Recent Colorado high school graduate electrocuted in Virginia accident: "He was just such a special person"

Alex Schwab spent a lot of time snowboarding and living with recent Steamboat Springs High School graduate Jesse Hamric.

"He's always really happy. And uplifting," said Schwab. "He's been, like, a close snowboard friend of mine for, like, passed me three years this year. He even lived with me a little bit."

He says Hamric had a bright future ahead of him.

"It was it was looking really good. Honestly. Like he was so talented, and he always was just like, you know, always like we try to always be the one to try it, you know?" said Schwab.

But tragically, all of that has been cut short. On July 4th, Hamric was visiting with friends and family in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. He was in the lake and was possibly electrocuted by stray voltage from a private dock. Friends and first responders tried to rescue him but were unsuccessful.

Schwab says this is a huge loss to the Steamboat and snowboarding community.

"Our whole snowboarding community has really come together," said Schwab. "It's just such a tragic thing."

And it's painful for Schwab personally.

"Honestly, he was just such a special person. Such a special person to me," he said. "I miss him. And I love him."

Schwab hopes both the Steamboat and snowboarding communities continue to rally to support his family and friends in their time of need: "It's just it's just such a tragic thing, you know? But it's also beautiful the way that everyone's coming together on social media and whatnot."