Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe
Topics: GoFundMe, Parenting, Technology, US News, Health, Mental Health
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: GoFundMe, Parenting, Technology, US News, Health, Mental Health
Warning: this article contains graphic medical imagery that some readers may find distressing.
An eight-year-old boy almost died after getting electrocuted from a cellphone charger.
On November 20, Lorenzo Lopez was in bed with his phone by him. The device was reportedly charging via an extension cord.
Lorenzo was wearing at necklace at the time and the youngster's said to have rolled over in bed and the piece of jewelry 'just happened to fall in between where the gap was on the extension cord and the charger', said his mom.
Advert
The eight-year-old then got shock from the charger. He went to shout for help but was unable to do so while being electrocuted.
Lorenzo managed to save himself, however, by pulling off his necklace. Nurses say had the school boy not done this he likely would not have survived the scary ordeal.
His mom Courtney Pendleton told 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."
Echoing similar sentiments, Lorenzo himself said: "I guess I saved myself, and I’m happy about that."
He added: "It was just scary. I almost thought I was going to die."
Lorenzo has had to have skin graft surgery after the accident and is expected to remain in hospital for some time to recover.
For the skin graft, the eight-year-old had his head shaved so doctors could take skin from his scalp as well as his legs and feet.
The family have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the boy's medical bills.
In an update posted to the fundraiser today (December 2), Lorenzo's mom said: "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."
Courtney now wants to raise awareness about the dangers of children sleeping with plugged in devices and has urged other parents to ensure the same thing that happened to Lorenzo doesn't happen to their kids.
"Parents — please, please don’t let your kids sleep with electronics or charging cords on their bed. It’s not worth the risk," said the single mother.
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has raised $1,500, which is just short of its $1,800 target.
You can donate to the page here.
While you shouldn't charge your phone from bed, there's another instance you shouldn't charge your device while using it — and that's in the bath.
Last year, Ann-Marie O'Gorman tragically died after being electrocuted, while holding her phone in the bath as it charged.
A postmortem found that the mom-of-three had electrocution-type burns to her chest and left arm.