A freak accident that shocked a teenage girl, leaving her with third degree burns around her neck, has one local company asking why.
"120 volts will kill you quicker than the higher voltages," said Staley Inc. General Manager, Robert Bolin.
The guys over at Staley Incorporated in Little Rock say the girl has quite the luck.
Her necklace caught around her phone charger while she was laying in bed, leaving 3rd degree burns all around her neck.
"It's the freak accidents that happen that wake us up," said Director of Safety, John David.
Making sure his customers and employees are safe is David's top priority. We asked what conditions could cause something like this.
"Was the receptacle bad?" he asked. "Was the cord bad?"
In this instance they say it likely boiled down to a loose connection allowing just enough space for her necklace to lay down over the prongs.
"Make sure that it's plugged in correctly," remarked Bolin.
Bolin claims this could have happened to anyone.
"You do things at home that you think nothing about because it's every day occurrence to plug something in," he said.
They both say however, certain steps or devices can prevent instances like this from happening in the future, including never leaving an outlet extension connected in your bed. They say they frequently see that with heating pads.
David added, "It's all about safe habits."
That could be as simple as how you have your outlets installed.
Installing them upside down with the ground on top can prevent things like a necklace from touching the prongs and completing the arc which they say is what happened when the girl was shocked.
The family of that girl says she has recovered exceptionally well. They initially worried she might need skin graphs but she doesn't even need her bandages anymore.
For more information on products and safe practices,
Staley Inc. has a wealth of information.
