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Texas Teen Electrocuted After Cell Phone Accidentally Falls in Bathtub
KCBD ^ | Monday, July 10th | Amber Stegall, Presley Fowler

Posted on 07/10/2017 11:11:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway

A 14-year-old girl from Lubbock died early Sunday morning after being electrocuted in a bathtub.

Madison Coe's mother and grandmother tell us she was in the bathtub, and either plugged her phone in or simply grabbed her phone that was already plugged in. It happened at her father's house in Lovington, NM.

Madison just graduated 8th grade from Terra Vista Middle School in Frenship ISD.

"It is with heavy hearts that Frenship ISD mourns the loss of Madison Coe. We wish to share our heartfelt sympathy with her family and friends as we carry the burden of this tragedy together," officials with FISD said.

Madison was expected to attend high school in Houston, as her family was in the process of moving.

“I call her my shining star," her grandmother, Donna O'Guinn, said.

Madison Coe was a 14 year-old, wise beyond her years.

“She was very smart. Very good student in school. She just loved life," O'Guinn said.

Madison had so much of her life ahead of her, as she made an impact on those around her with her positivity and kindness.

She was a basketball player and the number one chair with her tuba in the band at Terra Vista Middle School.

“She was just sweet to everybody and everybody loved her," O'Guinn said.

As O'Guinn fights back the tears, she says it is hard to understand why her granddaughter’s life was taken far too soon.

Her family says Madison was in the bath tub and grabbed her phone that was plugged into a charger in a bathroom outlet.

“There was a burn mark on her hand, the hand that would have grabbed the phone. And that was just very obvious that that’s what had happened," O'Guinn said.

Madison's family believes this terrible accident is something that could happen to anyone.

But now their mission is to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“This is 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 cell phone in the bathroom as it is plugged in and charging," O'Guinn said.

The post about Coe on Facebook continues to be shared, opening up many eyes to the power of electricity, and the danger of plugging in any electrical appliance that isn’t water-proof, near water.

“It’s overwhelming to realize that there are people that we don’t even know and we’ll probably never even meet that have taken this message and shared it to protect another child or even an adult. We don’t want to lose anybody," O'Guinn said.

So as Madison’s family mourns her loss, they have hope that this message will resonate with anyone who hears it.

It’s the positivity she always carried with her, continuing to make a difference in the world.

“We need to be aware. We need to teach our children that electricity and water do not mix," O'Guinn said. "She’s just going to be greatly missed by all of us. She has a special place in my heart."

There will be a memorial service for Madison Coe on Saturday, July 15th, at 2:00 p.m. at Kings Ridge Church of Christ in Lubbock.

The address is 4201 98th Street.


TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Health/Medicine; Local News
KEYWORDS: cellphone; lubbock; texas
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To: nickcarraway

Ever notice that Mythbusters “proved”it was a myth by hooking up meters to register the amps and voltage, never by allowing themselves to be actually shocked.

I always remember the test where they poured salt water on the electric fence and “proved” you could not get shocked by peeing on such a fence. But they did not pee on the fence themselves.
After reading about this girl I wonder why I am still alive as I used to play a radio next to the tub while taking a bath, sixty years ago.


61 posted on 07/11/2017 8:23:40 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: brucedickinson
I believe they are code everywhere now. I installed them in my house when I moved in.
62 posted on 07/11/2017 8:24:08 AM PDT by 4yearlurker (Government can make you feel so small and mean.-John Steinbeck)
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To: T-Bone Texan

“But the crux: Why is it bad to plug a power strip into another power strip? I do that in my garage when I need a few extra feet of cord.”

If you are using it as an extension cord just for the length, that’s not a problem. If you have extra cords plugged into each one, with a total of 27 items essentially plugged into one outlet, you are probably trying to draw WAY more power than one outlet can give you.

A 15 Amp circuit can supply up to 1800 Watts (120V x 15 Amps) a 20 Amp circuit can supply up to 2400 Watts (120 Volts x 20 Amps). Remember, that includes all outlets on that breaker or fuse. Just add up all the Watts on everything on that circuit, everything should have the Watts printed on the bottom somewhere.


63 posted on 07/11/2017 8:30:36 AM PDT by E.Allen
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To: nickcarraway

14 and wise beyond here years?

Uhhhh,, NO.

RIP


64 posted on 07/11/2017 9:01:31 AM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi - Monthly Donors Rock!!!)
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To: nickcarraway

Recent construction houses don’t even place outlets near bathtubs.


65 posted on 07/11/2017 9:28:58 AM PDT by Albion Wilde (I was not elected to continue a failed system. I was elected to change it. --Donald J. Trump)
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To: Nifster

Still not sure exactly how this could have happened. Sure,1 amp is enough to kill you,but I’d think you’d need more than 5v. to do any damage. Wondering if somehow the 110v. portion of the charger came in contact with the water...????


66 posted on 07/11/2017 9:54:13 AM PDT by oldtech
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To: nickcarraway

I just watched that episode a couple of days ago, and your friend is literally DEAD WRONG.

The current that flowed after the device dropped into the water would have killed anyone unfortunate enough to be sitting in the bathtub when the power actually hit the water.

Even with a GFCI, there is still a (very) small but real chance of enough current to cause problems.

They don’t call it POWER for nothing!


67 posted on 07/11/2017 10:21:39 AM PDT by Don W (When blacks riot, neighbourhoods and cities burn. When whites riot, nations and continents burn.)
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To: Nifster

E=IXR. Secondly, a car battery has 80 cranking AMPS. But only 12 volts.


68 posted on 07/11/2017 10:59:58 AM PDT by hawg-farmer - FR..October 1998 (---->VMFA 235- '69 -'72 KMCAS <--- F4 PHANTOM FLYING BRICK)
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To: nickcarraway

110 Volts in a tub of water will kill you. Secondly, I would LOVE to see that myth disproved.


69 posted on 07/11/2017 11:01:57 AM PDT by hawg-farmer - FR..October 1998 (---->VMFA 235- '69 -'72 KMCAS <--- F4 PHANTOM FLYING BRICK)
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To: nickcarraway
Very sad indeed.

Clearly the government needs to install webcams in our bathrooms so they can watch us and protect us from things like this.

70 posted on 07/11/2017 11:03:50 AM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Nifster
Electricity and water...never a good kix

I don't mean to make light of this girl's tragedy, just that some idiots get away with something like this, while an innocent dies due to a mistake.

The Classic. Someone pointed they were not U.S. rednecks as the plug connection is European.


71 posted on 07/11/2017 11:12:15 AM PDT by Oatka
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To: babygene
Here is a 5 vdc power supply that can be made very small:

This is the typical non-isolated AC/DC converter that by its nature, can pose a severe shock hazard. The largest parts are the 10K ohm, 5 watt resister and the .22 mF 250 V capacitor.

The image of the 10K ohm resister is greatly enlarged.

72 posted on 07/11/2017 1:17:51 PM PDT by jonrick46 (The Left has a mental illness: A totalitarian psyche.)
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To: E.Allen

Hey, thanks for the response.

I merely use the 1st strip, plugged into the wall, as an extender, and the only thing plugged into it is the 2nd strip.

I live in an old house (1950). The outlets were not grounded back then, and somebody did a half hearted retrofit so that next to several old outlets are newer 3 prong outlets. It’s odd, as if the previous owner just ran out of money part way through.

I remodeled my bathroom and put in a new outlet. There was no place to ground it so I ran a wire through the wall to a pipe going down into the ground, It hasn’t sizzled yet! My friend advised me; He is an electrical engineer but he also smokes a lot of pot, so I’m sorta dubious..


73 posted on 07/11/2017 1:24:11 PM PDT by T-Bone Texan
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To: oldtech

My speculation is she picked it up with wet hand. May have gotten a jolt and then dropped the phone into the bath


74 posted on 07/11/2017 2:33:47 PM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: hawg-farmer - FR..October 1998

And a battery is not connected to the house mains


75 posted on 07/11/2017 2:34:43 PM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: Oatka

Some forms of stupid can’t be fixed


76 posted on 07/11/2017 2:36:04 PM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: E.Allen

Skin resistance soaking wet in a bathtub is not the same as dry skin. The piping to the tub may be metallic providing for a good ground connection to faucets and the drain.

The charger has a peak voltage of about 170 (120 x 1.414) within the wall wart, only needing an electrical fault to supply a sufficient leakage current to the phone charge connection.


77 posted on 07/11/2017 3:08:26 PM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: jonrick46

Also, if the phone were charging, just touching it would give you a shock. It may not kill you, but customers would notice.

No cell chargers are made that way.


78 posted on 07/11/2017 3:47:30 PM PDT by babygene (hMake America Great Again)
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To: babygene

I would hope so . . .


79 posted on 07/11/2017 7:12:11 PM PDT by jonrick46 (The Left has a mental illness: A totalitarian psyche.)
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To: jonrick46

“A feedback circuit measures the output voltage and sends a signal to the controller IC, which adjusts the switching frequency to obtain the desired voltage.”

No.

It controls the “on” time of the switching transistor. Longer on time means that more charge goes into the capacitors on the output side, thus higher voltage. Conversely, shorter on time means less energy and therefor lower voltage at the output. The frequency stays the same. Think Pulse Width Modulated circuit.

But none of this has a damn thing to do with the subject. It’s just a couple of techie guys swingin’ our dicks around.


80 posted on 07/11/2017 7:14:52 PM PDT by Nik Naym (It's not my fault... I have compulsive smart-ass disorder.)
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