
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 8, 1993                   TAG: 9306080262
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CAROLYN CLICK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ELECTRIFIED BOAT CABLE KILLS MAN

A 23-year-old Wirtz man was the victim of an apparent freak electrical accident Sunday night at Smith Mountain Lake.

Franklin County authorities said Brian David Boone was pulling into a dock with two companions Sunday evening when he grabbed an electric hoist cable used to raise boats from the water.

"When he grabbed the cable, he yelled," said Capt. Bill Overton of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.

As one of his companions ran to turn off the power, the electrical jolt from the cable threw Boone into the water, said Overton.

Overton said the Sheriff's Department received a call for help about 8 p.m. By that time, rescue workers were already on the scene attempting to revive Boone with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Boone was pronounced dead a short time later at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

While Overton awaited official word on the cause of death from the state medical examiner's office, the Sheriff's Department enlisted an electrical engineer Monday to examine the site at the Waterfront II property to determine exactly what happened.

by CNB