Have you been injured in an electrocution accident? Electric shock injuries can be devastating, resulting in severe burns, nerve damage, tissue damage, scarring, chronic pain and permanent disability. And while most people think of falls and construction accidents when they hear the term “workplace injuries,” the reality is quite different.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), electrocution accidents are the second leading cause of death when it comes to fatal workplace injuries. Much more are injured by electric shock incidents each year.
At Brasure Law Firm, PLLC, our work injury attorneys believe in a “quality over quantity” approach, as we place the emphasis on you, our client, and work hard to bring about the best possible outcome to your case. In fact, we limit our caseload to ensure that our clients’ cases receive the attention they need to get exceptional results.
Our elite team of Texas personal injury lawyers have been handling personal injury cases and wrongful death cases throughout the Rio Grande Valley for nearly a decade. Let our legal team handle your personal injury claim, working to recover the funds victims need to pay medical bills and compensate for lost wages, pain, suffering and beyond.
Contact the attorneys of Brasure Law Firm, PLLC to speak with an injury attorney so you can learn more about your options. Arrange a free and confidential consultation by calling 956-903-2873.
At Brasure Law Firm, PLLC, we believe it’s very important to address our clients’ concerns so that the client remains informed and involved throughout the legal process. Our law firm deals in a number of different practice areas and we have the experience and insight required to understand your worries and fears.
Our legal team has compiled a few of the most frequently asked questions on the topic of electrocution and electric injury accidents.
Electrical injuries can be quite severe, impacting many different body systems. Injuries can range from burns and nerve damage, to severe tissue damage that necessitates amputation, heart problems and beyond. As such, the impact on the electrocution victim varies greatly. There are also some fatal cases where an individual is not killed by the electric shock, but rather, they die later of complications from the burns, such as infection or fluid loss. In rare cases, medical malpractice may be a factor in a fatality.
The type of compensation you receive will depend on what losses you’ve sustained from the electrocution injury. Some patients may seek compensation for hospitalization, surgeries, physical therapy and home nursing care, which is often required when a burn patient is recovering.
Some patients suffer serious scarring and permanent disability, while others suffer little external damage with no long-term effects. So the nature of your injuries will determine what other losses you suffer. It’s not uncommon to seek compensation for past and future lost wages, ongoing medical care and non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.
In Texas, there is no damage cap for personal injury claims of this nature.
In cases involving serious negligence or even malice, punitive damages may be awarded. These damage awards benefit victims, while penalizing the defendants, including individuals and companies.
Texas does not require employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance coverage. Therefore, if your employer does not offer these benefits, then you will not be eligible to receive workers’ compensation payments following an electric injury.
That said, employers who fail to retain workers’ compensation coverage – called nonsubscribers — are not afforded protection under the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act. As such, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against the employer (which is typically not an option in the case of an employer who does maintain workers’ compensation benefits.)
If your employer offers workers’ compensation and you’re injured on the job, you generally qualify for medical benefits for the treatment of injuries suffered in the electrocution incident, along with wage benefits which pay a portion of your salary while you’re out of work. In the case of a fatality, the worker’s family may receive benefits.
Additionally, it is possible to file a personal injury claim against a non-employer, regardless of whether your employer offers workers’ compensation benefits. This may be a suitable avenue if there is a third party who has a role in the situation that resulted in your electrical injuries.
While most electrocution and electric shock injuries occur in a workplace environment, a portion of these injuries can also occur in other locations, such as in a store, at a restaurant, at a hotel and beyond
If you suffered an electric injury in a location outside the workplace, you might have a viable legal claim. If a faulty piece of equipment or appliance is to blame, a product liability claim may be more suitable. Every case is different, so we recommend contacting our law firm to discuss the details of your case in a confidential consultation.
Personal injury lawsuits are usually handled on a contingency basis. With this arrangement, the legal fees are usually deducted from the funds recovered at the conclusion of your case.
The exact percentage or dollar figure varies according to variables such as the total amount recovered, the complexity of your legal claim and whether the case was resolved out of court or at trial. Each case is unique to some degree, so we recommend contacting our Texas personal injury lawyers to discuss your case.
Electrocution or electrical injuries can inflict serious damage to a person’s body. Over half of the human body is made of water. Electricity travels easily through water. Therefore, if electricity enters the body, the electricity can burn, stop, change, or otherwise alter critical organs inside the body.
Electrocution injuries can occur at work or at home. Workplace electrocutions are far too common. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), approximately 3,378 workers were killed by electrical injuries. Electrocution refers to death from exposure to electricity. Contact with overhead power lines was the most common cause of electrocution. The second most common cause was a failure to properly de-energize electrical equipment, followed by contact with electrical components thought to be de-energized.
NIOSH also found that from 1992-2002 approximately 46,598 workers were injured (but not killed) by electricity. The most common cause of nonfatal electrical injuries was contact with a machine, tool, or energized equipment. Contact with wiring, transformers, or other electrical components was the second leading cause followed by contact with buried power lines.
A person who is exposed to electricity should seek a doctor immediately. Electricity can affect the body in ways that may not be obvious. For example, electricity can interfere with the neurological system in a person’s body.
The best way to avoid electrocutions or electrical injuries is to be aware of possible dangers of electricity. For example, if a person is going to work on or around equipment that is energized, the person should make sure the electricity supplied to the equipment is turned off. Further, the person should wear all the appropriate personal protective equipment or “PPE’.
An attorney can help determine who, if anyone, is responsible for the electrocution. Often times, electrical injuries and electrocutions occur because someone does not follow a basic safety rule. In some cases, the person or company who failed to follow a safety rule can be forced to pay for the injuries.
The attorneys of Brasure Law Firm, PLLC believe in a “clients first” approach in all that we do. We believe that this commitment to our clients is a critical element of our formula for success. We focus on quality over quantity, limiting our caseload to ensure that each and every client’s case receives the attention necessary to maximize the chances of seeing a positive outcome.
Our elite team of Texas personal injury lawyers will help you get compensation for losses such as medical bills, pain, suffering, lost wages and other damages that are a direct result of your electrical accident. When you turn to our law firm, you’ll be working with a professional injury attorney with experience in other practice areas, such as spinal cord injuries, medical malpractice cases, auto accidents, slip and fall cases and beyond.
If you or a loved one has suffered electrocution injuries or another type of electrical injury at work or in another setting, we invite you to contact our experienced legal team to discuss your case in a complementary consultation session. Burn victims and others who are injured by electrocution can contact the attorneys of Brasure Law Firm, PLLC by phone at 956-903-2873.