A 47-year-old Dublin mother has died after being electrocuted while using her iPhone as it charged in the bath.
Ann-Marie O’Gorman, of Shanliss Avenue in Santry, was discovered unresponsive by her husband, Joe, in October last year. She was rushed to Beaumont Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
At an inquest, pathologist Dr. Heidi Okkers confirmed that O’Gorman sustained electrocution burns to her chest and arm.
Joe told Dublin District Coroner’s Court that he had left home with their youngest daughter, Megan, around 6:40 p.m. and phoned his wife shortly before returning at 8 p.m. On arrival, he found her lying in the bath with her phone and charging cable submerged in the water.
While attempting to lift her out, he himself felt a mild electric shock.
Speaking at the hearing, Joe criticized mobile phone manufacturers for creating what he described as a “false illusion of safety” by marketing devices as waterproof without clear warnings about the dangers of charging near water.
“There should be warnings that this is dangerous. People need to know this can kill,” he said.
