Accident Survivor Shares Safety Message about Arc Faults

Paige Koeppel is a college student with a bright future. She studies graphic design and loves weaving and photography. She is looking forward to studying abroad next year. However, one accident Paige had when she was 12 years old easily could have prevented her from doing all of this.

“Turn the light on; turn the light off. Electricity was just one of those things, but I never thought anything could happen to me,” says Paige.

Paige was doing something she had done hundreds of times when the accident happened. She drew a bath and then grabbed the metal towel rack to steady herself as she stepped into the tub.

“The second I touched the metal towel rack, my vision went blurry, and I could have sworn my arm was moving up and down,” says Paige. “The next thing I remember was me sitting on the floor. My vision was barely there. The only thoughts that were going through my head were, ‘What just happened? Am I alive? Can I scream? Should I scream?’ I instantly started screaming. The next thing I knew my mom was in the bathroom holding me, and I was shaking very violently.”

Paige’s parents found her on the end of the bathroom, opposite the tub, holding a metal towel rack. Paige’s father immediately turned off power to the house, and they took Paige to the hospital. Fortunately, Paige was okay. The level of electricity in the house easily could have stopped her heart or caused severe electric burns. Metal and water are some of the best conductors of electricity, making Paige even more fortunate that her accident did not end tragically. Paige’s entire body was sore for days, and she experienced weakness in her arm for around a year.

How did an accident like this happen? Paige was not using an outlet. She was not in contact with overhead power lines or power poles. When an electrician opened up the wall in the bathroom, he found the cause. A screw in the towel rack was in contact with an electrical wire. Over time, the insulation in the wire wore down, and the screw and towel rack were charged with electric energy.

When electricity flows out of the path set for it by wires, it is known as an arc fault. This situation can also cause fires and contributes to approximately 26,000 electrical fires in the United States every year.

Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to prevent a fire or an accident like Paige’s. The Energy Education Council’s Safe Electricity program has the following advice to help you protect yourself and your loved ones from arc faults:

• Check for wiring before nailing anything into the wall. Previous owners may have worked on the wiring without following electrical codes, so wires can be in unexpected places. A stud finder with an AC wire detector is a handy and inexpensive tool to check for live wires behind walls.
• Install arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs). These devices monitor the flow of electricity in your home. If they detect arcing conditions or an abnormal flow of electricity, they will shut off power before a fire starts or someone gets shocked.
• Consider an electrical inspection. A qualified electrician will be able to assess the safety of your home’s electrical system and give you advice for improvements.
  • If an electrical fire starts in your home, do not use water to extinguish it. Water conducts electricity, and you could get an electric shock. Use an extinguisher that is approved for use on electrical fires.
  • Flickering lights and warm, cracked, or sparking outlets all indicate electrical problems.
  • If circuits trip, fuses blow, or someone gets a shock, your home has an electrical problem. Get an electrical inspection.
  • Do not overload outlets, use an extension cord as a permanent wiring solution, or use light bulbs that are not rated for the socket.

“It’s still scary to this day,” says Paige. Not only is Paige more cautious around electricity, she encourages her friends to be safe around electricity. If she notices that they have an electronic that sparks or that they are using electronics around water, she warns them of the dangers and shares her story.

Safe Electricity encourages you not only to be safe around electricity, but to share what you know about electrical safety with your friends and family. For more information on electrical safety—inside and outside the home—visit SafeElectricity.org.