A man in mourning issues a urgent cautionary statement following the tragic death of his wife, who was fatally electrocuted while using a charging mobile phone in a bathtub.
Ann-Marie O’Gorman, a 46-year-old mother of three, was pronounced dead at a Dublin hospital after her husband discovered her unconscious in a bathroom at their residence on October 30, 2024.
During a hearing at the Dublin District Coroner’s Court, Joe O’Gorman recounted leaving home at around 6:40 pm to escort their youngest daughter, Megan, to her first social event. Later, he had a brief 23-second conversation with his wife around 7:58 pm while driving back, suspecting she might have been in the bath.
Upon his return, Mr. O’Gorman found his wife motionless in the tub and promptly removed her from the water after noticing her unresponsive state. He then observed an iPhone and a cable in the bath, which he swiftly removed and placed in a nearby sink to prevent further danger.
While lifting his wife from the bath, Mr. O’Gorman experienced a minor electric shock but managed to call his eldest daughter, Leah, to contact emergency services. Despite facing health conditions such as Von Willebrand disease and Graves’ disease, Ms. O’Gorman was described as physically active, regularly attending the gym at 6 am each day.
Mr. O’Gorman initially presumed his wife had fallen asleep in the bath but realized the perilous situation upon seeing her iPhone submerged in water. He raised concerns about the lack of warnings on iPhones regarding water exposure while charging, advocating for clearer safety information on electronic device packaging.
State pathologist Dr. Heidi Okkers, who conducted the post-mortem examination, identified electrocution-related burns on Ms. O’Gorman’s body, concluding that the cause of death was electrocution from a charging cable and phone in the bath. The coroner expressed condolences to the family and acknowledged the incident as a tragic event.
The inquest revealed no defects in the phone, charger, or cable. Dr. Okkers emphasized the conductivity of water to electricity and confirmed that there were no other contributing health factors to Ms. O’Gorman’s demise. Toxicology tests showed no presence of alcohol or drugs in her system.