An experienced electrocution lawyer explains the difference between electrocution vs shock and the different medical and legal implications
Many people use electrocution vs electric shock interchangeably but the difference is when a person is shocked, a charge of electricity causes the person to suffer serious but non-fatal injuries; while an electrocution, on the other hand, is fatal and occurs when an electrical charge kills the victim.
While both accidents are very serious, they carry with them different legal and medical consequences. This is one of the many safety issues I try to educate the public about through my own outreach efforts and through my Electrocution Accident Lawyers website.
When comparing electrocution vs shock, electrocution means that a person has died as a result of coming in contact with electricity. Common causes of electrocution include:
- Accidental contact with exposed electrical sources, such as exposed wires.
- Accidental contact with a downed power line.
- Contact with a power line or electrical arc flash.
In contrast to electrocution, an electric shock injury involves electrical harm that does not result in death.
That does not mean that an electrical shock case is a minor event. Victims of electrical shock frequently suffer very severe, catastrophic and life-altering injuries. Common injuries resulting from electrical shock vs electrocution include:
- Amputation
- Severe electrical burns
- Cardiac arrest and/or arrhythmia and/or heart muscle damage
- Brain and other nerve damage
- Memory loss
- Permanent heart damage
- Hearing loss
- Seizures
- Respiratory failure
- Spine injury
- Deformity at point of contact
- Cataracts
- Loss of kidney function
- Secondary injuries caused by post-shock falls
To learn more, please check out my Electrical Safety Resource Center.
How electrocution vs shock affects a victim’s legal remedies
When comparing electrocution vs shock injury, both are tragic events. Significantly, people and families whose lives have been destroyed and/or permanently altered by an electrical accident can sue for damages and compensation when those damages were caused by the negligence of a utility, corporation, contractor, or person.
In the event that a life has been lost due to electrocution, then that person’s family – through the personal representative of the decedent’s probate estate – can pursue a wrongful death lawsuit.
For victims who have suffered serious, life-altering injuries, they can pursue a negligence lawsuit to recover damages for past, present, and future medical expenses, accommodations, loss of income, loss of consortium, disability, loss or impairment of social and recreational pleasures, fright, shock, mental anguish, disfigurement, as well as for pain and suffering compensation.
Get help from an experienced electrocution accident lawyer
Accidents involving sagging or downed power lines connecting to a home can cause severe injuries—including burns, nerve damage, heart complications, and muscle trauma—that may have long-lasting physical and emotional effects. It’s important to understand the difference between electrocution vs electric shock: electrocution refers to a fatal or near-fatal injury caused by electrical current passing through the body, while exposure to current can cause non-fatal injuries such as burns, nerve damage, or muscle trauma. If you or a loved one has suffered either due to improperly maintained or poorly managed power lines, you need attorneys who understand both the complex legal landscape and the serious consequences of these injuries.
At Electrocuted.com, you can speak directly with Jeff Feldman, recognized as one of the nation’s most experienced electrical accident attorneys, or Chris Stombaugh, widely regarded as one of America’s top trial lawyers. Even if you don’t know the difference of electrocution vs electric shock and are injured in an accident with electricity, its reassuring to know that Jeff and Chris specialize in these injury cases, having successfully handled matters across multiple states for families injured by sagging or downed power lines to homes, defective electrical equipment, or other preventable hazards. They also consult with injury lawyers nationwide on complex electrical accident and wrongful death cases.
With Jeff and Chris on your side, you gain expert advocates who understand the serious consequences of injuries caused by sagging power lines to homes and other electrical hazards, and who know how to pursue the maximum recovery possible for you and your family.
