Caution: This article contains graphic medical images that some readers may find distressing.
An eight-year-old boy narrowly escaped death after being electrocuted by a cellphone charger.
On November 20, young Lorenzo Lopez was in bed with his phone charging via an extension cord.
At the time, Lorenzo was wearing a necklace. As he rolled over, the necklace fell into the gap between the extension cord and the charger, as his mother recounted.
The boy was then electrocuted by the charger. He attempted to call for help but was unable to while being shocked.
Remarkably, Lorenzo managed to save himself by removing his necklace. Nurses indicated that if he hadn’t done this, the outcome could have been fatal.
Lorenzo’s mother, Courtney Pendleton, explained to KWCH: “The lady had told him had he not pulled that chain off, he would have been electrocuted to death. So he basically saved his own life.”
Reflecting on the incident, Lorenzo said, “I guess I saved myself, and I’m happy about that.”
He described the experience as frightening, adding, “It was just scary. I almost thought I was going to die.”
Following the accident, Lorenzo underwent skin graft surgery and is expected to stay in the hospital for a while to recover.
For the skin graft procedure, doctors took skin from Lorenzo’s scalp, legs, and feet, necessitating a haircut for the young boy.
The family has established a GoFundMe campaign to assist with Lorenzo’s medical expenses.
In a recent update on the fundraiser (December 2), Courtney shared: “Today was a rough day for Lorenzo, he has been sore all day and kinda in a sad mood I think he is getting home sick.”
Now, Courtney aims to raise awareness about the risks associated with children sleeping with charging devices in bed and encourages other parents to prevent similar incidents.
“Parents — please, please don’t let your kids sleep with electronics or charging cords on their bed. It’s not worth the risk,” the single mother advised.
As of now, the GoFundMe page has raised $1,500, nearing its $1,800 goal.
You can contribute to the campaign here.
Apart from avoiding charging phones in bed, it’s also crucial not to charge your device while using it in the bath.
Last year, Ann-Marie O’Gorman sadly passed away after being electrocuted while holding her charging phone in the bath.
A postmortem revealed electrocution-related burns on her chest and left arm.