What is an electrical injury?
An electrical injury occurs when an electrical current passes through a person’s body as a result of contact with an electrical energy source, often causing catastrophic injuries and death because of the significant damage caused to a person’s heart, brain, nerves, and internal organs and tissues.
Types of injuries from accidents with electricity
The main types of electrical injuries include:
- Burns: High voltage is generally defined as being greater than 1,000 volts, and it typically results in flash- or flame-induced local burns to the point of contact as well as massive necrosis (tissue death) of deeper tissues.
- Orthopedic: These are injuries to the skeletal system, muscles, joints and ligaments. There can also be acute renal (kidney) failure, eye damage, neurological damage and traumatic brain damage from contact with power lines.
- Thermal: This is a type of burn that results from contact with heated objects, such as electricity, boiling water, steam, fire and hot objects. A thermal injury occurs along the current pathway and ground.
- Flash or flame: Flash or flame damage consist of any burn damage caused by intense flashes of light, high voltage electric current or strong thermal radiation. They’re found in 40% of electrocution victims.
- Loss of consciousness: This results from brain damage in about one-third of electricity accident victims. It also is experienced by many victim who suffer from peripheral neuropathies (weakness, numbness and pain from nerve damage, usually in the hands and feet), which are most commonly associated with the entry point of first contact.
- Fractures: Fractures occur in over 25% of accident cases involving electricity.
- Musculoskeletal: These damages involve a range of disorders involving muscles, bones, tendons, blood vessels, nerves and other soft tissues. They occur in 40% of electrical injury cases.
- Multiple amputations: Multiple amputations occur in 11% of people who suffer injuries in accidents with electricity.
- Secondary damages from falling: Secondary damages often occur from falling after contact with power lines due to a startle reaction, either from elevation or from a standing position on the ground. Likewise, myocardial infarction (heart attack), disc herniation, hip fractures, extremity fractures, and/or other secondary damages often occur.
- Ventricular fibrillation: Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which there is uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in the heart, making them quiver rather than contract properly. Although ventricular fibrillation is the most commonly identified arrhythmia in cardiac arrest patients, it may result from electrical exposure and is a function of the electrical current flowing through the heart muscle, and the duration of such flow.
- Arc blast or flash: Arc blast or flash damages are burns that are produced when a person near an electric fault receives radiant heat burns (when a power line contacts the ground or an object that is connected to the ground, a “ground fault” occurs).
What determines the severity of an injury with electric shock?
Assessing the severity of a person’s electric shock injury – including requires consideration of the following factors:
- The voltage involved
- The amperage of the electric current involved
- The pathway that electricity traveled through a person’s body (e.g., through the heart, muscles, head, eyes and/or chest, or hand-to-hand)
- Length of a person’s exposure to/contact with the source of electricity
- Health and/or medical condition of the person before the damage occurred
- Whether the electrical current was direct (DC) or alternating (AC)
High voltage
A high voltage electrical injury occurs when an individual comes into contact with a high-voltage source of electricity (above 1,000 volts), resulting in more serious symptoms, including death.
Low voltage
A low voltage electrical injury occurs when an individual comes into contact with a low-voltage source of electricity (1,000 volts or below). Exposure to a low-voltage charge can cause injuries and death.
Common symptoms
The most common symptoms of an electrical injury are:
- Death
- Cardiac arrest
- Heart Damage
- Arrhythmia
- Electrical Burns
- Thermal Burns
- Electrical Trauma
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Brain Damage
- Neurological Damage
- Neurological Impairment
- Paralysis
- Permanent disability
- Pain and suffering
- Injuries caused by falls
- Internal Organ Damage
- Damage to muscles and tendons
- Muscle Pain
- Muscle Spasm
- Back Pain
- Chest Pain
- Stomach Pain
- Eye Damage
- Post electric shock syndrome
- Anxiety
- Nerve Damage
- Dizziness
- Tingling
- Nose Bleed
- Miscarriage
How do you treat an electrical injury?
Treatment for an electrical injury can vary widely depending on the severity of the injury. If someone was hurt in an accident with electricity, do the following:
- Carefully remove the person from the electrical source, if possible – Turn off the power source if you can and then move the person to safety. If you cannot turn off the power source, consider rolling the person away with a non-conductive material such as wood or plastic.
- Call 9-1-1 right away
- If necessary, start CPR – Check the person’s breathing and pulse and administer CPR if needed
- Monitor vital signs and provide oxygen if needed
- Treat burns and other injuries – Cover the burns with clean, non-stick bandages. Do not remove clothing that is stuck to the skin or apply ice or ointments to the burns.
- Wait for help – When help arrives, the person can be transported to the hospital for additional treatment
How do you prevent being hurt in an accident with electricity?
Here are some tips for preventing an electrical injury:
- Educate yourself and others on electrical safety
- Be aware of electrical hazards
- Use electrical appliances as instructed and do not overload outlets
- Install safety devices such as ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs)
- Routinely inspect and maintain electrical systems
- Use a partner when performing electrical work
- Wear protective gear and use insulated tools when handling electricity
- If you are not a professional, hire a licensed professional to perform electrical work
Following these important tips will help keep you safe and greatly reduce your risk of being hurt in an accident with electricity.
Can I sue if I suffered an electrical injury?
You can file a lawsuit seeking compensation for your pain and suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages, if you can prove negligence, which requires you to demonstrate that (1) the defendant owed you a duty of care, (2) the defendant breached that duty, (3) this breach directly caused your injury or injuries, and (4) as a result of your injury or injuries, you suffered pain and suffering as well as economic damages that include medical expenses and lost wages.
With the right legal strategy, you can hold the defendant liable for its negligence and seek the full compensation you deserve.
Who is liable for injuries?
Here are some possible defendants in a case:
- Utility company – If the injury resulted from downed power lines or faulty infrastructure
- Manufacturer or seller – If faulty equipment was responsible for you being hurt
- Third-party/Contractor – If electrical systems were improperly installed or maintained
- Property owner – If a dangerous condition on their property caused the injury
What happens if the electrical injuries are so severe they result in death?
If electrical injuries are so severe that they result in the death of your family member, it’s important to hire an experienced electrocution lawyer to help you assess liability and file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault party. This type of claim allows you and other surviving family members to file a lawsuit seeking benefits to cover lost financial support in the form of lost wages, medical expenses and funeral and burial costs. (MCL 600.2922) An experienced attorney will negotiate a full and fair settlement on your behalf.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for my case?
Hiring a lawyer for your case is arguably the best thing you can do to ensure that you and your family receive maximum compensation. But don’t just hire any lawyer. You need an experienced electricity accident lawyer who will stand up to the big power companies and settle your case for the highest possible amount in the shortest amount of time.
Electricity litigation is very complex and highly specialized. Power companies and other defendants tend to dig in their heels and avoid admitting their negligence at all costs. And they know when they’re facing a lawyer who merely “dabbles” in electrocution law. When they see this type of lawyer they tend to make low-ball settlement offers and bully the lawyer into accepting it with the threat of protracted litigation and a long trial. You and your family deserve better, which is why you need an experienced lawyer who specializes in electricity accidents and has a track record of winning million-dollar settlements and verdicts.
An experienced lawyer will: (1) get you a bigger settlement in less time; (2) hold all negligent parties accountable; (3) identify the insurance policies and financial assets available to fund your settlement; (4) identify National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) and/or the National Electrical Code (NEC) violations; (5) hire the best experts, including those who specialize in NESC/NEC, engineering, power infrastructure, economics, medicine and rehabilitation, and go to trial if you don’t get a full and fair settlement offer.
How do I choose the best lawyer for my case?
Choosing the best lawyer comes down to four key factors:
- How many cases has the lawyer handled?
- Does the lawyer specialize exclusively in these types of cases?
- Does the lawyer have a track record of winning million-dollar verdicts and settlements for his or her clients?
- Does the lawyer have a reputation for being willing to take cases to trial when the insurance companies refuse to agree to settlements that reflect the true value of a case?
