After Investigation, County Still in the Dark Over Electrocution
Emily Pollock posted on November 08, 2018 |
The MGM National Harbor, the site of an ongoing investigation into why a lighting rail malfunctioned and sent 120V of electricity through a child that touched it. (Image courtesy of MGM National Harbour.)
An investigation into a lighting installation that badly electrocuted a child at Maryland’s MGM National Harbor has uncovered “terrible” wiring in nearby installations. Now, the question is: how were the defects missed during construction and permitting?
Back in June, six-year-old Zynae Green was swinging on a lighted handrail when she was shocked with 120V of electricity from the rail. She was critically injured and two other people at the scene, including the security guard who removed her from the rail, received non-life-threatening injuries. After the incident, the county commissioned an independent forensic engineering report from Forensics Analysis & Engineering.
The report, written by electrical engineer Brian Gsell, found that the most likely cause for the electrocution was faulty wiring. Gsell said that the work was “terrible” and that it ranked among the “sloppiest work” he has ever seen. His report found that the “wrong type of electrical wiring” had been installed, and that the railings had been installed at too shallow a depth. The depth meant that the railing moved in place, which led to movement that wore away the…