An eight-year-old Kansas boy is recovering in hospital after he was el4ctrocuted in his sleep when his chain necklace became lodged between his phone charger and an extension cable, causing burns across his body and leaving him in what his mother described as “excruciating pain.”
Lorenzo Lopez was asleep on November 20 when he suddenly woke to find part of his T-shirt on fire and his body jolted by an electric shock. Speaking from his hospital bed, he told KWCH that he “thought I was going to die,” describing the ordeal as “just scary.” He added, “It was chaos, but I do remember some of it.”
His mother, Kourtney Pendleton, said the freak accident happened when “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.” She said her son showed remarkable presence of mind, adding, “Had he not pulled that chain off, he would have been electrocuted to death. So he basically saved his own life.” Lorenzo echoed that sentiment, saying, “I guess I saved myself and I’m happy about that.”
The electric shock left the boy with burns on his torso, neck and hands, including a deep burn mark where the chain had rested against his skin. Doctors have scheduled him for skin graft surgery, and Kourtney said surgeons will take skin from his scalp, legs and feet for the procedure. In social media posts, she shared photos of the injuries and wrote that her son was enduring “excruciating pain,” adding, “What he’s going through I would never wish on anyone.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help cover medical expenses. Kourtney told supporters that doctors expect Lorenzo to remain in hospital for at least two weeks. “This is taking quite an emotional toll on him but he’s fighting hard like the tough, brave little boy he is, a true survivor,” she wrote.
She also issued a warning to other parents following what she described as “a terrifying, freak accident that could have happened to anyone,” urging, “Parents, please, please don’t let your kids sleep with electronics or charging cords on their bed. It’s not worth the risk.”
In an update to the fundraiser on November 28, she said Lorenzo’s skin graft surgery was successful but the boy remained “in a lot of pain.” She added, “He’s fighting through every moment with so much courage. This has been such a heavy and emotional journey, but he’s holding on with a strength that inspires all of us.”
