Everyone knows the life-threatening burn hazards of getting caught near a fire or coming in contact with flames. They may not know that exposure to electricity can also cause devastating burn injuries.
The threat from electricity comes from the actual current that can travel across the skin and throughout the body to do severe damage. It also comes from the fires that electrical shocks commonly start. Poorly maintained equipment on a California worksite or exposed wiring at a local store can leave you with a painful electrical burn.
When these careless accidents occur, everyone who shares in the blame for allowing you near an unsafe electrical current should be held fully accountable. Contact a California Burn Injury Lawyer for a free case consultation to find out what your case may be worth.
Electrical Burn Accident Dangers in California
Electrical burns occur when electric currents are allowed to pass through the body. The current’s path can do serious harm to skin, soft tissue, and major organs like the heart and lungs.
There are many ways someone can be harmed by exposure to electricity. They may come in contact with faulty appliances, machinery, or tools. Frayed wiring, downed electrical poles, and other sources could also harm victims. These dangers may be found in a house, in an apartment, in the workplace, at businesses, theme parks, and almost any location that has electricity supplied to it.
The Center for Construction Research and Training details the types of electrical burns suffered by workers or anyone coming in contact with electricity.
Generally, there are three ways people can receive electrical burns:
- Electrical burn – This is usually experienced through the hands when someone touches an electrical source. Injuries could occur in a car accident if a vehicle’s electrical system is damaged. Electricity travels through the body to burn skin, cause heart rhythm problems, and other life-threatening symptoms.
- Arc burns — These burns occur when electricity is sent from one source to another. If you are nearby or in the way, severe burns can occur from temperatures that can reach 30,000 degrees or more. A high voltage arc can create an explosive wave that impacts victims. Copper and aluminum components may also melt and super-heated droplets could strike victims.
- Thermal Burns – These injuries occur when a shock ignites nearby materials or vapors to start a fire. A victim’s clothing may be set on fire after an electrical accident. Defective cords or equipment commonly start fires in apartments, businesses, and workplaces.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Electrical Burns?
Anyone who showed negligence by not removing or repairing an electrical hazard could be liable for a victim’s hospital bills and lost wages. For instance, grocery store owners and landlords owe their customers a “duty of care.” When they know about an electrical danger and don’t fix it, they are responsible if someone is hurt. They are also liable if they didn’t know about a hazard but reasonably should have found the problem through routine inspection of their property.
An apartment owner or operator could be liable for helping victims pay for recovery for injuries. A store owner could be found liable after someone is hurt by touching a malfunctioning freezer case. Theme Park owners would be liable if parkgoers received a shock through a ride.
Manufacturers of an appliance that hurts you or a family member in your home could be held fully liable for recovery costs. Home installers would be liable if they failed in safely install a home appliance. The store that sold the device could also be held accountable in an insurance claim for damages.
An employer’s negligence in machine maintenance and safety protocols could also mean a worker suffering an electrical burn could ask a company for support. Workers’ Compensation will supply workers with some compensation. However, that support runs out and it won’t provide any award for the pain and emotional trauma a victim must endure. An injury claim could earn victims and their families additional compensation.
Compensation Available After a California Electrical Burn Accident
One important step to take when you are ready to file your electrical burn injury claim is to make sure you have proof of every hardship you’ve endured since the accident. Collect your medical invoices, your paystubs, and any other bills you’ve received. This information will be submitted with your claim and directly affects what you’ll receive in an injury settlement check.
Your California traumatic injury attorney will help you create a complete list of damages you’ve suffered so you aren’t left paying for any loss out of your own pocket.
Your economic damages won’t be the only factors that will earn you compensation in an electrical burn insurance settlement:
- All bills for medical care. Those bills you’ve received and healthcare costs anticipated in the future.
- Physical therapy costs for as long as necessary.
- The estimated expenses associated with a permanent disability or a permanent disfigurement caused by your electrical burn.
- Pain and suffering. These non-economic damages involve the intense pain burn victims often endure. This includes emotional trauma experienced in a frightening accident and during a difficult recovery.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. This emotional damage arises when victims are off their feet and can’t participate in hobbies or family activities as they once could.
- Loss of consortium. This is support earned over a loss of intimacy with a spouse or domestic partner.
- Lost income from work. This includes benefits forfeited in the past and those expected to be lost in the future.
- Wrongful Death Benefits. Support for the families of victims who didn’t survive an electrical burn injury. Families may ask for help with funeral costs and paying leftover medical costs. They should also demand economic help supporting the family in the future when they are without the income the deceased had always provided.
Contact a California Electrical Burn Injury Lawyer
It’s the responsibility of your California burn injury lawyer to ensure you receive fair treatment and earn the maximum in compensation for your injury claim. That’s particularly important in electrical burn injury cases. Patients could need help paying for medical care over years or decades as well as lifelong support after suffering a permanent disability.
Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, offers a free case evaluation for all victims in California suffering from any form of electrical burn. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury is worth and how to best secure everything you need to rebuild your life. Contact Mr. Gasparian to schedule a free consultation and talk to a real lawyer today.
