A 14-year-old from Texas died by electrocution while holding her cell phone in the bathtub, the New York Post reports. Madison Coe was taking a bath at her father’s home in Lovington, New Mexico when she was shocked to death because of her charging cellphone. Family members said she was either holding her plugged-in cell phone or in the process of plugging in her phone when was fatally electrocuted. “There was a burnmark on her hand, the hand that would’ve grabbed the phone, and that was just very obvious that that’s what had happened,” her grandmother told KCBD.
Madison had recently finished middle school, where she played basketball and was the first chair tuba; she was going to begin high school this fall. Her sad death serves as a reminder to always be cautious when mixing electronics and water in day-to-day life.
Looking forward, her family wants to help prevent this kind of accidental death by encouraging safety and informing people of electrial hazards like the one that killed Madison. “This is just such a tragedy that doesn’t need to happen to anyone else, and we want something good to come out of this, as awareness of not using your cellphone in the bathroom as it’s plugged in and charging,” her grandma said. People on Facebook are sharing a warning post about the danger of electricity near water. We know to be careful of electrocution near showers and baths, but charging your phone seems so innocent!
If you want to help with the service costs, a GoFundMe page has been created for Madison.