An iPhone nearly killed a man who fell asleep while his phone was still charging. He was admitted to a hospital with second and third-degree burns to his neck and hands.
Wiley Day, from Alabama, was almost killed by electrocution on March 23. He said that his metal dog tags slipped between the charger and the extension cord while he was asleep.
Man Survives After Electrocution
Day was hit with 110 volts and doctors said that he is lucky to be alive, as 100 volts alone have the capacity to kill a person. The man is expected to recover completely and will be speaking at Alabama A&M University on April 5 at 5 p.m.
"Thursday morning is probably the scariest morning I've ever been through in my life," said Day.
Day survived because he found the strength to break the chain from his neck and stop the electrocution.
The iPhone loosened from an extension cord and the dog tag he was wearing at the time as a necklace slipped inside the cracks and started conducting electricity.
The man was thrown from his bed to the ground and stopped feeling anything in a matter of moments.
"Your body is numb at that point. I guess people would think it would be burning, but in my case I felt a whole lot of pressure around my neck," he noted.
The man started to lose eyesight and felt as if he were trying to see out of a peephole, with everything looking like shades of gray and black. Shortly after this, the man became aware of his heartbeat, which ticked loudly inside his ear.
Day remembers the entire moment, including the way he kept desperately shouting for help from his relatives, who were asleep on the other side of the house. After minutes of struggle, his adult niece ran into the room.
"She said I kept yelling 'Jesus!'. When I came to senses and figured out what happened, I literally stood straight up, and I said, 'Oh my God, I think I just got electrocuted!'," remembers Day.
Day came out of this experience a changed man.
"Charge your phone away from you. Charge it the next day. It's not worth your life," Day added.
Electrocution And Electrical Safety
Every year approximately 400 people die from electrocution and another 4,400 are injured because of electrical hazards, according to the American Burn Association. Of these, on average, 180 cases are related to consumer products. Additionally, another 325 people die and approximately 4,000 are injured at the workplace as part of electrical accidents, notes the association — quoting data from the National Safety Council.
Electricity is responsible for 140,000 fires every year, which result in another approximately 400 deaths and 4,000 injuries. The cost of the damage caused by these fires is around $1.6 billion in property damage, while the total economic loss due to electrical hazards is estimated to be more than $4 billion every year.
"Check electrical tools regularly for signs of wear. If a cord is frayed or cracked, replace it. Replace any tool if it causes even small electrical shocks, overheats, shorts out or gives off smoke or sparks," notes the Electrical Safety Educator's Guide issued by the association.
