While the amperage in the extension cord was not powerful enough to damage Breanna Jessica Jaglal’s body, it was sufficient to stop her heart.
An autopsy conducted on the eight-year-old’s body at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday revealed that her death was consistent with electrocution.
An investigator said the result confirmed that she was shocked as she tried to charge her electronic tablet in the washroom of her Batchiya Branch Trace #1, Penal, home on Thursday.
The findings showed that electricity entered her left hand and passed across her chest, which stopped her heart before exiting above the sole of her feet. It was explained that the 120 volts from the plug was not the lethal measurement, but the amperage.
One doctor explained, “What kills in electrocution is not the voltage but the amperage: the power of the current. Sometimes people are shocked with high voltage but they survive. It is not like a magical event, it is called electrophysiological damage. The current stops the heart and sometimes it starts back and beats irregularly. It can start again and stop, and then you would die.
“In cases of shock, doctors would try to restart the heart again. Nobody knows exactly how long it would take someone to die after shock because each situation is different.”
Penal Police said that around 11 am Thursday, they got a call from T&TEC who reported that Breanna, a pupil at the Dayanand Memorial Vedic School, received an electrical shock and was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital by an ambulance.
However, she was pronounced dead on arrival.
When officers interviewed Breanna’s sister, Adreanna Jaglal, 20, she reported that around 10 am, the child attempted to put her tablet to charge with an extension cord and was electrocuted.
Ag Sgt Manolal is continuing investigations.