A coroner is planning to ask Apple to issue a warning with its products, after 32-year-old Richard Bull was killed in a tragic incident in his bathroom. The man from Ealing in West London was electrocuted in his bath, as he was charging his iPhone. A part of the mobile device apparently touched the water he was in, and that caused his death.
Bull suffered severe burns on his hand, arm, and chest. His wife Tanya discovered him in the bathroom and thought her husband had been attacked by somebody, as his injuries were quite bad. Tanya called 999 immediately. However, by the time paramedics reached there, Bull already breathed his last.
Dr. Sean Cummings performed an inquest into the death and blamed "'innocuous devices" which can be dangerous. According to the coroner, Apple chargers should come with warnings. He said that he would write a report to the company. The incident took place on December 11, the day when Bull was supposed to meet his family to exchange Christmas gifts.
Bull's mother Carole said she was worried about people, especially teenagers, who could not be separated from their mobile phones. She believes these people do not know how dangerous the device is. Bull was a rugby player, who played for Ealing Exiles and captained amateur side Old Actonians RFC.
PC Craig Pattison said at West London Coroner's Court that the extension lead was from the hallway outside the bathroom. He ruled out suicide after arriving at the scene. "We found an iPhone plugged into the extension cable and then the charger element in the bath," the Daily Mail Online quoted him as saying.
The Daily Express reported in October that Apple iPhones, just like its Samsung counterparts, were found to be "exploding" in some cases due to overheat. Apple was reported to be investigating the matter. There were "unsubstantiated reports" that iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 6 Plus devices were catching fire.