According to the lawsuit, both baptistry heaters reportedly overheated sometime before Lake's death. That allegedly caused severe damage and exposed the electrical components to direct contact with the water passing through the heater pipes.

As he stepped into the water, Lake took a microphone in hand. He cried for help and fell back into the water, the suit said. A witness pulled the microphone cable from the floor plug, but Lake died later that morning at a hospital. The woman to be baptized was not injured.