A serious workplace accident involving electric shock can leave workers with terrible injuries and with massive medical debt. While unable to work, most victims have little chance of paying hospital bills and supporting their families each month.
Families can also be robbed of a loved one after an electrocution accident at work. They will require support to cope with such a tragic death, and they’ll often need help recovering financially afterward. It’s why injured victims must make sure they get the most support possible from California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC).
Maison Law of Merced stands with you after you’ve suffered an injury on the job. We fight to get you and your family what is needed to recover physically and financially.
You can schedule a free legal consultation with a real Merced lawyer. There’s no obligation, and your case review is confidential. It’s a no-risk way to determine what your injury is worth and how to earn the most in benefits possible for as long as necessary.
Can a Lawyer Help Me Get More from My Workers’ Comp Claim?
Yes, in many cases. Workers with very similar injuries from electrical shock can receive very different amounts on a Workers’ Comp settlement check. The support injured employees receive doesn’t follow set guidelines; the amount must be negotiated. That means some workers get more.
Families who lose a loved one can also receive different levels of support in a claim with Workers’ Comp. It’s important that they have legal representation so they receive every benefit possible to help those left behind rebuild their lives.
The level of support you receive often depends on how well the evidence in your case is presented and how well Workers’ Comp administrators understand your injuries and your hardships. A Merced Electrocution Accident Worker’s Comp Lawyer can make sure everything victims and their families have been through is brought to light.
These are just a few of the ways an attorney can protect your claim and often win you more from Workers’ Comp:
- Fully investigates your accident to secure proof of an unsafe workspace and a negligent employer
- Compiles and files your Workers’ Compensation Claim for you
- Defends you against false accusations if Workers’ Comp attempts to portray your injury as less serious than it is
- Defends against false accusations if Workers’ Comp or your company tries to claim your injuries aren’t as bad as doctors say or that recovery will take a shorter time than what your medical charts indicate
- Appears before Workers’ Compensation administrators and judges for you and on your family’s behalf
- Negotiates for a higher settlement and rejects settlement offers that are too low and demands more
- Can help you file an appeal if your claim was denied
- Handles the entire frustrating process while giving you time to focus on getting better
- Files lawsuits if an employer makes threats toward you or fires you for reporting an accident or safety issue
California doesn’t allow business owners to threaten or fire employees simply because they got hurt or reported an accident. Employers also can’t threaten to turn workers over to immigration agents because they spoke up about an accident.
Electric Shock Accident Dangers on Merced Worksites
An accident involving electricity in the workplace can be serious and life-threatening. An electrical shock would usually describe an injury to a worker that wasn’t fatal. An electrocution generally refers to a deadly electrical accident.
Victims might receive a shock from a malfunctioning machine or tool. They may receive a shock from equipment that wasn’t installed correctly. They may be injured when proper training for working around electricity isn’t provided.
The CDC finds that several industries put workers most at risk for electrical shock:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Utility work
- Trade and Transportation work
Farmworkers on local orchards and ranches are also at elevated risk as they work around heavy machinery and farm equipment. Even workers in stores and office jobs can suffer electrocution when they work in unsafe environments.
Workers in these trades should have gotten protection before an accident could even occur. They should definitely receive help after an accident when they’ll be faced with difficult physical recoveries and monumental healthcare expenses.
Types of Electrical Shock in the Workplace
The CDC lists the four types of shock injuries in the workplace:
Electrical Shock (Direct contact) – This is usually experienced through the hands when someone touches an electrical source. Electricity travels through the body to burn skin, cause heart rhythm problems, and other life-threatening symptoms. Fatalities (electrocutions) are often caused by cardiac arrest (the heart suddenly stops working) or respiratory failure (a paralyzed diaphragm that stops breathing).
Arc Burns – A shock delivered by a charge in the air. An explosion might also result from a high-voltage arc.
Thermal Contact 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.
Falls After an Electrical Shock – Victims may be on a ladder or in a bucket extended from a utility truck when they receive a shock and then take a dangerous fall.
Benefits For Merced Families After a Workplace Electrocution Death
Family members who lose a loved one to a workplace electrocution would receive death benefits from Workers’ Comp.
California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) goes into the possible benefits and who may make a claim.
Generally, these family members can seek support from Workers’ Compensation:
- Spouse
- Children of the Victim
- Other family members who were financially dependent on the victim
Workers’ Comp offers families up to $10,000 in funeral and burial costs. They also receive a sum based on the number of dependents the victim had:
- One dependent — $250,000
- Two dependents — $290,000
- Three or more dependents — $320,000
Young children who were dependents would receive additional weekly financial support until they were 18 years old. Disabled child dependents would receive support for life.
There are other factors that determine how much families receive. Those left behind can benefit from having a lawyer represent their case. A lawyer can help when a case is complex and involves hard-to-understand state laws. A lawyer can also help you meet deadlines. Your lawyer would also help you identify other parties that may bear responsibility for what happened to your loved one.
In some cases, the support may come from other sources beyond Workers’ Compensation. A lawsuit may be necessary to hold an employer responsible for a fatal accident involving electricity.
A Merced Wrongful Death Attorney is a helpful resource if it’s found that an employer was grossly negligent in an employee’s death. This means they were extremely reckless with the safety of their workers, with carelessness that almost reaches the level of inflicting intentional harm. Companies can be punished for this behavior, and families can earn support along with Workers’ Comp Death benefits.
How Much Compensation Can I Get If I’m Injured by an Electrical Shock at Work?
An estimate of what you may receive in benefits from Workers’ Comp may be hard to determine until your Merced Workers’ Comp Accident Lawyer hears from you and can investigate your case.
Your attorney will be determining the severity of your injuries and how long you may need medical care. The amount of time you may miss work will also increase the value of a settlement check provided by your employer’s Workers’ Compensation insurance provider. The total of your losses will play a big role in how much your attorney will demand for you.
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Injured Worker’s Handbook goes over all the different types of support available through a claim. This is a look at some of the support victims and their families could receive:
- Medical Care. Paid for by your employer, to help you recover from an injury or illness caused by work. This includes doctor visits and other treatment services, tests, medicines, equipment, and travel costs reasonably necessary to treat your injury. With an electrical burn, the costs of restorative surgery and skin grafts should be factored in.
- Temporary Disability Benefits. Payments if you lose wages because your injury prevents you from doing your usual job while recovering.
- Permanent Disability Benefits. Payments if you don’t recover completely and your injury causes a permanent loss of physical or mental function that a doctor can measure.
- Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit. A voucher to help pay for retraining or skill enhancement if you are eligible to receive permanent disability benefits, your employer doesn’t offer you work, and you don’t return to work for your employer.
What you receive for each factor and others isn’t pre-determined. The medical evidence you provide and the estimates on future care will affect the final sum of your compensation. Your lawyer’s ability to convey your hardships and to negotiate for extra support will also determine what you and your family receive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I seek Workers’ Compensation benefits if I’m not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. Workers are eligible for support under the California Workers’ Compensation system regardless of their immigration status or undocumented worker status. Maison Law can help many victims secure more in support for their families.
When should I report my injury at work?
Immediately. Alert your supervisor as soon as you are injured. If you wait longer than 30 days to inform your employer of an injury, you may lose your chance to file a claim. Then, victims can wait no longer than a year from the date of the accident to file a claim with California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation. This may be done by the employee, but an employer can also help the employee file a claim.
What if I can’t afford to pay a Merced workers’ compensation lawyer?
You can always afford the help of a skilled Maison Law attorney. We work on a contingency fee basis. It means we cover all upfront costs, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the workers’ compensation check you receive.
Contact a Merced County Workers’ Compensation Attorney
The most important outcome is that you can count on the most support possible through Workers’ Compensation as you recover. A Merced Workers’ Compensation Lawyer usually provides the best chance to do that.
Workers who suffer serious injuries due to electrical shock and who lose their ability to support their families must get every benefit possible, now and in the future. Maison Law can help untangle the options and get injured workers on track to rebuild their lives and their careers.
Families must also take action to earn the death benefits they’ll need after a loved one is lost to a workplace accident.
Speak to Maison Law in a free, no-obligation consultation. We want to hear about what happened to you and then help you determine the best course of action for your family.
