Colorado teen dies after falling into an electrified Virginia lake during Fourth of July celebrations

A teenager in Colorado drowned after jumping into what may have been an electrified lake in Virginia, according to the Daily Mail.

Jesse Hamric, 18, attended a Fourth of July celebration with his family and friends at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston. They reportedly stayed at a private home with a dock. After Hamric was already in the lake, two of his friends tried to jump in, but they soon felt an electric shock.

‘[E]ver since I first met that kid, I mean, he’s like one of a kind. You see him and you just, like, he always has a smile on his face.’

While they were eventually able to get Hamric out of the water and perform CPR, the boy passed away at a local hospital on Thursday. The local authorities believe that Hamric and his two friends were electrocuted by the water. It is believed that faulty wiring on the boat could have sent an electric current throughout the lake, according to the report.

Medical examiners are still performing an autopsy in the hopes of finding out what specifically led to Hamric’s untimely death. The report mentioned that there was a boat lift located around the scene of the horrific incident, which could have malfunctioned, causing the accident.

A second report noted that the authorities tested the water, and electricity was discovered. Investigators are operating under the assumption that stray voltage from a privately owned dock was the case of the current in the water.

Shannon Lukens, with Colorado’s KRAI radio station, issued the following statement after learning of the incident:

This young man was a 2024 graduate of Steamboat Springs High School. He is the former quarterback of the football team and was also on the baseball team. His dad, Jay Hamric, is the high school principal. His mom teaches at Strawberry Park Elementary here in Steamboat Springs. Below is a letter sent to families in the district from Steamboat Springs School District Superintendent Celine Wicks today. This is a very sad thing for our community.

Hamric’s friend Alex Schwab said “[e]ver since I first met that kid, I mean, he’s like one of a kind. You see him and you just, like, he always has a smile on his face.”

Reports mentioned that Steamboat Springs held a vigil for Hamric on Friday at the local Catholic church. Schwab added that he still “can’t even like process it. I’m so upset by it.”

Hamric’s two friends who helped him out of the water were also treated for injuries following the incident.

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