OAN’s Shawntel Smith-Hill
1:06 PM – Monday, July 31, 2023
A 24-year-old man named Thomas Milner has been identified as the victim of an electrical shock drowning, after he jumped off a dock into Georgia’s largest lake on Thursday, news outlets reported.
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At about 5:30 p.m., deputies responded to a reported drowning in Lake Lanier in Cumming, Georgia.
Milner was reportedly heard screaming for help right after he jumped into the water, officials said.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources told the press that a local neighbor was able to pull Milner from the water. He was swiftly rushed to Northside Forsyth Hospital, but was eventually pronounced dead.
In an effort to help the struggling man, a family friend attempted to use a ladder to pull Milner out of the water but was unsuccessful. According to the sheriff’s office, a neighbor piloted a boat over to Milner to rescue him, and then another neighbor got into the water and gave assistance.
“That person described a burning sensation he recognized as an electric shock,” the sheriff’s department said. “He swam ashore, turned off the power box and re-entered the water ultimately pulling [Milner] onto the dock.”
According to the Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association, electric shock drowning can occur when electrical currents leak into nearby waters, causing swimmers to become incapacitated.
“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 group said.
Electric shock drownings are often labeled as common drownings in cases where no witnesses were able to report the shock in the water.
The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association has continued to raise awareness and educate people on the risks of electric shock in water.
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