From the moment our children are born, protecting them becomes our top priority—and it doesn’t stop there. In fact, it quickly becomes priority number one, two, three, four, and five. Any parent will tell you that keeping their kids safe is instinctive, something deeply wired into us from the very first second we hold them. We go above and beyond to shield them from harm, often without thinking twice. But no matter how careful we are, life sometimes has other plans. Despite our best efforts, there are moments when things go wrong—completely out of the blue and beyond our control. And that’s what parents fear most: the unexpected accidents we couldn’t predict or prevent.

Jackie Fedro, a mom from Illinois, experienced this firsthand in 2016, and her daughter’s frightening story is still worth sharing today. Jackie’s daughter, Gabbie, was just 13 years old when she received a new cellphone for Christmas that year—a gift many teens look forward to with great excitement. The phone, an LG d500, was meant to help Jackie stay connected with her daughter, especially given Gabbie’s busy extracurricular schedule.

“One of the reasons we finally gave in and bought her a cell phone is so we can keep in touch with her more with her crazy practice schedule,” Jackie told BuzzFeed.

It seemed like a simple, responsible decision—until something terrifying happened.

One day, Gabbie was using her phone in her bedroom when Jackie suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream. Gabbie came running down the stairs clutching her neck, clearly in intense pain.

“She was in so much pain she was screaming hysterically,” Jackie recalled. “It’s the worst feeling in the world as a mother to watch your child scream in pain and have no idea how to help her.”

It took several agonizing minutes before Gabbie could even speak. When she finally managed to explain, what she said was shocking. Gabbie had been using her phone while it was charging. Somehow, the electric current traveled up the charging cord, through the phone, and into the metal necklace she was wearing. The necklace then conducted the electricity, leaving her with painful second-degree burns around her neck.

“She suffered painful second-degree burns and now will have a scar all the way around her neck,” Jackie explained.

Understandably, the experience left Jackie shaken. She never imagined that a common device—something found in nearly every household—could pose such a risk. She decided to speak out to raise awareness and warn other parents about potential dangers that often go unnoticed.

“With so many kids using phones nowadays, parents need to be warned about the harm that they can cause,” Jackie urged.

It’s a chilling reminder that even seemingly safe routines—like charging a phone—can go terribly wrong under certain conditions. While incidents like this are rare, they’re not unheard of, and they highlight the importance of teaching kids to use electronics safely. That means avoiding the use of devices while charging, especially when metal jewelry is involved, and making sure they use manufacturer-approved chargers and cords.

In today’s tech-heavy world, our kids are growing up surrounded by gadgets. But as Jackie’s story shows, these devices—helpful and convenient as they are—also come with risks that we, as parents, must take seriously. Gabbie’s accident is a heartbreaking but important lesson, and Jackie’s courage in sharing it has helped shine a light on a hidden danger that could affect any family.

Have you ever heard of something like this happening before? Most people haven’t. Stories like Jackie’s are vital because they encourage important conversations and preventive measures.

Stay informed. Stay cautious. And never stop doing everything you can to keep your children safe.