It was a normal morning in Oklahoma—until a terrifying scream shattered the calm. Danielle Davis will never forget April 20, 2024, the day her 16-year-old son, Rayce Ogdahl, nearly lost his life due to something so ordinary that it’s in almost every home: a phone charger.

Danielle was jolted awake by Rayce’s desperate cry. “I heard him yell, ‘Mom!’ and when I ran out, he was already standing in the hallway,” she recalled. The panic in his voice was enough to send her heart racing, but what she saw next chilled her to the bone—burn marks encircling her son’s neck.

“He looked at me and said, ‘I’ve been electrocuted,’” Danielle recounted. Those words hit her like a truck. In a split second, a typical school morning turned into a nightmare.

Rayce had been in bed, trying to get more comfortable. His phone was charging on the bed nearby, connected to an extension cord—something millions of teens do every night. But in that moment, a chain of small choices collided to create a perfect storm. As Rayce rolled over, his metal necklace fell onto the exposed prongs of the charger plug resting on the bed. That tiny contact point turned his necklace into a live wire.

The electricity surged instantly, using the metal chain to complete a circuit. It created a ring of fire around his neck. Danielle described it simply but powerfully: “Because everything was metal, it made a complete circuit around his neck.” Her son had just become a conduit for electricity, and he was awake through the entire ordeal.

Rayce told his mom later that it all happened so quickly—mere seconds—but the pain was unforgettable. He saw sparks flash from his neck. His whole body ached as if it had been struck by lightning. “He really believed he was going to die,” Danielle said. “That was the level of pain and terror he was in.”

Without hesitation, she rushed Rayce to Integris Health Baptist Medical Center. The ER doctors were stunned. Rayce had sustained second-, third-, and even fourth-degree burns. The voltage that ran through his body had enough amps to be fatal. By all medical accounts, he was lucky to be alive.

His burns stretched from his chin down to his collarbone. The pattern of the necklace was etched into his skin, a haunting reminder of how close he came to death. The doctors made it clear—Rayce’s survival was miraculous.

Since the incident, Danielle has seen a shift in her son. “He’s a lot more self-aware now,” she noted. The trauma has left its mark, not just physically, but emotionally too. It’s changed how he interacts with his environment—especially with electronics.

Gratitude is now the dominant emotion in their household. “We’re just so thankful he’s okay,” Danielle said. “He could’ve died in his sleep that night. The fact that he was able to scream and get help—it’s nothing short of a miracle. If he hadn’t been able to yell, this could’ve been a completely different story.”

Now, Danielle has taken it upon herself to share her family’s experience, hoping that others can learn from what happened to them. “There’s no text message, no social media notification, nothing important enough to risk your life over. Don’t sleep with your phone in bed. Don’t use extension cords like that. Anything can happen.”

Her warning is clear: check your cords. Unplug things when not in use. Reconsider where and how you charge your devices. These are things we often overlook—but in some cases, it could be the difference between life and death.

“I would advise everyone—especially parents of teens—to talk to their kids about safe charging habits,” she said. “So many of them charge their phones in bed, right next to their heads or on their pillows. We were doing the same thing until this happened.”

She also emphasized avoiding the use of extension cords for charging phones, particularly in bedrooms. “They’re just not safe for this purpose,” she said. “They weren’t designed to be under blankets, tangled in sheets, or close to people’s bodies. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

Rayce’s story is a powerful reminder that the everyday convenience of electronics can come with unexpected dangers. One small decision—a phone left charging on a bed—led to a life-threatening accident.

Now, as he continues to heal, Rayce and his family are committed to spreading awareness. Their message is not one of fear, but of caution. It’s about reminding people that safety should never be an afterthought, especially when it comes to something as powerful as electricity.

Danielle’s courage in speaking out is admirable. Not every parent would choose to relive such a traumatic moment, but she knows that sharing their story might prevent someone else from going through the same thing.

So, what can you do? Start by reassessing your habits. Where do you charge your phone at night? Are your cords in good condition? Do you rely on extension cords in ways that weren’t intended? These are small things that can have big consequences.

And most importantly, talk to your children. Show them this story. Explain the risks. Make safety part of the conversation, not an afterthought. Because at the end of the day, no notification or late-night scroll is worth the pain and trauma that Rayce endured.

Thankfully, Rayce is on the mend. His physical scars will fade, but the lessons learned will stay with his family—and hopefully with all of us. So share this story, talk about it, and take a few moments to double-check your own habits.

Because awareness saves lives. Just ask Rayce.