It only takes a fraction of a second for an electrical accident to alter your life forever. Regardless of the cause, these excruciatingly painful incidents can lead to permanent injuries, including cardiac arrest, nerve damage, and thermal burns. In the worst cases, electrical accidents can lead to death. The good news is that most electrical tragedies are preventable when proper safety measures are in place. But sometimes, a negligent party may cut corners and not meet reasonable standards, which leads to avoidable problems. After an electrical injury, you may wonder whether you have any recourse. Often, an electrical injury lawsuit can help you recover compensation to help offset the losses you’ve experienced.
Electrical Accidents
Electrical accidents causing severe injuries are most common in workplaces such as construction sites and other industrial settings. However, they also occur in residential locations, public spaces, and during extreme weather events.
The severity of injury someone sustains in an electrical accident will vary, but there are common causes of these incidents. Familiarizing yourself with the causes of electrical injury can prove valuable — when you know the danger, you’ll be more aware of risk factors. Regardless of your preparedness, you may unfortunately face electrical hazards if someone, whether a business, organization, or individual, behaves negligently and doesn’t account for potential vulnerabilities as they should.
Electrocutions: Electrocutions can happen in nature — lightning strikes, for example — but are frequently due to human carelessness. In an electrocution, an electrical current passes through the body, causing severe injuries or death. Contact with live power lines is one common instance of electrocution, affecting line workers and repairers. Pedestrians or cyclists can suffer electrocutions or other electrical injuries if they come in contact with downed power lines after severe weather events or walking or biking near improperly maintained electrical transmission and distribution lines.
Electric shock: Most of us have touched a faulty outlet and experienced a mild electric shock. In more serious cases, though, electric shock can cause catastrophic injuries. Defined as an electric current touching the body, electric shock can cause muscle spasms, loss of consciousness, heart problems, and burns.
Burns: Electric burns can be permanently disfiguring and even deadly. Caused by contact with electricity, these burns appear immediately and should receive prompt medical attention. The severity of burns will vary depending on the voltage and current of the electrical source. Regardless, they can be dangerous.
Types of Electrical Accident Lawsuits
There are countless decisions to make after an accident. One of the most common questions is whether filing a lawsuit is a good idea. A lawsuit is an essential option to consider following an electrical accident due to negligence that causes injury. The benefits are numerous and can’t be dismissed. Most importantly, an electrical injury lawsuit can bring peace of mind in a tumultuous time.
Premises Liability: Property owners may be found responsible for injuries on their property, depending on the circumstances. When you experience an electrical injury or a loved one dies due to unsafe electrical conditions, such as faulty wiring, overloaded outlets, or damaged appliances, filing a Virginia premises liability lawsuit may be the most effective way to recover damages for the pain you’ve experienced. Premises liability claims center around the property owner acting carelessly or failing to address a safety concern they should have known about.
Personal Injury: When someone’s negligent behavior causes your electrical injury, you might consider filing a personal injury lawsuit. Personal injury is one of the most common types of civil lawsuits. To succeed in a case, you must prove several factors. One is that the other party had a legal responsibility to provide “reasonable care” to you. Next, you must show that they breached that standard. Then, you must show that the breach of duty led to your injuries and that you have tangible losses caused by the injuries you suffered.
There are instances when an electrical injury caused by negligence could fall under both premises liability and personal injury. If the injury occurs in a public space such as on a sidewalk, street, or in a park, a municipality, utility company, or private owner could be liable for failing to identify and repair hazards, such as defective wiring or exposed electrical equipment. A personal injury claim may also be filed if the negligence involves an independent contractor or utility company working in the area who caused the electrical hazard, even if they do not own the property.
Often, electrical accidents in public spaces such as a pedestrian walking their dog on a sidewalk and being electrocuted involve multiple parties and could fall under both lawsuit practice areas. Hiring an attorney experienced in both personal injury and premises liability can increase the chances of a successful electrical injury claim.
The Importance of an Electrical Injury Lawsuit
There are several benefits to filing a lawsuit after an electrical injury. They allow injured victims to secure the resources they need to recover, protect their families’ futures, and help prevent similar incidents from occurring to others. Lawsuits offer several advantages that must be considered when you decide how to move forward.
Provides Compensation
The injuries from the average electrical accident can quickly skyrocket depending on the medical treatment needed and the amount of time spent away from work. In some cases, expenses are hundreds of thousands of dollars, not including intangible losses like emotional distress and pain and suffering. A lawsuit will provide compensation to help you recover and move forward.
Holds Other Parties Accountable
Negligent behavior shouldn’t be excused, and legal action is a great way to hold someone accountable if they don’t act reasonably. A lawsuit is a way to signal to other involved parties that their decisions were unacceptable and should never have happened. Victims of electrical accidents often feel like they’ve endured something unfair for no reason. Demanding responsibility — and in some cases, receiving an apology — can feel restorative.
Prevents Future Incidents
Settlements and jury verdicts can deter other parties from acting negligently by serving as an example of what can happen if you don’t act with reasonable care. An electrical injury lawsuit can save many lives simply by motivating others to move responsibly to avoid a hefty payout. They may take steps to strengthen their property’s electrical standards, implement more stringent safety guidelines, and perform more frequent and thorough inspections. Regardless of the method, lawsuits can make the world safer.
If you’ve suffered an electrical injury, you need someone expertly familiar with Virginia electrical accidents to help you determine the best way to proceed. The attorneys at Curcio Law have advocated for our clients for decades. The aftermath of an electrical accident can be devastating, with injuries that can cause permanent disability and wreak emotional havoc. You don’t have to handle it alone. We’ll do the legwork so you can focus on your recovery. Call or text our firm at 703-836-3366 or contact us online to request a consultation.
Tom Curcio has devoted his career to representing people seriously injured or killed in car, pedestrian, bicycle, and truck crashes, and by dangerous dogs, unsafe products, and premises. He works tirelessly to obtain the compensation his clients are legally entitled to so they may rebuild their lives with dignity. Tom is the co-author of the book Evidence For The Trial Lawyer, and a much sought-after speaker on personal injury, trial practice, evidence, and professionalism. Contact Tom at tcurcio@curciolaw.com.
