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Tennessee marina where electrocution occurred files corrective plan

Posted on 27 July 2012
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Tennessee officials have approved repair plans for the Grainger County marina where two boys died after they were electrocuted while swimming on the Fourth of July, according to an article in the Knoxville (Tenn.) News.

Noah Winstead, 10, and Nate Lynam, 11, both of Morristown, Tenn., were swimming between two houseboats at the German Creek Marina in Bean Station, Tenn., when an electric current coursed through the water. Noah died at the scene, and doctors took Nate off life support the next day.

An inspection by the state Department of Commerce and Insurance found deficiencies in the marina's electrical system and ordered the owners to make repairs and to file a corrective plan. A letter to the marina cited 20 deficiencies, including a lack of ground wires and a need for marine-rated power meters.

The owners agreed to shut off power to the marina until those repairs could be made. They filed a plan for repairs within days of the notification, Christopher Garrett, a state spokesman, told the newspaper.

The corrective plan includes installing permanent "no swimming" signs, new transformers and a new electrode system. The marina also will rework its grounding system and add new power outlets to reduce boaters' need for extension cords, according to the plan developed by Maffett Loftis Engineering of Cookeville, Tenn.

A call from the newspaper to the marina for comment went unanswered Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article.

Comments
2 Saturday, 28 July 2012 19:33
By Murph
Indeed this is a horrible incident, that could have been eliminated with following the A.B.Y.C. standards for marine A.C. power systems.
Keep in mind there are other potential sources regardless of the marinas efforts;
-Improper shore power cords
-Ground prongs missing from cables
-using NON MARINE battery chargers, Marine battery chargers use isolation transformers in the manufacture of the battery charger. Yes this does cost more to manufacture and is reflected in cost of the battery charger. Most people think ther is no difference......that could be a fatal mistake due to ignorance. This unfortunately has occurred in the past.
- If there is a fault in the grounding system in the boat or an appliance added to the boat such as an old toaster oven or an old household air conditioner and a fault in the electrical system.....it can and has happend!
If you do nothing else get an outlet tester & check every outlet & extension cord.
Your boat could be perfect, your neighbors boat...........who knows. Keep in mind , all the boats have the grounding (green) conductor in common and all boats are joined through the connection at the power pedestal. The boat next door only needs a fault in the wiring, electrical equipment, or an added appliance to start the potential between two boats.
A boat seems so harmless & peacefull setting at a marina.......
Please do your part to help,take responsibility for your boat, become educated, or get a qualified MARINE electrician.
Murph
1 Saturday, 28 July 2012 13:57
By Ed Foley
I have been to that marina on Cherokee Lake several times when living in the Heartland of beautiful East Tennessee. Beautiful location, Great People! It is so tragic that in today's technologically-advanced marina environment this can still occur. It is often a case of marina management not constantly researching and learning to improve their marina, coupled with the expense of bringing monitoring devices, isolators and GFI systems online. These marina based safety systems have been around a good 10+ years and these occasional deaths are not unknown in the marina management world:

http://www.atlanticmaritimeacademy.com/images/TI-081217-esd.pdf

It is a terrible tragedy that often times in small marinas with little capital, safety issues such as this are not monitored and remedied until a horrible, tragic event such as this happens. Posting a 'no swimming' sign is like putting a band-aid on a severed artery...no swimming signs, really?! What about the occasional dock worker or marina patron who accidentally falls into the water? Researching and remedying this now is like shutting the barn door after the cows have gotten out.

With that being said, if the Association of Marina Industries cannot, will not, or do not have the 'clout' to address this issue and place mandatory daily monitoring policies, procedures and equipment in place, then as much as I hate government regulation and oversight, the USCG and/or State regulators need to step in and impose immediate detection procedures and remediation as a part of daily marina operations with severe penalties, including closing, for violators!! This should be imposed strongly and evenly across all marinas under Coast Guard jurisdiction. This is not the first time and has been an issue for years, now two young boys are lost forever. How many more tragedies until this is addressed universally?? My heart goes out to the families.

The next time you are at your favorite marina, ask yourself: "How much is your child's or loved one's life worth???"

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