Snorkelers Suffer Shock From Damaged Wiring
Two teen-age snorkelers were shocked in an electrical accident that authorities said apparently was caused by a rodent that had chewed through insulation on nearby wiring.
The girls jumped off a dock into the St. Lawrence River on Monday and immediately screamed for help, witnesses said. Investigators concluded that the exposed wire in a storage shed electrified metal railings on a boat ramp next to the dock, said Charles E. Childs, a maintenance manager for Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
The victims, Kristen Dininey, 16, of Hornell, and Amanda Freeland, 13, of Canisteo, only had to be near the railings to get a shock, Childs said.
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