A British man died after being electrocuted while charging his smartphone in the bath.
Richard Bull was charging his iPhone in the tub when the charger made contact with water electrocuting the 32-year-old.
PC Craig Pattison explained the inquest at West London Coroner’s Court how he found the extension lead running from the hallway outside into the bathroom.
Bull is believed to have plugged his charger into an extension cord from the hallway and had kept the phone next to the tub when it accidentally fell into the water. The victim was found by his wife who thought her husband had been attacked because of the severe burns on his body.
The death has been ruled as an accident by Coroner Dr Sean Cummings. However, authorities are now pursuing the issue by sending a report to Apple to take action and prevent future deaths.
“This was a tragic accident and I have no reason to believe at all that there anything other than it being completely accidental,” Coroner Dr Sean Cummings said.
“These seem like innocuous devices, but they can be as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom. They should attach warnings. I intend to write a report later to the makers of the phone,” he added.
“We found an iPhone plugged into the extension cable and then the charger element in the bath,” PC Craig Pattison explained to the inquest at West London Coroner’s Court.
Smartphone chargers typically have a low voltage of up to 5V. However, they draw power from the main electricity supply and as such rely on a cable and a transformer to prevent users from coming into contact with the main voltage.
Low quality charger do not offer adequate protection against such instances. However, using branded charger in such circumstances also means taking an unnecessary risk.
