People have become very attached and dependent on their smartphones. What used to be a simple device to help us stay connected to our friends and family has become our entire world. Photos, messages, videos and more live on these small devices, and they become an extension of ourselves.
When was the last time you went out without taking your phone with you? It’s the last thing we put down and the first thing we pick up in the morning, which didn’t seem like a big deal until now.
One night 14-year-old Le Thi Xoan plugged in her phone before bed, and kept it next to her while she slept, which was her everyday routine. The next morning her mother tried calling for her to get out of bed, but she never received an answer. After several tries, she went to her daughter’s room to check why she wasn’t responding but found her lying unconscious in bed.
Her parents rushed her to the emergency room, but she was announced dead on arrival. Her parents were in complete disbelief and had no idea how this could have happened. Their daughter didn’t have any preexisting health conditions and it was clear that it wasn’t suicide.
So when they discovered the cause, they were stunned.
The autopsy report revealed that their daughter had died of an electric shock, according to the Daily Mail. Their parents didn’t understand since everything looked normal at home – until they lifted her bed covers.
They found Le Thi’s phone charger lying under her blanket. Although it was plugged into the phone it wasn’t charging, and they saw that the part of the cable closest to the phone was completely burnt.
The parents explained that their daughter charged her phone every night and kept her phone in bed with her. The police investigated the scene further and saw that the phone plastic cover had a piece of tape placed over it, which resulted in the shock right as she plugged in her phone.
It is extremely dangerous to charge your phone with a broken cable.
It’s better to be safe than sorry. NEVER sleep with your phone in your bed, especially if your charger is broken. Do what you can to get the charger replaced immediately and keep yourself safe.
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