A Texas teen was shocked to death while she was using her mobile phone in her parents’ bathtub Sunday. The grieving family is trying to bring awareness on the risks of using electronic devices in the bathroom.
Madison Coe, 14, plugged the handset into a bathroom outlet at her parents’ home in Lovington, New Mexico, but the device electrocuted her fatally. The girl’s grandmother said Coe had a burn mark on her hand when they removed her from the bathtub.
The grandmother thinks the mark was on the hand the teen used to hold the phone with. The family said that it is pretty obvious what happened to the eighth-grader who just graduated middle school.
Her family is raising awareness on what happened via social media to prevent other similar tragedies from happening to other kids.
“We want something good to come out of this … awareness of not using your cell phone in the bathroom as it is plugged in and charging,”
one family member said.
Police wouldn’t disclose the type of the mobile phone involved in the accident. The Frenship Independent School District expressed their condolences in a written statement they sent to the family and friends.
Not First Tragic Accident Involving Phone in Bathtub
However, this is not the first time some dies this way. Late last year, a 32-year-old man from the U.K. was found dead in his bathtub after his iPhone’s charger touched the water.
Investigators sent their final report to Apple with a plea to prevent such accidents from recurring. The man had burns on his hand, chest and arms, police said.
Coe’s family opened an account on a crowdfunding website for a memorial for the girl. As of Wednesday morning, they raised more than $9,000 with a final goal of $20,00. If you want to help with a donation, you can go here.
Image Source: GoFundMe