This teen just died after allegedly using her cellphone in the bathtub

July 14, 2017 6:16 PM

While it’s great to be connected, it’s probably a safer idea to leave your phone outside of the bathroom, just to avoid temptation altogether.

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If you’re like most people, your cellphone is probably within reach pretty much all the time, even when you’re in the bathroom.

But being that attached to your phone can have deadly consequences: A teenager in Texas just died after allegedly using her phone in the tub—and her family is speaking out in hopes of preventing similar accidents in the future.

Madison Coe, 14, was electrocuted in the bathtub after she either grabbed her phone that was plugged in or plugged in her phone, her grandmother Donna O'Guinn told KCBD-TV. Madison was visiting her father in New Mexico when the accident happened.

“There was a burn mark on her hand, the hand that would have grabbed the phone. And that was just very obvious that that’s what had happened," Donna said. Donna called it a “tragedy,” adding that it doesn’t need to happen to anyone else. “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,” she says.

You’re probably aware that it’s not a good idea to mix electricity with water, but it’s easy to see how someone could forget this in a rush to answer their phone. “It’s extremely important to put devices down while in the water, especially if they’re plugged in,” says women’s health expert Jennifer Wider, M.D. “All electronics that are plugged in—hair dryers, curling irons, etc.—should be moved far away from the bath and shower.”

Using your phone in the bath or shower can electrocute you, which can be deadly, Wider says. “The electric shock sends high voltage or amps through a person's body,” she explains. That can go directly to the heart and central nervous system, where it can be lethal.

Again, it’s understandable that you’d forget the rules of electrical safety if you hear your phone ping. But, while it’s great to be connected, it’s probably a safer idea to leave your phone outside of the bathroom, just to avoid temptation altogether.

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