A 4-year-old child died on Thursday in what Allen County Sheriff’s Office officials are calling a tragic accident, after suffering an apparent electrical shock from a clothes dryer in a home in Savonburg, Kansas.
The child was reportedly playing inside the residence when the incident occurred. According to a statement from the sheriff's office, the child allegedly received an electrical shock from a 220-volt dryer.
Authorities said the child's parents rushed them to a local hospital around 9:30 p.m. but the child was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The Allen County Sheriff’s Office stated that no foul play is suspected and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Officials extended condolences to the family and all first responders involved. A 220-volt electrical current can be lethal, potentially causing serious injury or cardiac arrest. While clothes dryers are sometimes linked to home fires due to lint buildup or overheating electrical components, deaths from electrocution involving these appliances are considered extremely rare.
In a similar, rare incident in 2018, a 10-year-old boy in the Houston area was found dead inside a dryer. A medical examiner determined that boy had been electrocuted, and investigators found no signs of foul play or injury, ruling that death accidental.