UK man electrocuted in bath while charging iPhone

A U.K. man who was reportedly charging his iPhone while taking a bath accidentally electrocuted himself.

According to the Daily Mail, the incident occurred on December 11 when 32-year-old Richard Bull's wife found him in the bathtub with severe burns; he was pronounced dead at his home.

Officer Craig Pattison indicated to the West London Coroner's Court that suicide had initially been considered a possible cause, but, in his words, "...the cable wasn't near the bath, it had been run there to charge a mobile phone. The extension cable was on the floor and it appeared as though he had his phone charger on his chest and the part between the phone charger and the cable had made contact with the water."

Based on the victim's burn marks, assistant coroner Dr. Sean Cummings recently ruled the death an accident "occurring as a result of electrocution."

Dr. Cummings says he plans to write to Apple in the hopes that the company will warn customers about the dangers of possible electrocution.

Other safety advocates have also spoken out since the incident; Sheila Merrill, adviser with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, told the BBC, "If you have got any appliance attached to the mains electricity circuit, you have to be aware there is a danger there. You're risking death. Electricity and water don't mix, but particularly with phones, people probably don't always think about it."

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