A 4-year-old child has died in a horrifying accident after apparently being electrocuted by a clothes dryer while playing inside a Kansas home.
The tragedy unfolded in Savonburg, a small community in southeastern Kansas, on Thursday, Aug. 6, according to the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said the young child had been playing inside the home when they allegedly received a powerful electrical shock from a 220-volt clothes dryer. Officials have not revealed exactly how the child came into contact with the electrical current or what may have caused the dryer to become dangerous.
The frightening emergency was reported shortly after 9:30 p.m., when the Allen County Communications Center received a 911 call about a 4-year-old who was not breathing.
By that point, the child’s parents were already desperately racing their unconscious child to Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute.
Despite efforts to save the youngster, the child was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The child’s identity has not been publicly released.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating exactly what happened, but authorities said they have found no indication of foul play.
“No foul play is suspected at this time, and it appears to have been a tragic accident,” the sheriff’s office said.
The department also offered condolences to the devastated family as well as the dispatchers, emergency responders and hospital workers who were involved in the heartbreaking incident.
Local appliance experts have since warned that dryers can pose serious electrical dangers when they are improperly installed or when protective components are missing or damaged.
Steven Goss of Wichita-based Metro Appliances told KWCH that the electrical connections on the back of a dryer should be protected by a cover plate so people cannot accidentally touch exposed wiring. He also noted that the dryer’s power cord should be properly secured with a clamp to prevent it from being pulled loose and potentially exposing electrical components.
Goss said improperly secured outlets, exposed wiring and installation problems are among the hazards homeowners should watch for. However, authorities have not said that any of those issues caused the Kansas child’s death, and investigators are still working to determine exactly how the fatal shock occurred.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission also recommends that families take precautions to protect young children from electrical hazards around the home, including using outlet covers or tamper-resistant receptacles.
The agency advises parents to make sure outlet protectors cannot easily be removed by children and are large enough that they do not create a choking hazard.
The devastating Kansas incident comes amid another recent electrocution involving a young child.
Earlier this summer, a 6-year-old boy in Texas died after authorities said stakes being used to secure a water slide punctured an underground electrical wire. The damaged line allegedly energized the surrounding ground, electrocuting the boy when he came into contact with it.
His family rushed him to a hospital, but doctors were unable to save him. A preliminary autopsy later determined that he died from electrocution.
Back in Kansas, investigators continue working to determine exactly how an ordinary household clothes dryer became involved in an accident that claimed the life of a 4-year-old child.
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