Or if he had the black wire in one hand and the white in the other? Or was standing on an aluminum ladder? Or had a heart condition?
What if he has high ceilings and was on a 10ft ladder and the shock didn't hurt him badly but he fell off the ladder?
Just because he probably won't die doesn't mean he should act as if he isn't going to.
i like cheap houses wrote:
unless the OP was standing in a bucket of water, touching the black and white at the same time would have given him a little shock (enough to let go very quickly) but very doubtful it would have been fatal unless another condition was present beforehand.
Wrong. 65 milliamps is enough to kill you if the current goes through the heart. That circuit has 15 amps, maybe 20. Electricity takes the shortest path to ground. Often that is down the arm and out the foot - that is through the heart.
Could OP have been killed? even if a little sweaty yes. Point is, don't take electricity for granted.