Wells may still pose electrocution risk 20 years after child’s death

CHEYENNE — On July 31, 2004, 8-year-old Ryan Hendricks was playing in his grandparents’ yard with some relatives. He went to get a drink from the spigot in the yard, using one hand to lift the handle and the other hand resting on the well head. Unknowingly, he created a circuit from the well’s pump, routing 240 volts of electricity — enough to charge a Tesla car — through his body.

This accident was the unfortunate result of faulty wiring in the well system that may be common in well systems across Laramie County and across Wyoming.

Four years later, in 2008, the state of Wyoming passed legislation that required all new wells be constructed by a licensed individual, making the Cowboy State the last of the 48 contiguous states to enforce such a law.

In addition, Hendricks’s family filmed a public service announcement that aired around 25,000 times on television sets across Wyoming between 2008 and 2009.

When Linda Pollock, Hendricks’s mother, moved out of Wyoming around 12 years ago, she said she left with the hope that her son’s tragic story could at least serve as a catalyst for change in safety standards.

Checking back on her son’s legacy 20 years after his death, Pollock said what she found was discouraging.

“After 20 years I needed to know that Ryan’s death meant something in reference to some good coming out of this,” Pollock said. “... Having phone conversations with a couple real estate agents and electricians, no, it’s not. It’s not done.”

Pollock found that, for many electricians working on well installations or real estate agents selling homes, a sense of neglect for this security issue has grown as newcomers enter the industry who may not be aware of her son’s story.

Kevin True is a broker associate at RE/MAX Capitol Properties in Cheyenne and a former master electrician.

He said he remembers having doubts that the 2008 legislation would lead to effective, meaningful change regarding this issue and said it is a shame that more people are not as concerned about this now as they used to be.

There are many potentially faulty wells in Laramie County, particularly in ones built before 2008.

Unless the well is being constructed as new, there is no requirement to have a well inspected by a professional. Even then, some homeowners may opt for a cheaper option that does not adequately address the risk.

Older wells typically operate on a three-wire system, where all wires are used to power the well pump. However, a fourth wire is needed to ground it, which would trip the breaker at the source.

True said the largest deterrent for homeowners that may need to update their well system is cost.

As a cheaper alternative to a fourth wire, some inspectors may suggest pounding a ground rod next to the well and taking a ground wire out of the well casing onto the ground wire. But the ground in Wyoming is often too dry and not conductive enough to get the electric current back to trip the breaker.

“It’s a Band-Aid fix. Everybody buys off on it because they just don’t understand the whole premise of it,” True said. “… If we could get the state, the county and the city inspectors to all say, ‘No, it’s going to have to be done like this.’ And then we may even need to take that further to the legislature, or at least to the county commissioners and say, ‘In order to convey property from here forward in Laramie County, the wells are going to have to be made safe.’ But nobody’s going to love that.

“It’s like paying taxes, we all want some better amenities, but nobody wants to pay any more taxes.”

True said that the most he can do in his role as a Realtor is suggest that his clients get an inspection. However, the clients are not required to get an inspection, and the inspector is not required to suggest the most effective fix.

Wendy Volk, a Wyoming broker associate for #1 Properties, has been a licensed real estate professional in Wyoming for more than 28 years. She estimated the number of Realtors in the area has doubled to around 500.

While she can do no more than True as a Realtor, she said that, as new Realtors come to the area, it is important to recommend all necessary safety inspections to clients.

“As a real estate professional, it’s imperative that we help guide the process and provide the information, and you can decide what you want to do with that information,” she said.

Volk said she hopes real estate companies educate their agents about the dangers of an older well system.

“If it’s not wired correctly, it can be a safety concern,” she said. “I tell someone, regardless of the age of a home, whether it’s new, or 100 years old, it’s always prudent to get it checked out.”

Observing the 20th anniversary of her son’s death Wednesday, Pollock said there is not enough meaningful change, and this is just the beginning. She said she hopes to have PSA’s running throughout the state again to promote greater awareness of the safety risk and potential legislative changes for stricter requirements on well safety.

“I think people have become lazy,” Pollock said. “They just think, ‘Oh, that was 20 years ago, everything should be fine now. Everything should be taken care of.’ Well, that was my misunderstanding, too. Don’t just think that because time has passed that things are done right.”

This story was published on August 1, 2024.