We depend on electricity to run our homes and businesses, but it certainly comes with risks. Electrocution injuries can be severe and sometimes even fatal. Like many other serious injuries, electrocutions can be the result of negligence. Negligence is a legal concept that refers to the failure to behave with the level of care that any reasonable person would use if they were in the same situation.
Electrocution injuries can sometimes occur in workplaces due to unsafe conditions. For example, if an employer fails to run electrical cables in a safe manner, or workers don’t observe strict lockout-tagout procedures, employees can end up being the victim of an electrical accident.
Lockout-tagout is a process which prevents injury to servicing and/or maintenance employees that can be caused by the unexpected startup of industrial machines and equipment or the release of excess energy during maintenance or servicing work. Unfortunately, there are significant violations of this process each year. The primary breach of these regulations typically involves a company’s failure to train workers or conduct periodic inspections of lockout-tagout procedures and practices.
Most accidental electrocutions usually involve:
- Defective products where the manufacturer may be to blame
- Accidents where the employer or a third party may be at fault
- Property owners who expose victims to electrical hazards
- Power companies that don’t observe all the right safety precautions.
If you’ve suffered an electrocution injury because of someone else’s negligent or wrongful conduct, the team of New York electrocution injury attorneys at Tucker Lawyers can help. We have decades of experience representing people who have suffered catastrophic injuries.
Contact Tucker Lawyers at (516) 399-2364 to schedule a consultation.
Negligence Around Electricity Can Cause Serious Injury
Understanding the Risks
Electrocutions typically affect the central nervous system. Often, they can be accompanied by some form of temporary or permanent spinal cord injury, as well as any or all of the following:
- Cardiac arrest
- Muscle, nerve, and tissue destruction when high voltage current passes through the body
- Thermal burns in areas that come in contact with the electrical source or where the body is grounded and the current passes through, such as feet and head.
Most electrocution and electric shock injuries happen while at work or due to unsafe premises. If you are the victim of negligence, you may be able to make an insurance claim for all your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering and more, based on premises liability or workplace injury, or defective products statutes.
But are electrocution injuries that common? Between 2011 and 2022, 1,322 workers – mostly on construction sites – died from electrocution. It’s not just workers who suffer electrocution injuries, either. As many as 1,000 people per year die as a result of electrocutions. Thousands more suffer debilitating injuries that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
As long as we at Tucker Lawyers are able to prove that your injuries were the result of someone else’s negligence, you have an excellent chance of collecting legal damages if you contact us after suffering losses. The consultation is free. Make an appointment with one of our electrocution injury lawyers by calling (516) 399-2364 or using our online contact form.
Types of Electrocution-Based Injury Claims or Lawsuits
The most common electrical injuries involve contact with overhead or underground high-voltage lines. Often, contact through equipment, such as ladders, tools and cranes, cause the injuries. Other electrocutions – many non-fatal but serious nonetheless – come from contact with the electric current from wiring, transformers, or other electrical components, machines, power tools, appliances, or light fixtures.
Improper or substandard power-line maintenance is a common occurrence. Power companies are responsible for running electricity and cables, but often they share maintenance responsibility with telephone and cable companies, so it can be unclear whose negligence caused an electrocution from a “utility” line. It may be that a worker was given the wrong location of an underground power line which resulted in an accidental electrocution death when he came in contact with a “hot” buried cable.
Sometimes, a machine or some type of industrial equipment has a manufacturing or design defect – or may have been improperly serviced or maintained — thereby making it hazardous and a possible avenue to serious injury or wrongful death for which compensation may be sought through a lawsuit.
We have helped clients recover millions of dollars in the decades we’ve been offering legal representation, and we can help you, too.
Electrocution Injury FAQs
If you’ve suffered an electrocution injury, you may have questions about how to begin a legal claim for compensation. Our New York lawyers can provide the answers.
What damages can I claim after an electrocution injury?
You can claim economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages compensate you for the financial losses you’ve sustained, including medical expenses and lost wages. If you can’t return to work because of the injuries, you could even claim loss of earning potential.
Non-economic damages compensate you for non-financial losses. These include loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium if a loved one dies.
Do I need to hire a lawyer to represent me after an electrocution injury?
You’re not required to hire a lawyer to file a personal injury claim, but you should do so. You’ll be dealing with serious injuries, and you don’t want to have to worry about negotiating with insurance companies or dealing with the numerous legalities involved in the process. With experienced lawyers by your side, you can focus on healing.
What are the most common causes of electrocution injuries?
Usually, electrocution injuries occur because of malfunctioning products or unsafe work premises. If a home appliance has faulty wiring and causes you to suffer injuries, we can file a claim against the product’s manufacturer. In instances when the injury was the result of unsafe work premises, we can help you file a claim for workers’ compensation or a personal injury claim against a liable third party.
How long will my claim take?
Each claim is unique, so there’s no set timeline. We know how important it is to get prompt compensation, and we will strive to expedite the process as much as we can without sacrificing your chances of getting fair compensation. We’ll also always keep you updated on your claim.
At Tucker Lawyers, our team of New York electrocution injury attorneys can answer any further questions you have about the claims process.
Why Choose Us?
Contact Our Experienced New York City Electrocution Injury Lawyers
If you have been injured by any type of electrocution, or a loved one has been killed, the skilled NYC electrocution injury attorneys at Tucker Lawyers will work tirelessly to help you recover the damages you deserve. To ensure that everyone who needs help can receive it, we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you don’t have to pay us a dime up front. You pay nothing whatsoever unless we are able to negotiate a compensation amount that you approve or we win your case in court. Don’t let another day pass without getting the help you deserve.
Schedule a free consultation with our team at Tucker Lawyers by calling (516) 399-2364.
Managing Attorney John. J. Tucker, Esq.
John has personally handled thousands of clients who were victims of another’s negligence and fights relentlessly for their rights. John enjoys bringing closure to a client’s matter so that the injured party can move forward with their life. His background enables him to evaluate complex liability related claims and bring resolution to claims in a record time frame. [ Attorney Bio ]