Improper electric wiring causes 5 year old to lose his life

On May 24th 2002 5 year old Isaac Lawrence was killed by merely brushing up against a garage door of a detached garage after playing with a garden hose and in small pool. He was electrocuted with 120 volts due to faulty electrical wiring. This is how it happened. WLKY News, Louisville Kentucky news story.

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[shawnbrennan1]

Did some checking into this one . Turns out it was a union "electrician" that installed a garage door opener outlet with no ground. The cord on opener, became frayed exposing an ungrounded conductor and making contact with the rail. This made the entire door, frame and rail system "alive". The "electrician" also had a drinking problem that WAS addressed by the union.His name is Buddy Shea.

[MIKON8ERISBACK]

120VAC household power is dangerous! I don't say this lightly.

[Arabhacks]

Electrical safety is one part of doing the job right.

Making sure that it was correctly mounted, to include a ground connection, is part of the job.

Being sure that it is plugged into a properly grounded outlet is another part.

Had both been done this would never have happened.

Installing equipment such as a satellite dish requires a ground for lightning protection, and there are no requirements for this type of installation except that provided.

But, class 2 wiring was used, that says it all.

[TheSeattlegreen]

I AM AN ELECTRICIAN.. ALL I HAVE SEEN ARE THE MOST COMPETITIVE ARROGANT FAT AND UGLY MONEY HUNGRY DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT ANYONE BUT THEMSELVES PATHETIC FAGGOTS... THEY DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT ANYTHING BUT MONEY... TRUST ME PEOPLE, I DO THIS FOR A LIVING.. I HATE ALL OF THEM...I DO IT BECAUSE I CHOSE TO AND I ENJOY DOING THE WORK PROPERLY..GARAGE DOOROPENERS ARE LOW VOLTAGE WIRE..THERE IS NO GROUND WIRE.. IT MUST OF BEEN THE OUTLET THAT THE GARAGE DOOR MOTOR WAS PLUGGED INTO THAT WASNT GROUNDED

[ClassicElectricNJ]

@Megawatts37 Don't hire out of work and unlicensed union electricians. 

[Megawatts37]

DO NOT  HIRE NON-UNION ELECTRICIANS.

[SaintWilliamIII]

General house inspections that banks require when someone buys a house don't guarantee that everything is safe. A house inspector is basically someone who has undergone a couple of months of training on inspecting every part of a house; and that is not enough time to make them an electrical expert. But some electricians have become house inspectors to bring in more income, and those people I would trust.

[SaintWilliamIII]

A permit is not necessarily going to solve tragedies like this one. There are many inspectors that aren't qualified to be electrical inspectors,that simply got their job through nepotism or simply because they will work for low wages.And even if an inspector is qualified, they still don't go around and check every connection and wire in a building. Also, electrician licensing doesn't guarantee work is going to be performed correctly,it basically means someone is insured and legal to do the work.

[how367]

Always check with your notes to verify job is done Right the first time or don't do it all, & always safety first.

[Antireign]

So basically what it seems happened here is that the ground wire was not connected on the garage door opener assembly, so the frame of the garage door was not grounded, and there must have been some shitty wiring there somewhere which allowed a hot wire to come into contact with the frame of the door, and when the kid was splashing water around all over the place he made a connection to ground when he touched the door in the water and it went right through him. This is why bonding is essential.