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9th July 2024
08:50am BST
A teenager has tragically died after jumping into a lake, which is believed to have been electrified, on the Fourth of July.
Jesse Hamric, who was 18 and from Colorado, was at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, with his friends on Thursday.
According to the Bedford County Sheriff's Office, during the Independence Day celebrations, the teenager jumped into the lake where he suffered an electric shock.
Two of his friends jumped in to help him but both felt electric shocks as soon as they entered the water.
They were able to drag Hamric out and administered CPR.
He was rushed to a medical facility but was sadly pronounced dead.
His two friends were treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being shocked in the water.
While Hamric's official cause of death has not been confirmed, officials have said that he died after being electrocuted by a stray voltage at a dock in the water.
The teenager had just graduated from Steamboat Springs High School last month. He was the son of the school's principal, Jay Hamric.
In a statement, the school said: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of a recent Steamboat Springs High School graduate. Please take a moment to care for yourself, lean into those around you for support, and care for each other. Our thoughts are with all of you."
A friend of Hamric's, who had known him for years, told Fox that he was struggling to come to terms with what happened.
Alex Schwab said: "I still can't even like process it. I'm so upset by it. Ever since I first met that kid, I mean, he's just one of a kind. You see him and you just like, he always had a smile on his face."
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