Teen reveals horrific injuries after being electrocuted in freak accident involving necklace and phone charger that burnt mattress

A distraught mother said her teenage son almost died when his religious cross electrocuted him in a horrific accident, searing the necklace into his flesh.

Danielle Davis was going to bed as usual on the night of April 30 when a piercing scream woke her from her son’s bedroom next door.

The mother of six went searching when her son, Rayce Ogdahl, appeared in the hallway with burns on his neck.

The 16-year-old told his mother that his own necklace had electrocuted him after the chain came into contact with an exposed pin on a plug.

Shocking photos show Ogdahl’s neck and collarbone charred black and the imprint of his chain burned into his red, rough skin.

After ripping the chain from his neck, the cross and necklace left a burning, three-inch hole in Ogdahl’s mattress.

The teenager was taken to the burn unit at Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment of his injuries.

‘NORMAL NIGHT’

Davis, 38, who lives in the Yukon, is glad she didn’t lose her son that night – and urges others to remain vigilant about electrical cords, wires and plugs.

“It was a normal night and we had only been asleep for about an hour when we half heard a noise and then heard screaming coming from Rayce’s room,” she said.

“We thought maybe he was playing a video game and was frustrated.

“Then I heard him call ‘Mom’ and my son was standing in the hallway.

“He said, ‘I got electrocuted. It was my necklace’. There were burnt necks around his neck.”

“And the smell was terrible. The whole house smelled of burnt hair, burnt skin and electrical burns. We called 911 and called an ambulance.”

“He explained to us that he was lying in bed and turning over to get comfortable when he heard something fall off the bed,” she recalled.

“He said he wanted to make sure his phone was still charged so his alarm would go off for school the next day.

“He said he leaned out of bed and as he did so, the cross chain around his neck touched the prongs of the plug in an extension cord, which were just visible.

When it comes to your phone, there is no text message or notification important enough to keep your phone on your bed. Anything can happen, and Rayce is proof of that.

Danielle DavisMother of a boy who was electrocuted

“He said he was fully conscious the entire time and was aware that he had been electrocuted. Since it was all metal, it formed a complete circuit around his neck. It was like a hot spiral.”

The mother continued: “And he has burns on his hands from trying to break the chain around his neck. It was a thick, heavy chain.”

“The crazy thing was that during the electrocution part of his chain was welded to the charger. And the cross pendant on the chain melted four inches deep through the sheets of his bed and into the mattress.”

“He said it all happened within seconds and he could clearly see sparks coming from his neck. He told me his whole body hurt and he thought he was going to die.”

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT

Ogdahl was taken to hospital after the incident, where doctors told the family that he had endured “enough amps to kill him” – they monitored the function of his heart over the next few days.

The teenager suffered second, third and fourth degree burns and will be left with lifelong scars from the freak accident.

Davis, a housewife, said: “You can see the pattern of the necklace on his neck. She left a clear mark.”

“He has a lot of scars. They’re talking about a skin graft, but Rayce doesn’t want that unless it’s medically necessary.”

He was fully conscious the entire time and was aware that he was being electrocuted. Since it was all metal, it formed a complete circle around his neck.

Danielle DavisMother of a boy who was electrocuted

“Almost his entire neck is covered in scars. From chin to collarbone. The incident has definitely made Rayce a lot more confident. It was very enlightening.”

“We’re just so grateful that he’s okay. He could have easily died that night. It was amazing that he was still conscious and could still alert us. It would have been a different story.”

“When it comes to your phone, there is no text message or notification important enough to have your phone on your bed. Anything can happen and Rayce is proof of that,” she added.

“Take care of your cords, and I would recommend everyone not to use extension cords at all.”

Unplugged cables can cause serious damage, especially if exposed to wet surfaces or metal.

Never leave an unplugged power cord exposed if there are small children in your home.

One safety approach parents can take to prevent damage from unplugged power cords is to purchase power plug caps with prongs.

The safety caps can be purchased online at Amazon or in-store at Ace Hardware, Home Depot or Lowe’s.