Investigators trying to find out why a 6-year-old girl suffered critical injuries due to an electric shock at the MGM National Harbor resort in Maryland have discovered faulty wiring and an improperly installed driver for the area’s LED lighting.
The injuries have left the girl hospitalized for the past three months. She was swinging on a handrail when she was shocked with 120 volts of power, more than 10 times what was needed to power the handrail lighting. Investigators said they have no idea how the installation made it past the permitting and inspection process.
The victim was swinging on a loose handrail near the outdoor patio at the resort. When the girl reached for a second handrail to swing between them, she was shocked. A preliminary review says the LED driver that was used as part of the patio lighting had failed. The investigators did not specify the brand of LED driver, but did say it was improperly installed. The driver, which was supposed to convert the electricity into smaller units for the LED lighting, was grouped with three other drivers in a single box. They were so close together that it blocked air flow, posed a risk of overheating or melting, and should have never passed an inspection.
Also, the wrong type of wiring was used for the LED lights. Rather than using the wiring specified by the LED manufacturer, the contractor used communications wiring, which was buried directly into the ground instead of encased and protected. Additionally, the casing on the wiring had worn away, and was exposed at the time of the electric shock.
The name of the electrical contractor for this job has not been released.