Madison Coe: Lubbock, Texas Teen Dies From Touching Cellphone In Bathtub

Lubbock, Texas teen Madison Coe died after getting shocked while touching her cellphone when she was in the bathtub. The 14-year-old girl was electrocuted on Sunday morning while staying at her father’s Lovington, New Mexico home.

Madison Coe recently graduated from the eighth-grade class at Terra Vista Middle School, KCBD reports. Relatives of the Texas teen told local reporters they believe Coe was accidentally electrocuted by touching her phone while she was still in the bathtub or grabbing for the phone while it was plugged into a wall socket to charge. Coe’s family has also noted the charging phone could have fallen into the bathtub while Madison was still sitting in the water.

Donna O’Guinn, Madison Coe’s grandmother, said there was a burn mark on the teen’s hand that appeared to indicate she had grabbed her cell phone while being wet. The grieving grandmother deemed it “just very obvious” that Coe was electrocuted after touching her cell phone.

O’Guinn also told the press she wants the heart-wrenching death of her granddaughter to serve as a cautionary tale to others, so such a horrific tragedy does not strike another family. She said the family of Madison Coe wants something good to come out of the teenager’s death and foster awareness about cellphone handling, the New York Daily News reports.

Madison Coe Memorial Fund https://t.co/vHqmxS8FPo

— April Michelle (@AprilApril14333) July 11, 2017

Many people, perhaps most, take their cell phones with them everywhere. Plugging a cell phone into the wall to charge while taking a shower or getting ready in the bathroom is not likely uncommon. During the summer months, both teenagers and adults may be reaching for their charging phones with hands and bodies still wet from getting out of the pool – presenting another possible danger for electrocution.

The Frenship Independent School District issued a release to announce the tragic death of one of their students. The Lubbock school offered its “heartfelt sympathy” to Madison Coe’s family. The teen’s friends created a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help the family cover funeral expenses.

The Texas teenager’s family was planning to relocate to Houston in the coming months, where Madison would soon be starting her first year of high school. Memorial services for the Lubbock teenager are scheduled for July 14 at the First United Methodist Church in Lovington.

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