Hi there. I have an Ipod touch 4th gen as well. I am very sorry this happened. Depending on where you live, if an Apple store is nearby, an Apple specialist can help you. You have to go to apple support, click on store, select register for appointment, and bring your device in. My ipod touch showed the usb cord pointing to the itunes library. I learned from an Apple specialist it was attempting to restore itself. The employees there were very helpful. They are also available on line. They will try to see if they can fix it, but if not, they do have used or refurbished ones. I hope your device will be all right? Several summers ago I foolishly left my ipod nano in my pants and it went through the stinkin' washer! I was so upset! My mom put the nano in a bag of rice so any excess water could be soaked up. Luckily it still works today, but the screen does not light up anymore. Good luck, I hope they will be able to help you out!
I strongly advise you purchase a cover for your ipod touch. My parents bought a high quality one called OtterBox for me. It works very well! It is also waterproof, but only if you put the tab into place where the speaker and jack are located.