A 4-year-old child in Kansas died last Thursday in what authorities described as a “tragic accident” after being electrocuted by a clothes dryer, officials said.
The fatal incident occurred at a home in Savonburg, Kansas, where the child had been “playing,” the Allen County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Saturday.
According to the sheriff’s office, the child “allegedly received an electrical shock from a 220v dryer.”
Authorities said the child’s parents rushed the child, who was reportedly unconscious, to a local hospital at about 9:30 p.m.
A woman with kids loads clothes into a washing machine. (iStock)
The child was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.
Investigators said no foul play is currently suspected, and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to review the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
Officials offered condolences to the child’s family, as well as to the emergency responders and others affected by the incident.
“The Sheriff’s Office extends our heartfelt condolences to the family members and all those affected by this tragedy, including the Allen County dispatchers, first responders, and hospital personnel,” the office said.
A 220-volt electrical current, which was involved in Thursday’s accident, can cause serious injury or death, including cardiac arrest.
An ambulance in motion. (iStock)
While clothes dryers have been linked to thousands of home fires annually, primarily caused by lint buildup blocking exhaust ducts or overheating electrical elements, electrical deaths involving major laundry appliances are considered extremely rare.
In one of the rare instances, a 10-year-old boy was found dead inside a dryer at a Houston-area apartment complex in 2018, according to Fox 5 DC.
A woman removes freshly dried clothes from a household dryer. (iStock)
A medical examiner determined the boy had been electrocuted, while investigators found no signs of injury or foul play.
The death was ruled accidental.
