Parents raising awareness about electrical shock drowning
Monday, May 16th 2016, 10:02 am CDTMonday, May 16th 2016, 10:44 am CDT time.
By Clare Huddleston, Anchor/Reporter
Carmen Johnson (Source: Family)
HARTSELLE, AL -
One month ago Carmen Johnson, 15, died while swimming with friends in Smith Lake in Winston County. Her parents, Casey and Jimmy, say her death was caused by electrical shock drowning.
The parents say April 16 started out like any other day. Carmen and her friends had been out on the lake riding jet skis. They had come back to the boat dock and were laying out in the sun.
Jimmy was working on the dock when he heard Carmen jump into the water. He heard her laughing and trying to convince her friends to jump in as well. After a few minutes another friend jumped in. About that same time Jimmy lowered the metal ladder into the lake so the girls would have a way to climb out of the lake.
Jimmy says when the ladder hit the water, it sent an electrical current through the water. He heard Carmen's friend scream for help. When he peered over the dock, he could see Carmen's friend clinging to the ladder and Carmen under water around her friend's knees.
Jimmy says he jumped in the water to try to save the girls and that's when he immediately felt the electric current. Before he blacked out, he yelled to his wife, Casey, "cut off the power to the boat dock."
Ironically, the weekend before, Jimmy had shown Casey where the power cut off switch was located near the back door. Jimmy says if Casey had gone all the way to the other side of the house to the breakers, everyone in the water would have likely died, including himself.
Jimmy says he was able to help Carmen's friend get out of the water, but Carmen had already sunk to the bottom. He tried himself to dive and find Carmen, but wasn't successful.
The Johnsons say it took divers about two hours to recover Carmen's body.
Carmen was a varsity cheerleader at Priceville High School. Her mom says she had dreams of becoming a cheerleader at the University of Alabama.
The Johnsons are using Carmen's death to raise awareness about electrical shock drowning.
In the past month, they have found a piece of equipment called Dock Lifeguard. Once installed, it will detect an electrical current in the metal on a boat dock and in the water up to a 40 foot radius.
The Johnsons says Dock Lifeguard was created by a man in Missouri after someone he knew lost her two sons due to electrical shock drowning.
Jimmy Johnson plans to sell Dock Lifeguard in conjunction with his audio/visual business in Decatur.
For more information about Dock Lifeguard visit http://www.docklifeguard.org
For more information about Carmen, you can visit her memorial Facebook page here.
Copyright 2016 WBRC. All rights reserved.
Here is an article my daughter sent to me regarding electric shock drowning, the interesting item aside from the story and facts we all know about is the item called the "Dock Lifeguard" has anyone heard about this before? Reading the follow up caveats from people there on the U-Tube site, the remarks are negative statements about this product. So is this something that is good or not?
Boomeron
Boomeron
Monday, May 16th 2016, 10:02 am CDTMonday, May 16th 2016, 10:44 am CDT time.
By Clare Huddleston, Anchor/Reporter
Carmen Johnson (Source: Family)HARTSELLE, AL -
One month ago Carmen Johnson, 15, died while swimming with friends in Smith Lake in Winston County. Her parents, Casey and Jimmy, say her death was caused by electrical shock drowning.
The parents say April 16 started out like any other day. Carmen and her friends had been out on the lake riding jet skis. They had come back to the boat dock and were laying out in the sun.
Jimmy was working on the dock when he heard Carmen jump into the water. He heard her laughing and trying to convince her friends to jump in as well. After a few minutes another friend jumped in. About that same time Jimmy lowered the metal ladder into the lake so the girls would have a way to climb out of the lake.
Jimmy says when the ladder hit the water, it sent an electrical current through the water. He heard Carmen's friend scream for help. When he peered over the dock, he could see Carmen's friend clinging to the ladder and Carmen under water around her friend's knees.
Jimmy says he jumped in the water to try to save the girls and that's when he immediately felt the electric current. Before he blacked out, he yelled to his wife, Casey, "cut off the power to the boat dock."
Ironically, the weekend before, Jimmy had shown Casey where the power cut off switch was located near the back door. Jimmy says if Casey had gone all the way to the other side of the house to the breakers, everyone in the water would have likely died, including himself.
Jimmy says he was able to help Carmen's friend get out of the water, but Carmen had already sunk to the bottom. He tried himself to dive and find Carmen, but wasn't successful.
The Johnsons say it took divers about two hours to recover Carmen's body.
Carmen was a varsity cheerleader at Priceville High School. Her mom says she had dreams of becoming a cheerleader at the University of Alabama.
The Johnsons are using Carmen's death to raise awareness about electrical shock drowning.
In the past month, they have found a piece of equipment called Dock Lifeguard. Once installed, it will detect an electrical current in the metal on a boat dock and in the water up to a 40 foot radius.
The Johnsons says Dock Lifeguard was created by a man in Missouri after someone he knew lost her two sons due to electrical shock drowning.
Jimmy Johnson plans to sell Dock Lifeguard in conjunction with his audio/visual business in Decatur.
For more information about Dock Lifeguard visit http://www.docklifeguard.org
For more information about Carmen, you can visit her memorial Facebook page here.
Copyright 2016 WBRC. All rights reserved.
Here is an article my daughter sent to me regarding electric shock drowning, the interesting item aside from the story and facts we all know about is the item called the "Dock Lifeguard" has anyone heard about this before? Reading the follow up caveats from people there on the U-Tube site, the remarks are negative statements about this product. So is this something that is good or not?
Boomeron
Boomeron
