FORT WORTH, TEXAS
A worker who was cleaning a hot tub at a far north Fort Worth apartment complex was electrocuted Monday afternoon, police said.
He was identified as Christopher Asing, 25, of Flower Mound, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office.
Officers were dispatched about 12:30 p.m. to the 4500 block of Drake Lane, where Asing was working at the Summer Brook apartments, according to a police report.
Asing was cleaning the hot tub next to a main pool when “somehow he was electrocuted,” said officer Daniel Segura, police spokesman.
Asing’s coworker told firefighters that Asing was near a pump when the accident happened, said Lt. K yle Clay, a fire department spokesman.
Asing and his coworker had cut power to the pump. When the coworker turned the power back on, he heard Asing yell and then found him lying in a nearby canal, Clay said.
The coworker estimated that Asing had been under water in the canal for about 20 seconds. Firefighters found Asing unconscious and began performing CPR, Clay said.
Asing was taken to Medical City Alliance hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:41 p.m.
It was not clear if Asing was an employee of the Summer Brook apartments, which could not be reached for comment.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is most concerned about the following electrical hazards in pools, hot tubs and even spas:
- Faulty underwater lighting;
- Aging electrical wiring that hasn’t been inspected in years;
- The use of sump pumps, power washers, and vacuums that are not grounded;
- And electrical appliances (such as radios and TVs) and extension cords falling or being pulled into the water.
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A man died Monday after he fell into a canal while working at a Fort Worth apartment complex.
Firefighters were called to a report of a drowning at 12:30 p.m. at at the Summer Brook Apartments in the 4500 block of Drake Lane, near North Beach Street.
Lt. Kyle Clay, a Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that 25-year-old Christopher Asing and another man were working on a water pump.
The other worker told emergency crews that he had turned the water pump on, then heard Asing yell. Clay said the man discovered Asing in the canal, where he'd been underwater for about 20 seconds.
Firefighters performed CPR and then took Asing, a Flower Mound resident, to Texas Health Harris Methodist Alliance, where he was pronounced dead around 1:40 p.m.
The Tarrant County medical examiner had not yet determined Asing's cause of death.
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How to prevent electrocution and electrical injury in the pool this summer
California dad was electrocuted after jumping in swimming pool to save his daughter; here are some electrical hazards with pools and hot tubs
As the weather warms up, people are cleaning out pools and venturing back into the family hot tub. When it comes to safety, drowning is usually the first danger that always comes to mind. But a recent tragic story brings warning of an often hidden but just as deadly danger: Electrocution.
Jim Tramel, who was reportedly vacationing with his family in their Palm Springs, Florida home, was electrocuted when he jumped into the pool to save his daughter after he noticed her struggling. Both the father and daughter had to be pulled from the pool, according to a recent article in People, “California Man Is Electrocuted After Jumping in to Save Daughter from Swimming Pool with Faulty Wiring.” When paramedics arrived, the father and daughter were both being administered CPR, but Mr. Tramel was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later on Easter Sunday.
It’s speculated that a pool light, and in particular, faulty wiring in the pool’s light is to blame for the tragic death. Mr Tramel’s daughter remains in critical condition. In addition, a 6-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl and a 45-year-old woman were all treated for related electrical shock injuries from the same pool and released from the hospital, according to published reports.
Throughout the U.S., there have been 14 deaths related to electrocutions in swimming pools from 2003 to 2014, according to the latest statistics available from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Hot tubs and spas may present the same electrical hazards as swimming pools.
Today, our electrical injury attorneys would like to review pool safety to help prevent further tragedies.
How do pools pose a risk of electrocution?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is most concerned about the following electrical hazards in pools, hot tubs and even spas:- Faulty underwater lighting;
- Aging electrical wiring that hasn’t been inspected in years;
- The use of sump pumps, power washers, and vacuums that are not grounded;
- And electrical appliances (such as radios and TVs) and extension cords falling or being pulled into the water.
In addition, electrical hazards around a pool can lead to multiple deaths or injuries. This occurs when an individual becomes incapacitated by stray current in the water and one or more people jump in or reach out to save the victim, resulting in multiple electrocutions or serious shocks, as in Jim Tramel’s tragic case.
How to protect yourself from electrocution or shock in the pool
To start, it’s important to know the signs of electric shock and impending electrocution:- Swimmers may feel a tingling sensation, experience muscle cramps, and/or not be able to move at all and/or feel as if something is holding them in place.
- Unsettled or panicked behavior by others in the water, one or more passive or motionless swimmer in the water, swimmers actively moving away from a specific area or from a motionless swimmer.
- Also be on the lookout for underwater lights that are not working property, flicker or work intermittently.
- Know where all the electrical switches and circuit breakers for pool equipment and lights are located and how to turn them off in an emergency.
- Do not swim before, during, or after thunderstorms.
- Have an electrician who’s qualified in pool and spa repairs inspect and upgrade your pool, spa or hot tub in accordance with applicable local codes and the National Electrical Code (NEC).
- Ensure that all electrical wires and junction boxes are at least five feet away from water, as required by the code.
- Protect swimmers from injury by following the NEC requirements for installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs).
- Use battery-operated appliances instead of cord-connected appliances in and around your pool.
- Have a fiberglass hook on hand, as you never want to come into contact with someone who is receiving an electric shock, because the current will pass between the bodies.
- Ensure that overhead power lines and junction boxes are safely positioned when installing a new pool, hot tub or spa.
- Post an emergency plan within clear view of the swimmers. An emergency plan could include the following recommendation from the American Red Cross: Turn off all power; use a fiberglass hook to carefully remove the victim from the water; administer CPR; call 9-1-1 (read on for a more detailed plan).
- Move away from the source of the shock.
- Get out of the water, is possible without using a metal ladder, which is an electrical conductor and may increase the severity of the shock.
- Immediately turn off all power. If the power is not turned off, rescuers can also become victims.
- Call or have someone else call 9-1-1.
- Using a fiberglass Shepherd’s crook/rescue hook to carefully pull the victim out of the water.
- Then position the victim on his or her back; check for breathing and administer CPR if needed.