TUESDAY JULY 26, 2005

A 19-year-old Jessamine County woman drowned Monday at Scott's Creek Marina at Cave Run Lake after diving off a houseboat into water that was charged with electrical currents, according to Rowan County Coroner John Northcutt.

Samantha Chipley's body was retrieved at 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, after a multi-agency team of rescue workers, search dogs, Fish and Wildlife officials and divers spent the night probing the waters at dock D. Chipley's body was discovered by an underwater remote controlled camera 40-feet deep and about 20 feet from where she went into the water, Northcutt said. Rescue divers Jimmy Hampton and Jerry Bowen recovered the body.

An autopsy performed by Dr. Cristin Rolf at the State Examiner's office in Frankfort proved that drowning, with the contributing condition of electrocution due to swimming in energized water near a boat hull, caused Chipley's death, Northcutt said.

"The multi-agency team conducted an investigation to determine that the air conditioning failed with an ungrounded system on the houseboat," he said. "This caused the boat hull to become energized, thus causing the water to conduct electric current, which was the contributing factor to Samantha's death."

Chipley and her 16-year-old cousin Margaret Stinnett and friend Susanna Cunningham, 18, both of Nicholasville, went to Cave Run to spend time on the houseboat owned by Cunningham's father, Ralph.

Samra Evans of Elliott County , who was at dock E with her husband Randy, made the 911 call at 7 p.m. Monday.

Mr. Evans witnessed the incident and said Stinnett attempted to save Chipley by grasping onto her hand. And in an attempt to help, Mr. Evans dove into the water but also came into contact with the electrical current.

Stinnett was transported by ambulance to St. Claire Regional Medical Center for treatment of burns sustained from electrical shock. Evans did not receive medical treatment.

"We were walking toward our houseboat when we heard the girls screaming for help," Mr. Evans said Wednesday. "I could see the one girl (Stinnett) was on the boat and had hold of the other's (Chipley) hand while trying to get her out of the water. I dove into the water from our dock and swam vigorously toward them. "But, the closer I got I realized I was being shocked. My legs and the lower part of my body became paralyzed. I had to back myself out of the electrical current. I'm not sure how I got out of it - but God was with me...By that time, the girl had already disappeared from the surface."

Evans said a friend helped him from the water after bystanders turned off the main electrical power.

Ralph Cunningham was at the scene Tuesday and said he was not aware his daughter and her friends were at the houseboat. "I got a call that an accident had happened at my boat," he said. "Then I found out it was Samantha. I had no clue the girls were even in Rowan County . This is just a terrible thing that has happened. She was my daughter's very good friend. I just hate this."

Upon entering the marina boat docks, a sign is posted that warns people of no swimming due to possible electrocution.

Scott McClain, owner of the marina, could not be reached for comment concerning the incident.

Chipley was honorably discharged three months ago from the United States Air Force. She had been stationed in San Antonia , Texas . She was an only child. Northcutt said.

Assisting at the scene were the Rowan County Coroner, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Kentucky State Police, Rowan County Sheriff, Farmers Volunteer Fire Department, Rowan County Rescue Squad, Morehead Fire and Rescue Dive Team, Kentucky State Fire Marshall's office, Rowan County Emergency Management, K-9 Dog Association, Cranston Fire Department, Rowan County EMS and the PHI Air Medical Helicopter.

The incident remains under investigation by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and the Rowan County Coroner's office.

Provided by Tonia Sexton - Staff Writer for The Morehead News