State rep. files bill to prevent electrocution deaths at Lake of the Ozarks

A Missouri lawmaker is working to make docks safer at the Lake of the Ozark after several people have died in the past few years from shock-related deaths.

State Rep. Caleb Jones, (R) Columbia, introduced the Alexandra and Brayden Anderson Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Act into legislation last week.

Alexandra and Brayden both died in 2012 after being electrocuted while swimming near their family’s private dock in the Gravios Arm.

“After seeing that I realized we need to do something as a state to make sure whenever my children are swimming off of our dock down at the Lake of the Ozarks that they’re protected, not just from my dock, but every other dock that’s around them.,” said Jones.

“Learning that it was preventable was overwhelming,” said Angela Anderson, Alexandra and Brayden’s mother. “If something good can come out of their loss, we need to have that happen.”

House Bill 2607 would require all docks equipped with electricity to be in compliance with the Fire Protection Standard for Marinas and Boatyards.

The docks would be required to have a ground fault interrupter, which would shut off the dock’s electricity when a short occurs.

The bill would also require all State Highway Patrol boats to have defibrillators on board and troopers would have to be trained to use the equipment.

“We had two nurses on the dock helping my husband and I do the CPR and they were asking the Water Patrol where their defibrillators were,” Anderson said describing the scene at their lake house on July 4, 2012. “I just remember the screaming ‘These kids need defibrillators!'”

Sgt. Scott White said right now the Water Patrol does not have defibrillators on its boats, but all troopers are CPR certified.

He said Highway Patrol can’t comment on pending legislation, but said it would comply with any new laws.

Jones said he’s confident the bill will pass this year. He filed a similar bill in 2015 that did not make it to House committee hearing.

“We’ve been talking to Ameren, dock owners, and fire protection districts who would be tasked with making sure the docks are adequately grounded,” he said. “All those individuals don’t want this to happen to anybody and I don’t think it’s something anybody should have to deal with in their life.”

Anderson said she’s frustrated the legislation is taking a while to pass.

“It’s not acceptable. It simply isn’t because every summer since Alexander and Brayden died there have been incidents of electrocution at the Lake,” she said. “Last year someone died. There’s no reason for it when we know what we can do to not have this happen.”

Jones said he’s confident the bill will pass through legislation this year. He said there will be a committee hearing in the house in the next month.