8-year-old severely shocked by a phone charger in bed

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) – An 8-year-old boy was severely shocked by his phone charger while sleeping in his bed.

“It was just scary,” said Lorenzo Lopez. “I almost thought I was going to die.”

Lorenzo was sleeping with a phone plugged into a nearby charger. The charger was plugged into an extension cord but was slightly unplugged.

“Lorenzo rolled over in his sleep and his chain necklace just happened to fall in between where the gap was on the extension cord and the charger, which is what shocked him,” said the boy’s mother, Kourtney Pendleton.

Lorenzo said he tried to scream but couldn’t. He was shaking and felt the heat on his neck. He eventually was able to pull the chain off his neck and get help while his shirt was on fire.

“The other hospital, the lady had told him, had he not pulled that chain off, he would have been electrocuted to death,” Pendleton said. “So, he basically saved his own life.”

“I guess I saved myself, and I’m happy about that,” Lorenzo said.

Pendleton said her son has burns on his body, neck and hands and is scheduled for skin graft surgery. Lorenzo is expected to stay at the hospital for at least two weeks.