Tragedy as mum-of-three electrocuted in bath with charging phone
A mother of three in Dublin died after being electrocuted while using her charging phone in the bath.
Ann-Marie O’Gorman, 47, from Shanliss Avenue in Santry, was discovered unresponsive by her husband, Joe, in October last year. She was taken to Beaumont Hospital but was later pronounced dead.
At an inquest, pathologist Heidi Okkers told Dublin District Coroner’s Court that O’Gorman had sustained electrocution-type burns to her chest and left arm.
Joe explained that he had left home with their youngest daughter, Megan, at around 6.40 p.m. and phoned his wife on the way back shortly before 8 p.m. When he returned, he found her lying on her side in the bath with her phone and charging cable submerged in the water.
As he attempted to lift her out, he said he felt a mild electric shock.
He told the court: “The only thing you hear about is how these phones are great in up to six feet of water. It gives people the idea that you can have your phone near water. There should be warnings that this is dangerous. There’s nothing being done about this whatsoever by any provider to say this is a hazard you could die from. That is all that people have to know.”
Joe added that phone companies promoted a “false illusion of safety” by advertising their devices as waterproof. He also said there were no warnings on iPhones about the risk of electrocution if they come into contact with water while charging.
