By Muhammad Sal
Ann-Marie O’Gorman, 46, a mother of three from Dublin, Ireland, tragically died last year from electrocution after holding her iPhone while it was plugged in and charging in the bath.
The inquest held on September 30, 2025, revealed key details about the circumstances of her death and raised safety concerns over the use of electronic devices near water.
O’Gorman was found unresponsive in her bathtub by her husband, Joe O’Gorman, after a brief phone call earlier in the evening while he was driving home. Upon discovering her, he observed the charging cable and iPhone partially submerged in the bathwater and immediately disconnected the device. Emergency services were called, but Ann-Marie was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination found electrocution burns on her chest and hands, with toxicology tests clearing any other contributing factors. The official cause of death was ruled as electrocution caused by the charging phone and cable while in the bath.
At the inquest, forensic engineer Paul Collins noted that the phone may have slipped into the water, and when Ann-Marie tried to retrieve it, her finger touched a metal shower fitting, completing an electrical circuit.
He stated, “If she had not taken her hand out of the bath, she would probably still be alive.”
Her husband stressed the need for explicit safety warnings on electronic device packaging regarding use near water, lamenting the common marketing that phones are “water resistant” without emphasizing the dangers of charging devices in wet environments.
Paramedics and medical officials confirmed that Ann-Marie, despite underlying conditions like Von Willebrand and Graves’ disease, was otherwise healthy and a regular gym-goer. Her sudden death shines a light on an underappreciated hazard of electrical devices, with similar fatal cases reported worldwide involving charging phones near water.
This tragic incident underscores the urgent need for greater public awareness and safety regulations regarding the use of electrical devices in bathrooms and other wet areas, especially as there are more adverts aggressively promoting ‘water-resistant phones’.
Authorities and manufacturers face pressure to enhance warnings to prevent further accidents.
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