Electrocution accidents will frequently cause serious injury and are often deadly.
When someone survives the aftermath of an electric shock, they can suffer permanent disability, which may impact the victim and the victim’s family for years to come. They can suffer from permanent heart damage, cardiac arrest, internal organ damage, loss of vision, hearing loss, seizures, heart arrhythmia and permanent brain and nerve damage.
Years of therapy can ensue along with prescription medication and other expenses. When a family suffers the loss of family member they will be required to pay for the funeral expenses and have to deal with a loss of that family member’s income.
How does Electrocution Happen?
We come into contact with electricity on a daily basis. It is literally all around us from the power lines that feed our towns and cities to the electrical outlet that powers your hair dryer. The voltage, of course, varies amongst all of the different outlets, with residential or commercial power lines being the most powerful. These lines can sometimes contain over 100,000 volts of electricity. The amount of voltage will dictate the severity of an electrocution injury.
Electrocution accidents can happen at work, at home or at a place of business or other entity. Workers on construction sites encounter electricity all the time whether it is on new construction or when a building is being remodeled. Proper safety regulations and following certain protocols should keep workers safe, but sometimes it does not work that way. Poor safety practices like not having wires and cables properly insulated is one way workers who are close by can come in contact with electricity. The use of defective equipment also can cause a worker to be electrocuted while using the tools.
At home, using defective appliances, power tools, radios and electrical outlets can electrocute a person. A person even can be injured when they are a guest on someone else’s property if they come into contact with faulty wiring or high-voltage power lines.
Determining Liability
When someone sustains injuries or there is a wrongful death due to an electrocution, the victim may be able to obtain compensation for their pain and suffering, lost wages, medical costs and in some circumstances punitive damages and loss of consortium. With the help of good attorneys, the victim can determine who is liable for one’s electrocution injuries and determine on what basis he or she can make a claim or sue. If defective products were the cause of the electrocution a victim can sue on the basis of product liability law. An attorney can seek monetary damages from the manufacturer of the product, the designer, and sometimes from even the business where the product was purchased.
When the victim is electrocuted while a guest or business customer on someone else’s property, they can make a claim under premises liability law. Under premises liability law, owners are required to maintain their properties and keep them free of dangers. When someone is injured or killed, the property owner may be liable if the owner did not take reasonable precaution to make the premises safe or warn the accident victim of a risk the owner knew of should have known existed.
When a worker is on the job and is injured or killed due to electrocution, he can typically file a claim for some relief under workers’ compensation laws to help pay some expenses, and when workers’ compensation applies the victim does not even need to prove that their employer was negligent. However, an experienced Georgia electrocution attorney will also investigate to determine if other parties may also have been liable for one’s injuries because a personal injury claim permits the potential to recover more types of damages and great amounts of money for your injuries.
Damages and Recovery
Victims in personal injury lawsuits involving electrocution may be awarded damages for current and future medical expenses, current lost wages and future earning potential, pain and suffering and emotional distress, funeral costs, attorney costs and court fees. In some circumstances where conduct is particularly egregious, it may be possible to recover punitive damages as well. The only way a person who has a workers’ comp claim can collect all of the above is to file a products liability claim or lawsuit (if applicable) or file a premises liability claim or lawsuit (if applicable) along with collecting their workers’ compensation benefits. If the victim files either one of these lawsuits, they can also seek an award for punitive damages as well.
An electrocution accident in Georgia can mean that you are unable to work and support your family and may face years of rehabilitation. It is important to have an experienced and knowledgeable Georgia electrocution accident law firm representing you in your workers’ compensation claim and against third parties that could also be responsible. At Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, our Georgia electrocution accident attorneys have been helping families get the compensation they deserve for over 39 years. We are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia including, but not limited to, Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Call us today for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333), or visit us on the web at www.montlick.com. No matter where you are in Georgia, we are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you.
