherokee Lake in Tennessee when they were suddenly shocked. The boys were swimming in the lake between two house boats when they were electrocuted. Both boys were thought to have died, but one was revived on the medical helicopter flight, reports NBC. The sheriff's department believes that faulty wiring in the bottom of one of the houseboats might have caused the shocks.

As officials continue to look into both incidents, the parents of the victims may eventually think about bringing a wrongful death lawsuit against whoever is deemed responsible.

When you operate equipment or have live electric wiring that is exposed to water, you must take steps to ensure that the equipment and wiring is safe. For example, if it is discovered that the owner of the houseboat had not repaired a known wiring problem for years, the owner may be liable in the wrongful death lawsuit.

Three children were killed by swimming electrocutions. It's still not clear what the source of the electricity was, but the party deemed responsible will likely be sued.

Related Resources:

• Missouri, Tennessee Lake Electrocutions Kill 3 Children (ABC)
• Swimming Pool Injuries (FindLaw)
• Swimming Pool Chemicals Injure Thousands Yearly (FindLaw's Injured)