NASHVILLE, TENN. — Morristown resident Jessica Mills traveled to Nashville with her daughter to meet with Governor Bill Lee and raise awareness about electric shock drowning ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The visit marked an effort to revive prevention work following the 2012 death of her son.

Noah Dean and Nate Law each died on July 4, 2012, after being electrocuted while swimming near a boat. Electric shock drowning can occur when people swim near electricity around marinas and docks. The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association has defined the hazard: "Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) is the result of the passage of a typically low level AC current through the body with sufficient force to cause skeletal muscular paralysis, rendering the victim unable to help himself or herself while immersed in fresh water, eventually resulting in drowning of the victim."

After the deaths, Mills and her husband advocated for legislation in Tennessee. "We realized within a year or so that this could have been prevented. The marinas were kind of a 'no man's land' where they were not regulated and we were able to do some investigation, do some research, work with experts and put into place the Noah Dean and Nate Law," Mills said.

The Noah Dean and Nate Act was passed in Tennessee in 2014. The law requires marinas to have ground fault breakers, annual inspections and warning signs.

Mills made the trip to Nashville as Memorial Day weekend approached and many people across Tennessee prepared to spend time on the water. "I just felt again like it was time to kind of revive this effort again," she said.

Recalling her son, Mills said: "He was all boy and he was very rambunctious and full of life. He was always taking an adventure. He loved fun."

Mills's daughter, Haleigh Rae Eakins, also spoke about her brother. "Noah was super fun, super bubbly. He was so wild," Eakins said. She said the family's advocacy work had become a way to honor him. "I miss him every day unfortunately, but I think this is a great thing that we can continue his legacy and I always wonder how many lives we have saved and we'll really never know and I think that's wonderful," she said.

The Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association recommends that boat owners regularly inspect their boats and advises people to avoid swimming around boats, docks or marinas that use AC electrical power.