Madison Coe, 14-years-old, died from electrocution Sunday morning after grabbing her cell phone while it was charging or while plugging in the charger when she was in a bathtub at her father’s house in Lovington, New Mexico. Donna O’Guinn, the teen’s grandmother, said it was a tragic accident.
A burn mark on her hand made it “very obvious,” she said, that electrocution occurred. She also stated that it can happen “to anyone,” which is why it is now her “mission” to raise awareness.
Similar deaths resulting from accidental electrocution do not need to happen, O’Guinn said.
She is hopeful that her granddaughter’s death will be a lesson for everyone.
Teen was grandmother’s ‘shining star’
O’Guinn described her granddaughter as her “shining star.” She also said Coe was sweet to everyone and that “everybody” loved her. Coe recently had her eighth grade graduation from Terra Vista Middle School in Lubbock, TX.
Fendship Independent School District stated that the district is mourning the loss felt following Coe’s death. District officials further expressed sympathy and said “we carry the burden” of her tragic accident together.
Similar electrocutions pre-date when Texas teen died same way
Prior to when Coe was reportedly executed while handling a cell phone simultaneous to being in water, there were several eerily similar deaths reported between 2016 and 2017:
- October 2016; 27-year-old in Jajalpur Village, India
- December 2016: baby in Aktua, Kazakhstan
- February 2016: 14-year-old living in Moscow
- February 2017: 32-year-year-old man living in the United Kingdom
- February 2017: 18-year-old living in France
Following the March 2017 death of 32-year-old Richard Bull, in the United Kingdom, the coroner, Dr.
Sean Cummings, stated that he was sending the phone’s manufacturer – Apple in that instance – a copy of his findings. Cummings told an inquest at West London coroner’s court that he determined postmortem that Bull was accidentally electrocuted when his iPhone fell into bath water while it was charging. He was insistent that he had no reason, at all, to believe there was any other possible explanation for Bull’s death, calling it a tragic accident.
Cummings stated that cell phones can be “as dangerous” as something such as a hairdryer being used in a bathroom. He also said manufacturers should “attach warnings.”
The 32-year-old’s mother, Carole, said that she had worried about people, and mostly teens, who “can’t be separated” from their phones.” She thinks people underestimate “how dangerous it is.” Additionally, his brother Andrew stated that people learn about electricity and bath water, but “you don’t think about this.”
Health advisor warns cell phone users avoid mixing electricity and water
After Bull’s death was attributed to electrocution while using his cell phone in the bathtub, the public health advisor – to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – said that while “this sort of” accident is rare, people still need to be careful about having an electrical appliance in their bathrooms.
“You’re risking death,” she said when mixing electricity and water. She emphasized that people have to be especially aware when using a phone in the bathroom since it is not something people “think about.” She stressed that it is “not advisable” to use a cell phone when it is plugged in, especially while people are in the bathroom.
Remembering Madison Coe who ‘loved life’
Quinn aspires for her granddaughter’s death to teach others to be more aware and know that electricity and water “do not mix.”
Madison Coe played basketball and was in the band at Terra Vista Middle School. She was in the ninth grade. Her grandmother attributed her as a good student and “very smart.” She also said her granddaughter “just loved life.”
On July 15, services will be held for 14-year-old Madison Coe in Lubbock, TX.
