32-year old Wiley Day considers himself lucky to be alive. On March 22nd, he had his iPhone plugged into an extension cord, something he did every night so that he could keep his phone in bed while it charged up for the next day. When he awoke the next morning, the dog tag he was wearing around his neck somehow got caught between the metal prongs on the charger and the extension cord. The resulting electric jolt knocked Day from his bed to the ground.
He remembers that his vision started to fade, and he felt as though he was looking through a peephole. He also could see only in black and white. Finally, he was able to summon up the strength to remove the dog tag from his neck. Standing up, Day said out loud, “Oh my God, I think I just got electrocuted.”
The damage was fairly extensive. Skin and flesh were both stripped off his neck, and his hands showed the pattern of the necklace that held the dog tag. He had burned his hands while in the process of ripping the red hot metal off of his neck. Day received second and third degree burns and was admitted to the hospital. He was released after three days.
So let this be a cautionary tale for anyone wearing a piece of metal around their neck. If this metal gets in between your charger plug and an outlet or extension cord, you could end up electrocuted. Day is passing his story along to students at the middle school where he is employed as a behavior specialist. He points out that many adults have revealed to him that they too use an extension cord, so that they can use their phone in bed while it charges. He adds that charging electronic devices in this manner is not worth the risk of possibly getting electrocuted. And he now charges his iPhone in the kitchen.
Wiley Day in the hospital after getting shocked by his iPhone
source: AL.com via WashingtonPost
