Darwin Award.
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6 years ago
OT: Texas teen electrocuted after apparent cell phone mishap in bathtub
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6 years ago
She wasn't electocuted by the 3.7 volt battery or the 5 volts supplied by the charger - and phone chargers NEVER have 120 volt cords. They always plug into a wall mounted outlet unless someone uses an extension cord.
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6 years ago
If it was an older home it *might* not have a GFCI.
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6 years ago
According to AP, police now say there was an extension cord involved.
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6 years ago
Well, that would wrap it up. Thanks.
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6 years ago
So sad.
She posted a picture of the ext cord !!!!!! with this text: ?When you use [an] extension cord so you can plug your phone in while you?re in the bath.?
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6 years ago
Two things are apparent here (beyond stupidity) There was no GFCI on that circuit Nobody told this girl they make USB extension cables.
It does show that bath tubs cure phone addiction.
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6 years ago
I read the Sheriff's report: cord was frayed, outlet was neither GFCI nor grounded.
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6 years ago
No excuse for a frayed cord. It should have been repaired or tosses. Grounding or GFCI was not required in older houses. I'm guessing it was built before those codes.
Kids at that age are unaware or don't think about the consequences. At
14 I can imagine my daughter doing that.- Vote on answer
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6 years ago
There are so few instances like this these days, kids don't hear about them and learn from other people's mistakes.
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6 years ago
-falls-into-bathtub/
+1
And while it's not required to be brought up to code, it's still is an excellent idea to put GFCIs in to cover bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor receptacles. It's not much cost or work for a big improvement in safety.
Plenty of adults too. IDK why you'd get in the habit of using the charger in the tub anyhow. My phone I can get enough charge in 15 mins to be able to then use it for an hour of talk. Plus using a cell phone in the tub is likely a bad idea, except if absolutely necessary, just from the possibility of water damage.
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6 years ago
Sure, but you're not a teenage girl. What if Barbie updated her Facebook page 15 minutes ago and you missed it.
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6 years ago
ne-falls-into-bathtub/
I don't know about you, but I don't consider the frayed cord or lack of GFCI's to be 2 separate "events".
If the family had frayed extension cords lying around, it's not a surprise that they also didn't care/know about GFCI protection or vice versus.
However, the fact that the father is a firefighter/EMT and the step-mom is a nurse, seems somewhat out of sync with not being somewhat safety consciou s.
I doubt it was a habit. Based on the texts I get from my kids and the texts I send them, those kinds of texts/pics are more in line with "Look what I just thought of/made/etc."
I agree with the water damage part, but we need to try and think like a
14 year old.As far as 15 minutes = 1 hour, my phone can do the same thing. That doesn 't mean I haven't been caught with a dead or dying phone just as I am about to start something that I don't want to wait to do. (That's why I have extern al batteries for my phone.)