Alan D. Wheeler died attempting to save Haley B. Hendrix from electrocution, Seneca, South Carolina, August 14, 1999. Haley, 9, swam to her family’s boat dock in Lake Keowee and received an electrical shock when she touched the dock. She lost consciousness in the water. Due to an electrical malfunction, the metal portion of the floating dock had been charged. Two teenage girls in her party swam toward her, and one of them also received a shock. Those girls then screamed for help, attracting the attention of Wheeler, 73, retired military officer and university professor, who was at his neighboring dock. Wheeler responded to the scene by boat, then entered the water and approached the dock, although he was alerted to the presence of the electrical charge by the girls. Wheeler made contact with the dock and also received an electric shock. Another man who then responded to the scene removed Haley from the water and worked to revive her. She required hospitalization for treatment of her injuries, and she survived. Wheeler was recovered shortly from the water, but he could not be revived. He had been electrocuted.
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