Teen suffers third degree burns while using mobile phone

A 13-year-old girl has been left with a scar around her neck after suffering burns while using her mobile phone.

Speaking to Buzzfeed, mum Jackie Fedro shared images of her daughter’s burns.

A week after Jackie gave her daughter the T-Mobile LG d500 phone for Christmas she heard her daughter Gabbie screaming from her bedroom.

“She came running downstairs after it [happened] grabbing her neck,” Jackie said. “She was in so much pain she was screaming hysterically.”

“It took her a good five minutes before she was even able to tell us what had happened.”

Gabbie was talking on the phone while it was plugged into the wall when “she was shocked by an electric current” that ran from the phone and through the necklace she was wearing.

jackie - gabbie

“She suffered painful second-degree burns and now will have a scar all the way around her neck,” Mum, Jackie said.

She said she contacted both T-Mobile and LG about the incident. LG did not respond, she said, but T-Mobile sent the family a new phone and offered to pay Gabbie’s medical bills.

scar

T-Mobile also asked to have the phone back to run tests on it, and the family has since sent the phone to the company.

“With so many kids using phones now days, parents need to be warned about the harm that they can cause,” she said.

Scott Wolfson of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said “We have been long concerned about it because when the incidents do happen they can be serious.”

Wolfson said one of the biggest risk factors is purchasing a knock-off charger or battery from a third-party vendor.

“You really shouldn’t go to a mall kiosk for a replacement battery or charger,” Wolfson said.

“This is a really serious incident. Those are really terrible burn marks.”

This is something I am really paranoid about myself, and always make sure I turn the power point off before using my phone or other devices.

Share your comments below.

21 Comments

- - pakeko said
  - 21 Apr 2016
    8:17 pm
Wow that is very scary and makes you more aware of what you are doing with your phone

- - mom156049 said
  - 16 Mar 2016
    7:10 pm
This is scary. My partner has been shocked by his phone when it has been plugged in charging. Batteries these days don’t seem to last very long and sometimes I need mine plugged in just to use it. I will keep this in mind and try not to use it when plugged in

- - mom94125 said
  - 01 Mar 2016
    11:54 am
wow poor kid! i hope that her skin will regenerate ok and not have lasting scars!

- - Lizbef said
  - 24 Feb 2016
    1:01 pm
How scary! Good on T mobile for stepping up and paying for the medical bills.

- - mum4107 said
  - 24 Feb 2016
    5:50 am
How scary. Good on the parents for making people aware

- - mom103920 said
  - 24 Feb 2016
    1:05 am
This is horrible. That poor girl. I’m glad they are sharing their story as a warning to others.

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    11:24 pm
Wow, poor girl. I have heard of a few things like this happening while phones have been plugged in.

- - june11 said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    10:33 pm
I wonder if it was something to do with the metal of the necklace she was wearing. Maybe that should be investigated to see if that particular metal/s and the those of the phone or the electric currents interact in some way. Some tradespeople don’t wear jewellery while working for safety reasons.
Hopefully with the right treatment, a lot of the scarring will heal and disappear.
Unfortunately medical treatment was delayed which should have been applied straight away.

- - curlytops said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    9:58 pm
that is terrible. A good warning to everyone – thank you for alerting us.

- - mom160421 said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    9:57 pm
Poor girl. It’s important that companies inform their customers of any potential risks.

- - rachelvk said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    9:14 pm
So scary. You would not expect something like that to happen.

- - Naomi said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    8:34 pm
Ouch that’s nasty. Apple has also recalled some charges due to electric concerns.

- - mom90758 said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    7:23 pm
Oh my!! This is so scary! And that scar… will it ever go away?

- - Lori-Anne said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    6:03 pm
I find my phone gets really hot at times. These kinds of incidents worry me and I feel for this poor girl. I hope that she has a quick recovery.

- - VernaB said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    5:03 pm
Wow thats pretty scary.

- - BellaB said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    4:34 pm
That’s a high price for a silly mistake. At least the phone company offered help.

- - welshmummy said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    3:49 pm
How awful. You have to be so careful with mobile phones these days. You wouldn’t think something so small could cause so much damage. At least T-mobile stepped up to the mark not all phone companies are like this.

- - mom87666 said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    2:14 pm
Not good. Hope she’ll be ok. I’ve always told my children never ever talk on your phone while it’s plugged in same with iPads or lap tops unless the lap top has to be. Very scary.

- - mom165081 said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    2:14 pm
This is horrible – and it could have been so much worse. Its easy for them to say “don’t buy knock of products” but reality, this is what many people do – and most don’t have a problem. This is a very serious problem for the mobile phone industry and needs sorting.

- - Nas01 said
  - 23 Feb 2016
    1:55 pm
Omg so scary especially that little kids are playing with phones so much more now.