Six-Year-Old Dies When Hair Dryer Falls in Bathtub

Hudson, WI - The death of a 6-year-old girl in a bathtub offers a sad lesson about the dangers of using electrical appliances near water, officials say.

[have mercy]

This is why we don't keep anything plugged into the outlets in the bathrooms. I unplug the hair dryer and the straightener/curling iron after I finish using them and put them back in the cabinet because I have a mischievous 5-year-old. I never underestimate her.

[Wondergrl]

This is just sad. I watch my daughter like a HAWK when she is in the tub.

[Dr Pepper]

Mom's fault. Next case.

[DrPHIL]

This is why you don't walk away from children in the tub - not to mention, falling, drowning ... etc.
What a hard lesson for this mom- negligent

[Caring Citizen]

My thoughts and prayers to this family. Hard lessons are very hurtful lessons - you can't take your eyes off of young kids for one minute! My youngest grandson is seven years old and when he is over he likes to jump off things, or jump down the stairs and it scares me to death that he will fall down them one day. So I have to keep a very watchful eye on him every minute. All my electricle circuits in my housse have the protectors on it and for that I am grateful.

[silent2long]

I do not understand why a mother would leave a two-year old and a six-year old in the tub unattended. Too much responsibility for a six-year old. Lesson learned the hard way. God be with the family.

[nunya]

I gotta say it, how excactly did the hair dryer just happen to fall into the bathtub? The other child happened to get out in time. I dont know but I think there could be a little more to this. The Mom happened to walk away, the older child got out of the tub, the hair dryer fell in the tub.

[polarbear2]

I know as a mom, we all have ran out the bathroom and came right back at one point and time while giving your child a bath. Once they are old enough to sit up and play around. I know I did, but I made my child "sing" to me so I knew her face was out of the water. I know people a quick to blame the parents in cases like this, but please stop and think long and hard before you point the finger. This mom has this on her for the rest of her life, she will suffer enough without strangers pointing the finger.

[Ground Fault Interrupter]

"Atkinson said he thinks a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) installed in the outlet or contained in the dryer would have prevented the tragedy."

No, some parental supervision would have prevented the tragedy. You do not have to actually have a GFCI in the outlet just as long as the bath room circuit is connected to one (can be a room nearby). My bed room circuit is "wired" with my bathroom and when the GFCI "tripped in the bathroom it "killed" the current flow to the bedroom also.
I believe there is more to this story.

[DrPHIL]

polarbear2 wrote:

I know as a mom, we all have ran out the bathroom and came right back at one point and time while giving your child a bath. Once they are old enough to sit up and play around. I know I did, but I made my child "sing" to me so I knew her face was out of the water. I know people a quick to blame the parents in cases like this, but please stop and think long and hard before you point the finger. This mom has this on her for the rest of her life, she will suffer enough without strangers pointing the finger.

Before you say "we all" you need to know that no we haven't ...I NEVER have. And I assure you there d a m n sure is never anything left plugged in the bathroom in which my child is bathing - please believe that!

[deedee29135]

polarbear2 wrote:

I know as a mom, we all have ran out the bathroom and came right back at one point and time while giving your child a bath. Once they are old enough to sit up and play around. I know I did, but I made my child "sing" to me so I knew her face was out of the water. I know people a quick to blame the parents in cases like this, but please stop and think long and hard before you point the finger. This mom has this on her for the rest of her life, she will suffer enough without strangers pointing the finger.

I have 3 boys between the ages of 2 and 7. I am with you 100%. We have a large tub and our boys like to put on undies and play in the tub with toys and bubbles, and yes I have walked out of the bathroom with them in the tub. Many people on here will think I am a bad mother because I do this and because I am comfortable letting my 2 year old play with his 6 and 7 year old brothers without an adult in there constantly. I feel horrible for this mother! She did NOT do anything that the majority of mothers don't do, she just never expected this. I know how my 2 year old is - he loves throwing things in the tub! I imagine that is exactly what happened in this situation. The two year old got out and found something else to put in the water. This poor mother, not only will she have to live with this for the rest of her life, but if the other child did in fact put the dryer in the tub, she'll have to explain to that child why their sister is dead.

[shame on them]

nunya wrote:

I gotta say it, how excactly did the hair dryer just happen to fall into the bathtub? The other child happened to get out in time. I dont know but I think there could be a little more to this. The Mom happened to walk away, the older child got out of the tub, the hair dryer fell in the tub.

anyways the 2 year old could have pulled it down by accident always when they was exiting the tub it was the 6 year old who got killed not the 2 year old. Sad and yes hard lesson to learn.

[Hope41599]

This is a very sad story, my heart goes out to this family, we all see things we could have done differently after the fact, but we can't change what has happened. Everyone needs to keep this family in their prayers.

[Spot On]

This was an apartment complex wasn't it? Why was there no GFCI installed in the bathroom to begin with? I thought apartments were required to have them installed...

I don't think the mom did anything a lot of other mothers out there haven't already done before her, and I'm sure it really won't change the mindsets of them anyhow.

BUT, all you parents out there, that it upon yourself to make sure all of your outlets that are around water in the kitchen and bathrooms, all have GFCIs installed, and make sure you test them at least once a month.

[sherry]

Just soooooooo sad
Could have lost both kids

[MiscService]

nunya wrote:

I gotta say it, how excactly did the hair dryer just happen to fall into the bathtub? The other child happened to get out in time. I dont know but I think there could be a little more to this. The Mom happened to walk away, the older child got out of the tub, the hair dryer fell in the tub.

i was wondering the same thing...a lot of circumstances that may need to be examined here...could be the truth but then again that is too many things that worked out in this case that makes it suspicious to me. In most homes there are not outlets installed close enough for the cord to reach the tub.

[Rebel Rouser]

Pedo Bear wrote:

<quoted text> Aww, You want some candy? Come with me, I'll make it all better.

Nose candy, perhaps!!!?That's probably what the mother went after. Since she had a boyfriend instead of a husband one can deduce that familial stability, in general, was sorely lacking here and was a contributing factor in the child's death!!!... I know someone is going to say what does this mean and i respond learn to read.
But in simple terms, maybe this lady was living a "scoady" life!

[Micki]

You know, everytime when you read or watch what's going on in the world today, it seems to me that children are being killed for no reason or for foolish reasons. In this story here doesn't add up to me. Why was the blowdryer plugged up in the first place, how was it placed, where was it placed? I don't believe this was "accidental". If the mother had enough time to put her children in the tub, she had enough time to wash her children. What was so important for her to leave her children unattended, when her boyfriend could have help out whatever it was? Please excuse me for saying this and I hope I am wrong, but I think this incident was meant for both children and not just the one.

[Jackie]

I did not realize we have so many perfect parents.

[Habit]

Spot On wrote:

This was an apartment complex wasn't it? Why was there no GFCI installed in the bathroom to begin with? I thought apartments were required to have them installed...

I thought it was part of the national electrical code to have bathrooms wired on a GFCI circut. But that also depends on the year the building was built, it could have been before the code change.
Regaurdless truly sad story.