Current Events > Teen girl electrocuted after using a smart phone in the bath

(+) Yeah! (+)

"We need to be aware and teach our children that electricity and water do not mix."
Read more at http://honey.nine.com.au/2017/07/12/13/49/teen-girl-electrocuted-after-using-a-smart-phone-in-the-bath#2O3H1UUCAOIAcgAa.99
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Damn that sucks

Wow, I didn't know it had that much voltage
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how powerful was that phone

jesus

I didn't think those had enough current to do that.
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It sounds like it wasn't the fun so much as the charger connected to an outlet. I think there would be more warnings if the phone itself was capable of killing someone just with water.
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Unfortunate.
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ClunkerSlim posted...

It doesn't. Apparently the phone was plugged into the wall and the lethal voltage came from there. Which is strange and may be lawsuit worthy in itself since water near the phone's charging port shouldn't cause a lethal short. The only thing I can think of is that she was trying to plug/unplug the wall charger while in the tub. I guess this happened in Australia? Modern US homes have GFCI outlets with built in circuit breakers to keep this exact type of accident from happening.

Well, that makes more sense then dropping it in, lol

Wait, I didn't mean to laugh. It's a terrible situation.
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I honestly don't really know what to say to this. It's a freak accident to be sure, but my god, is it dumb. Why would you grab something that's plugged into the wall, that obviously is powered by electricity, when you're sitting in a tub full of water?

I'm thinking perhaps that there was a small break and the charging cable for the phone, because that's specifically wrapped in insulated rubber to protect you from electrical burns. It happened to come into contact with her damp hand, and the rest is history.
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That's very sad. It's the kind of thing that tons of people just assume people know about, but I could see a 14 year old not having been taught about the risks about this kind of stuff. I mean, it's not that unusual to hear about grown adults dying due to carbon monoxide poisoning after using some kind of charcoal grill or something inside.
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Bad_Mojo posted...

Wow, I didn't know it had that much voltage

amperage kills
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I believe standard US household electrical circuits are 120 V
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Man getting electrocuted is no joke I'm always careful as hell when it comes to plugging things in near sinks or any kind of water source really.
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ClunkerSlim posted...

Alucard188 posted...

I'm thinking perhaps that there was a small break and the charging cable for the phone, because that's specifically wrapped in insulated rubber to protect you from electrical burns. It happened to come into contact with her damp hand, and the rest is history.

I doubt it. The charger should be stepping down the voltage to DC for the phone. A break in the charging cable shouldn't be any more lethal than dropping the battery in the tub. I still think she must have been grabbing the charger itself and got the full current from the outlet itself.

That's possible. I accidentally stuck a finger in between the two prongs when connecting a plug to the outlet, and got a significant little buzz from it. I imagine that would be amplified exponentially by sitting in a tub full of water, with a damp hand gripping the plug. Still, I have no idea why you would even do this. It's just dumb. If you're in the bath long enough where you need to charge your phone, perhaps you should either set it up beforehand, or take shorter baths.
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This is as smart as using a coffee maker in your bathroom.
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I was about to say, I've had a phone drop into a bath before without it electrocuting or shorting out anything.
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It really doesn't take that much current to stop or throw off the beat of someone's heart. If they don't receive emergency care in time to correct their heartbeat, that's it...

You would be surprised how often people die that way living alone.
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My guess is that while holding the phone some water splashed onto or into the socket of the charging wire. And it being connected to an extension cable, ending up running the full voltage through her.
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Speaking of getting electrocuted.

When I was 13 or so I recall a moment when I was in a pitch dark basement and was fumbling for a light switch. Apparently the cover had been removed from said light switch and I manged to get my fingers BEHIND the switch.

I strongly recall feeling paralyzed for a minute when I touched something on the back end of a light switch and then my entire arm hurt for awhile.

Did I get electrocuted or what actually happened there?
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i = V/R
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This is relevant to the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_XlOmT2Vl8
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Dustin1280 posted...

Speaking of getting electrocuted.

When I was 13 or so I recall a moment when I was in a pitch dark basement and was fumbling for a light switch. Apparently the cover had been removed from said light switch and I manged to get my fingers BEHIND the switch.

I strongly recall feeling paralyzed for a minute when I touched something on the back end of a light switch and then my entire arm hurt for awhile.

Did I get electrocuted or what actually happened there?

Reminds me of high school when this guy touched both ends of an electric device that was supposed to give you a light shock if you touched only one end, and you were supposed to only touch one end, but he was holding onto both and was stuck there unable to move. And at that point in time, the device was not plugged in and no one was supposed to be playing with it, so the teacher didn't notice him for a few minutes....
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Comfy_Pillow posted...

how powerful was that phone

jesus

It wasn't the phone that killed her apparently she reached for the charger soaking wet that was connected to the bathroom electrical outlet.
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ClunkerSlim posted...

LightHawKnight posted...

but he was holding onto both and was stuck there unable to move.

In a normal situation, your hand closes because electrical signals in your body tell your muscles to contract. When you get shocked by an outside source the same thing happens. This is why you can't let go of a live wire. The electricity is causing your muscles to contract.

This is played up in Iron Man 3 during the scene where Tony is rescuing people who were sucked out of Air Force One. He says something like "I'm going to create a small electrical charge so you can't let go." Of course, dipshit Iron Man seems to forget that he's sending an electrical charge across the hearts of everyone in his little flying circle (since the voltage is conducted from one hand to the other, traveling directly through the chest), but I guess that's a problem for the paramedics on the ground.

Never said I didn't know why he was stuck there. I just said he was stuck there for a few minutes cause the teacher didn't notice and no one felt like helping him.
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ClunkerSlim posted...

Bad_Mojo posted...

Wow, I didn't know it had that much voltage

It doesn't. Apparently the phone was plugged into the wall and the lethal voltage came from there. Which is strange and may be lawsuit worthy in itself since water near the phone's charging port shouldn't cause a lethal short. The only thing I can think of is that she was trying to plug/unplug the wall charger while in the tub. I guess this happened in Australia? Modern US homes have GFCI outlets with built in circuit breakers to keep this exact type of accident from happening.

EDIT- Just read that it was in New Mexico. It was probably an older house that didn't have GFCI outlets. The fact that she was even able to reach the plug from the bath probably means it was a janky set up to begin with.

I was going to say, I read off my tablet sometimes when taking a bath.
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I was using my laptop during a thunderstorm and I believe I got shocked because I was thrown backwards by the shock and I felt slightly light headed afterwards. I immediately unplugged my laptop and never was that stupid again.
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ClunkerSlim posted...

It doesn't. Apparently the phone was plugged into the wall and the lethal voltage came from there.

I knew it.