Texas teen killed by cellphone in bathtub

[webfact]

Texas teen killed by cellphone in bathtub

 

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas teenager was killed after she grasped a plugged-in cell phone while taking a bath, prompting her family to spread word of the incident to prevent another electrocution death.

 

Madison Coe, 14 and from Lubbock, died at her father's home in New Mexico over the weekend while taking a bath, the Hobbs News-Sun reported citing emergency officials.

 

Police in Lovington, New Mexico, said the victim appears to have been electrocuted and they found a cellphone, charger cord and extension cord in the bathroom.

 

Coe's grandmother said in an interview with Lubbock TV station KCBD the girl had a burn mark on her hand from where she held the phone.

 

"This is such a tragedy that doesn't need to happen to anyone else," Donna O'Guinn, the teen's grandmother told KCBD.

 

"We want something good to come out of this as awareness of not using your cell phone in the bathroom as it is plugged in and charging," O'Guinn added. "She was just sweet to everybody and everybody loved her."

 

O'Guinn did not immediately return a call from Reuters.

 

The teen's mother Angela O'Guinn Downs put a post on her Facebook page showing pictures of her daughter that ran with the message: "Please, please let her voice be heard and protect and educate your children on the fatal dangers of electrocution."

She did not respond to a message through Facebook for comment.

 

A memorial is planned for the teen on Saturday in Lubbock, a local church said.

 

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-12

[impulse]

She wasn't killed by her cell phone.  She was killed by the wire plugged in to the wall socket.

 

[darksidedog]

Possibly too addicted to Facebook or other social media to be able to be able to leave the bloody phone alone for the time it takes too have a bath. Very sad in every respect.

[canuckamuck]

Would an ELCB protected her. I know we don't generally use them in Canada, not sure about the states. It's mad that we don't. 

[Crossy]

8 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Would an ELCB protected her. I know we don't generally use them in Canada, not sure about the states. It's mad that we don't. 

 

There are no certainties in this world, but some form of earth leakage protection would have given her a fighting chance.

 

But, just holding the phone, even if the charger was plugged in, should not have resulted in a shock, let alone death. Faulty charger perhaps.

 

[captspectre]

when i was a wee lad I was taught that electricity and water did not mix! seems that the word has not been spread to the younger generation. people are getting dumber and dumber everyday! and the parents bear some responsibility fir tis.

[Peterw42]

25 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Would an ELCB protected her. I know we don't generally use them in Canada, not sure about the states. It's mad that we don't. 

Yes, a current flow through the victim to earth is what killed her and a ELCB would have detected the current flow and tripped.

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, Crossy said:

But, just holding the phone, even if the charger was plugged in, should not have resulted in a shock, let alone death. Faulty charger perhaps.

 

Curious about the OP mention of an extension cord in addition to the charger.  The charger may have been faulty, or maybe it was the daisy chain.

 

And the extension cord may have been to bypass the pesky bathroom GFCI that kept tripping out...perhaps plugged into a nearby room socket without a GFCI?

 

Lots of questions remain.

 

Edited July 12, 2017 by impulse

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

Curious about the OP mention of an extension cord in addition to the charger.  The charger may have been faulty, or maybe it was the daisy chain.

 

Indeed, I was thinking along the lines that she got zapped attempting to plug the charger into the extension rather than by the phone itself.

 

Sadly I doubt we will hear any more of this particular incident so we won't find out exactly what happened.

 

All of you with RCD's/RCBO's go and push the "Test" button now. If you don't have one it's time to talk to the Safe-T-Cut salesman (yes, even if you don't use the phone in the bath).

[impulse]

46 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

Would an ELCB protected her. I know we don't generally use them in Canada, not sure about the states. It's mad that we don't. 

 

Typically in the USA, you'll be required to have a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) on any socket near water.  Like near the kitchen sink, a laundry room, bathrooms and any outdoor sockets.  There will be a test and reset button on the wall socket plate itself.

 

That info is dated, however since I've lived in Asia for 17 years.

 

Edit:  I've personally witnessed people using an extension cord to bypass the safety feature when it trips repeatedly.  They'll use an extension cord to plug into a nearby unprotected socket.  I suspect I've been guilty myself, though I don't recall any specific occasions.  But I am human and subject to human tendencies...

Edited July 12, 2017 by impulse

[pitrevie]

In the UK apart from a shaver socket which is current limited you are not permitted to have a socket in the bathroom, not even a light switch unless it is of the pull cord variety.

[Crossy]

Just now, pitrevie said:

In the UK apart from a shaver socket which is current limited you are not permitted to have a socket in the bathroom, not even a light switch unless it is of the pull cord variety.

 

Changed with the 17th Edition to align with Europe where they've been allowed for years.

 

Outlets now permitted in wet rooms provided they are outside the "zones" (which means you need a massive bathroom) and are RCD protected. Pretty well all outlets in the UK will be 30mA RCD protected at the board anyway due to the requirement to RCD any wiring buried less than 50mm deep.

 

[phantomfiddler]

The emergence of waterproof telephones leads one to wonder about the intent. I had though it was about being caught out in the rain, or falling out of your canoe, but am now thinking that the telephone companies are aiming at the people who want to chat while they are in the shower !

[goldenbrwn1]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Indeed, I was thinking along the lines that she got zapped attempting to plug the charger into the extension rather than by the phone itself.

 

Sadly I doubt we will hear any more of this particular incident so we won't find out exactly what happened.

 

All of you with RCD's/RCBO's go and push the "Test" button now. If you don't have one it's time to talk to the Safe-T-Cut salesman (yes, even if you don't use the phone in the bath).

 

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Changed with the 17th Edition to align with Europe where they've been allowed for years.

 

Outlets now permitted in wet rooms provided they are outside the "zones" (which means you need a massive bathroom) and are RCD protected. Pretty well all outlets in the UK will be 30mA RCD protected at the board anyway due to the requirement to RCD any wiring buried less than 50mm deep.

 

In all my years I have never seen a socket in any bathroom in the UK and rarely even a shaver socket (apart from hotels).  I remember as a kid in the 70s/80s having the water and electricity do not mix rhetoric repeated from parents and through media. I'm not sure if I remember correctly but I'm sure there was adverts on tv back then showing the concequences..??

[captspectre]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

Yes, a current flow through the victim to earth is what killed her and a ELCB would have detected the current flow and tripped.

this happened in thailand.

 

[williamgeorgeallen]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

She wasn't killed by her cell phone.  She was killed by the wire plugged in to the wall socket.

 

unlikely. more likely is it was the extension cord that the charger was plugged into. can people really not go long enough to take a shower or bath without checking facebook?

[impulse]

1 minute ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

2 hours ago, impulse said:

She wasn't killed by her cell phone.  She was killed by the wire plugged in to the wall socket.

unlikely. more likely is it was the extension cord that the charger was plugged into. can people really not go long enough to take a shower or bath without checking facebook?

 

That's probably the wire plugged into the wall socket.  Regardless, the jolt that killed her came from the wall, not from the phone.  No wall socket, she'd still be posting.

 

The phone is a red herring.

 

[gk10002000]

10 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

That's probably the wire plugged into the wall socket.  Regardless, the jolt that killed her came from the wall, not from the phone.  No wall socket, she'd still be posting.

 

The phone is a red herring.

 

Yeah a red herring but worthy of a try at a lawsuit I bet

[impulse]

Just now, gk10002000 said:

Yeah a red herring but worthy of a try at a lawsuit I bet

 

I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I was sure thinking it...

 

After all, the phone doesn't have a sticker clearly warning not to use it in the shower if it's plugged in to an extension cord that's plugged into a wall socket.  The manufacturer does have a duty...

 

[geriatrickid]

I learnt my lesson well, from 007

 

 

[DekDaeng]

3 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

Would an ELCB protected her. I know we don't generally use them in Canada, not sure about the states. It's mad that we don't. 

Most likely.

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

In all my years I have never seen a socket in any bathroom in the UK and rarely even a shaver socket (apart from hotels).  I remember as a kid in the 70s/80s having the water and electricity do not mix rhetoric repeated from parents and through media. I'm not sure if I remember correctly but I'm sure there was adverts on tv back then showing the concequences..??

 

Even though they are now legal finding outlets in bathrooms is alien to us Brits.

 

Yes, I'm sure there was at least one Public Information Film on the subject, along with the one of the guy using a drill with matches holding the wires in the socket "if the earth comes out, he notices nothing, but if it touches the live wire ...".

 

We may laugh at these, often crass, films, but I'm sure they saved many lives.

 

[DekDaeng]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Changed with the 17th Edition to align with Europe where they've been allowed for years.

 

Outlets now permitted in wet rooms provided they are outside the "zones" (which means you need a massive bathroom) and are RCD protected. Pretty well all outlets in the UK will be 30mA RCD protected at the board anyway due to the requirement to RCD any wiring buried less than 50mm deep.

 

In Thailand, most bathrooms are 100% 'wet rooms' -

[soalbundy]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

She wasn't killed by her cell phone.  She was killed by the wire plugged in to the wall socket.

 

and her lack of brains

[impulse]

4 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

and her lack of brains

 

I'm glad I didn't do anything foolish when I was 14.

 

Oh, wait...  I take that back.  I did plenty of young and foolish stuff.  I just didn't get bit on the ass- but that was just dumb luck.  

 

[Grouse]

4 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

Yes, a current flow through the victim to earth is what killed her and a ELCB would have detected the current flow and tripped.

Assuming the ELCB (RCD / RCBO) worked correctly. This why we require that exposed conductive parts be bonded to ground (unless double insulated ) AND RCD protection on circuits supplying socket outlets AND (in the UK) no socket outlets in rooms containing a bath or shower.

[Grouse]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I was sure thinking it...

 

After all, the phone doesn't have a sticker clearly warning not to use it in the shower if it's plugged in to an extension cord that's plugged into a wall socket.  The manufacturer does have a duty...

 

NEVER use fake/copy chargers. Genuine chargers should fail safe. Zero chance of 230V on the output side even if transformer fails. I once saw a tear down of an Apple charger. 23 components compared to 8 in the copy....

[impulse]

41 minutes ago, Grouse said:

NEVER use fake/copy chargers. Genuine chargers should fail safe. Zero chance of 230V on the output side even if transformer fails. I once saw a tear down of an Apple charger. 23 components compared to 8 in the copy....

 

Agreed on the fake chargers, but what constitutes a fake and how can you tell?  There are dozens of reputable suppliers, like Belkin and Amazon, who probably have their chargers made in the same factories as Samsung and Apple.  Some have great testing and QA programs, others just have great marketing programs.

 

And there are hundreds (thousands?) of factories who have no ethical qualms about labeling their junk with very convincing packaging that would lead most people to believe they're buying the real deal.  Plus distribution networks where such fakes can enter at any one of a hundred points between the factory and the end user.

 

So staying away from fakes is a good idea, but not so easy unless you do all your shopping at the Apple Store and maybe Amazon (and they have no bandit employees...)

 

And in this case, the reference to an extension cord would lead me to wonder if the cord itself didn't just fall on a wet floor.  The charger may have just been along for the ride.

 

[Grouse]

33 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Agreed on the fake chargers, but what constitutes a fake and how can you tell?  There are dozens of reputable suppliers, like Belkin and Amazon, who probably have their chargers made in the same factories as Samsung and Apple.  Some have great testing and QA programs, others just have great marketing programs.

 

And there are hundreds (thousands?) of factories who have no ethical qualms about labeling their junk with very convincing packaging that would lead most people to believe they're buying the real deal.  Plus distribution networks where such fakes can enter at any one of a hundred points between the factory and the end user.

 

So staying away from fakes is a good idea, but not so easy unless you do all your shopping at the Apple Store and maybe Amazon (and they have no bandit employees...)

 

And in this case, the reference to an extension cord would lead me to wonder if the cord itself didn't just fall on a wet floor.  The charger may have just been along for the ride.

 

All fair comment

 

My point is that saving on charger / power supplies is foolish and probably hazardous. Pay for the original as it's less likely to blow-up, catch fire or electrocute you under fault conditions. I am an engineer and you can take my word as fact.

[VocalNeal]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

Even though they are now legal finding outlets in bathrooms is alien to us Brits.

 

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

 I remember as a kid in the 70s/80s having the water and electricity do not mix rhetoric repeated from parents and through media.

Probably why there isn't many.  That and necessity. The only thing requiring electrical power in a bathroom is an electric razor, usually battery powered and plugged into a charger. Most women using depilatory "shavers" will do that in the privacy of a bedroom. 

 

Then again no matter what they are told, 14 year-olds always know better. 

Edited July 12, 2017 by VocalNeal