Following the death of a 10-year-old boy who died by electrocution on Cherokee Lake Wednesday afternoon, TWRA officials are asking East Tennesseans to use caution when around the water.
Three adults and three children were also injured at German Creek Marina around 2 p.m., in Bean Station, when the accident occurred. The Grainger County Sheriff's Office and TWRA are still trying to determine the cause.
According to TWRA spokesperson Matt Cameron, authorities believe a stray electrical current in the water may be to blame for the accident. He said incidents like Wednesday's are rare.
"It could be a stray current from a boat at the dock, the marina itself, we really don't know," he said.
In order to prevent electrical accidents, Cameron asks East Tennesseans to refrain from swimming near marinas. He said it's impossible to know when a boat could be the source of a stray electrical current. Cameron said more boats in one area increases a swimmer's chances of being shocked.
He also says marinas typically have generators, which can also create stray electrical currents.
"You have generators that are running at marinas constantly," he said. "They are producing electricity for the boat, for cooking, for air conditioning, all those kind of things."
TWRA also asks that if you see a person in danger because of a electricity, don't automatically jump in to help them. Cameron said that could lead to you being shocked as well. He recommends that you try to pull in a person by your hands from a dock in order to avoid any personal danger.