By René Garzke
It’s a terrible tragedy: Maria C. (16) sits in the bathtub on Wednesday evening and speaks to her friend via video call. Suddenly, Maria’s cell phone falls into the water. She gets electrocuted and dies.
The girlfriend has to watch everything. When the call ends, she alerts the emergency services. When paramedics arrive at the scene of the accident in the Italian province of Avellino, which has a population of 400,000, Maria is already dead. Her parents weren’t at home.
Everything points to a deadly short circuit: According to the newspaper “Il Messaggero” one of the girl’s hands was completely charred. An autopsy should clarify the exact cause of death. Investigators hypothesize that she reached for the outlet where the charger was attached.
“The last common silliness was today”
The girlfriend continued: “The last call, the last laugh together, the last silliness together was today, my baby. And while you were talking to me, this happened. I can see your voice in my head as you called my name, I can see the scene before my eyes, I can see your big green eyes before me, I can see your laughter in my head.”
The grief in Maria’s hometown of Montefalcione is great. Classmates placed flowers in their empty classroom seat on Thursday.
“She was a happy girl, hardworking and full of humanity,” said her math teacher Assunta Muollo, according to “Il Messaggero” with tears in her eyes. “Her ambition was to become a good cook.”
How dangerous are cell phones in the bathtub?
The fact is that many smartphones are now waterproof. It was fatal for Maria that she had just charged her mobile phone when it fell into the water.
The “Safe House” campaign warns: “Connected electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops or hair dryers may not be used in the bathtub. If the device falls into the pool water, there is a risk of a life-threatening electric shock.”
Battery-operated mobile phones are not dangerous because the voltage is so low.