# Girl electrocuted after dropping charging Iphone in tub.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 11, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037 "2017-07-11T21:40:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pompeybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pompeybear)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/1 "2017-07-11T21:40:04Z")
See the story below.
> **[Texas girl electrocuted while using cellphone in bathtub](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/07/11/texas-girl-electrocuted-while-using-cellphone-bathtub/467225001/)**
>
> A 14-year-old girl from Lubbock, Texas, died Sunday morning after being electrocuted in a bathtub while using her cell phone, according to local reports.
I’m a bit stunned that there would be enough current running from an iPhone charger plug to kill you in the bathtub. What am I missing here? I can see a blowdryer killing you, but an iPhone?
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### Author:  [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/2 "2017-07-11T21:47:12Z")
A 5V DC source would not do that. My speculation would be that she got zapped plugging the charger into the wall with wet hands.
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### Author:  [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/3 "2017-07-11T21:50:23Z")
iPhone chargers are generally capable of 1.5 to 2A current output at 5V. IIRC, it takes about 20Ma in the right place to stop your heart. Unless conditions are ideal, from an electrical point of view, I’m surprised 5V was sufficient.
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### Author:  [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/4 "2017-07-11T21:51:36Z")
A cheap knockoff charger can allow line voltage onto the low-voltage side of the circuit. This doesn’t directly harm the device because the voltage is present on both the +5 V and ground lines and cancels out between those two, but if there is a path between just one of the conductors and earth ground it is just like putting your finger into the socket directly.
[bigclive’s](https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom/videos) entertaning (and quirky) Youtube channel has many examples of dangerous low-cost power devices. See here [for a teardown of such a charger.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tMuXuIYkco)
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/5 "2017-07-11T21:51:55Z")
I think the thread title misrepresents what happened—not that we know for sure what actually did happen.
> [@](#):
>
> Madison Coe was electrocuted after she either grabbed her phone that was plugged in or plugged in her phone
> …
> “There was a burn mark on her hand, the hand that would have grabbed the phone.
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### Author:  [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/6 "2017-07-11T21:52:17Z")
The charging voltage isn’t a factor, it sounds like the phone case and/or charger is “hot” with respect to ground. A GFCI outlet would have been nice.
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### Author:  [@pompeybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pompeybear)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/7 "2017-07-11T21:59:24Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> I think the thread title misrepresents what happened—not that we know for sure what actually did happen.
Yep. You’re correct. I should have written the title a little more carefully.
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### Author:  [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/8 "2017-07-11T22:04:41Z")
I’m surprised this doesn’t happen way more often.
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### Author:  [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/9 "2017-07-11T22:05:18Z")
Has to be worst luck ever
the power is so low, and bath water isn’t the worlds best fatal conductor of low voltage
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### Author:  [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/10 "2017-07-11T22:10:14Z")
> [@Weisshund](#):
>
> Has to be worst luck ever
> the power is so low, and bath water isn’t the worlds best fatal conductor of low voltage
It almost certainly was 120 volts AC. I’m wondering if it may have been an aftermarket charger. It’s too bad there aren’t any details or specifics provided, so we’re all sort of left guessing at the particulars.
It must have been a fairly small bathroom to reach an outlet from a bathtub.
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### Author:  [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/11 "2017-07-11T22:19:35Z")
Don’t bathe while texting …
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/12 "2017-07-11T22:43:10Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#):
>
> It almost certainly was 120 volts AC. I’m wondering if it may have been an aftermarket charger. It’s too bad there aren’t any details or specifics provided, so we’re all sort of left guessing at the particulars.
>
> It must have been a fairly small bathroom to reach an outlet from a bathtub.
Some of the news stories said she led an extension cord into the bathroom. Want to bet she actually dropped the plug end of the cord into the bath along with the charger?
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/13 "2017-07-11T22:46:20Z")
> [@yabob](#):
>
> Some of the news stories said she led an extension cord into the bathroom. Want to bet she actually dropped the plug end of the cord into the bath along with the charger?
If so, then we have a candidate for the Darwin Award.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/14 "2017-07-11T23:00:15Z")
People have been killed by crappy knock-off iPhone chargers before:
> **[Chinese Woman Electrocuted by iPhone 4 Likely Used Unauthorized Charger](https://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/18/chinese-woman-electrocuted-by-iphone-4-likely-used-unauthorized-charger/)**
>
> Ma Ailun, the 23-year-old Chinese woman who was killed via electric shock when answering a call on her iPhone last week, was most likely using an...
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/15 "2017-07-11T23:04:05Z")
> [@Weisshund](#):
>
> Has to be worst luck ever …
Yeah - to be born so damn stupid!:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/16 "2017-07-11T23:09:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> If so, then we have a candidate for the Darwin Award.
Girl I knew used to plug a space heater and a heating pad into one of those little cheap extension cords (not even ETL or UL cert) and let the cord run up in her bed…:eek: She refused to stop so I bought her a thick 20AMP appliance cord… figured It’d be better than nothing. I’m surprised that article wasn’t about her. Darwin award is definitely deserved in the Iphone charging case. From what I’ve learned it’d be a stretch for that charger to kill you, but I bet she dropped the whole cord into the tub… :smack:
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### Author:  [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/17 "2017-07-12T01:38:14Z")
> [@Cleophus](#):
>
> A cheap knockoff charger can allow line voltage onto the low-voltage side of the circuit. This doesn’t directly harm the device because the voltage is present on both the +5 V and ground lines and cancels out between those two, but if there is a path between just one of the conductors and earth ground it is just like putting your finger into the socket directly.
>
> [bigclive’s](https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom/videos) entertaning (and quirky) Youtube channel has many examples of dangerous low-cost power devices. See here [for a teardown of such a charger.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tMuXuIYkco)
Love BigClive ! AVE is another good one.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/18 "2017-07-12T01:41:06Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#):
>
> Love BigClive !
Same here! I have no idea how I happened upon his Youtube channel–I think I was just trying to learn about electronics at some point, and then just fell down the rabbit hole of watching one video after another of his. Great stuff.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/19 "2017-07-12T04:00:01Z")
> [@BobBitchin](#):
>
> Love BigClive ! AVE is another good one.
I’ve watched quite a bit of BigClive as well. In fact someone mentioned the iPhone thing to me this morning and I told them that if they watched some BigClive videos they’d be surprised at how many things are pretty dangerous…like, after enough videos you get kinda worried about touching anything in your house that isn’t plastic. IIRC, the first video I found of his was that R2-D2 looking charger that if the stars aligned, the case was hot.
It’s fun to watch (well, listen) to him as he cracks a case open ‘is that a…no it couldn’t be, why would they, hold on I have to draw this out…okay, I’m back, take a look at this, if you plug a phone in here and and look at it cross eyed, the fuse gets bypassed’.
I’m surprised at how many of those things are even legal/listed/for sale. I have to assume Scotland has similar codes as the US, but then I think he’s just looking for the shoddiest stuff he can dig up on ebay.
AvE, on the other hand…I would like I should like, but I just can’t stand the way he talks. Nearly all of his videos interest me, but within a few minutes I start getting irritated with all the, what do you call it?..made up words?
I’m sure it’s just me, once in a while I’ll check the comments and clearly I’m alone in that regard, most people seem to love it.
(Oh, and I just found out BigClive’s brother, Ralfy also has a youtube channel, and they live in the same house).
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### Author:  [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2017, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girl-electrocuted-after-dropping-charging-iphone-in-tub/791037/20 "2017-07-12T04:34:00Z")
Oh dear, another AvE and BigClive watcher here. I was going to point out exactly the same chargers of death videos. BigClive does a pretty important service here - he really underlines just how seriously unsafe some of this crap is, and just why there is such a big price variation. Lots of people buy these chargers. AvE’s teardown of a couple of Omron knockoff timers similarly.
As to AvE’s made up words, it is funny, I know a couple of engineers who have the same habit. Osmelloscope and so on. Similar sense of of humour as well.
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