Anyone who has children knows that it’s impossible to keep them under surveillance around the clock.
No matter how much you safeguard your home against dangers, they will always lurk where you least expect them.
For mother Courtney Davis, the combination of a stressful household and an intrepid toddler was one that ended in complete disaster.
WARNING – Article below contains graphic images.
Courtney usually ensured that all wires were unplugged and out of reach of her young daughter. One day, however, she forgot to disconnect her mobile phone charger from its socket.
Things took a turn for the worst when 19-month-old Gabby, doing exactly what children do, put the end of the charger in her mouth.
The shocked mother wrote on Facebook:
“Any other day my charger wouldn’t have been plugged up in her reach but bc of a bunch of stuff going on that day I didn’t have time to move it. It took all of a few seconds for her to get burned. She had never tried to put it in her mouth and she had never messed with it. The one day it isn’t moved she stuck it in her mouth and got a severe burn.”
According to social media updates, Gabby has had to see a plastic surgeon. Many people took to Facebook asking what sort of charger it was.
“I have received quite a few messages wanting to know what kind of charger it was. It was a store bought charger that fits a SAMSUNG Note 5,” Courtney wrote.
She also shared several pictures of her daughter and the terrible burn she received in her mouth. It wasn’t until the post reached a mothers group on Facebook that she began to understand how common it is for chargers to be left lying around in other homes.
In light of the tragic event, Courtney hopes that Gabby’s accident can be used to spread knowledge regarding the dangers of leaving connected wires within the reach of curious children.
More common than people think
Doctor Marc Jeschke, Medical Director of the Ross Tilley Burn Center at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, says that, sadly, Gabby’s terrible accident isn’t all that rare. Far from it, in fact.
“Kids can chew on cables, bite through and it can do significant damage,” he told Global News. “I would not suspect this to be a hoax… I’ve been working with burns since the ’90s and this is very common.”
Do you have any cords at home within reach of children?
I’d never really considered how dangerous it could be if one of my children was able to get their hands on loose cables at home. Until today, they’ve often sat plugged into the wall without me thinking too much of it.
From now on, I certainly won’t be leaving wires where children can play with them.
Share this article with all your friend. Let’s make everyone on Facebook aware of the dangers of unattended wires in the home!
