Electrical Burn & Electrocution

Electrical Injury Lawsuits

Electrical burns are among the most painful and dangerous types of injuries a person can suffer. Unlike surface-level burns, these injuries often cause deep tissue damage, nerve destruction, organ failure, and permanent scarring. Victims may require multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and long-term rehabilitation. Beyond the physical toll, electrical burns often lead to emotional trauma, lost income, and a lifetime of medical expenses. When these injuries occur because of another party’s negligence, victims and their families may be entitled to pursue an electrical burn injury lawsuit.

Understanding Electrical Burn Injuries

Electrical burns occur when a current passes through the body, generating heat and damaging tissue. The severity depends on the voltage involved, the path the current takes, and the duration of exposure. These burns are not always visible on the surface; while the skin may show minor injury, underlying muscles, blood vessels, and organs can sustain catastrophic damage.

Common long-term complications include cardiac arrest, neurological impairment, mobility limitations, and severe infections. Victims often face extensive hospital stays and multiple follow-up procedures. Because of the complex medical impact, electrical burn cases are not only about initial treatment costs but also about ensuring compensation for lifelong care.

Each year in the United States, approximately 1000 people are killed due to an electrical injury. Adult electrical injury cases often occur in an industrial occupational setting, and according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), electrical accidents claim up to six percent of all worker deaths. Another 3-5% of emergency electrical burn cases are related to electrical injury.

Electricity passes very easily though the human body.  Even minor thermal burns can result in damage to organs, especially the heart or brain. Direct contact with an electrical wire results in the current flowing through the body thereby heating the surface skin and deeper tissue.

This process can result in massive tissue damage and multiple organ failures. Tissue damage is the result of electrical energy to heat resulting in thermal burn injury.

Following an electrical injury if you suspect there was negligence or simply have questions about what may have happened, you should contact and experienced catastrophic injury and product liability lawyer.

Joe Lyon is an experienced Catastrophic Injury Lawyer and workplace negligence attorney who is well-versed in the science and economic impact that such an injury has on the injured person’s life.

Industrial Electrical Accidents

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has reported that most American workers are exposed to electrical energy during the work day, and electrical hazards can affect workers in several different industries.

Anybody working around power lines or high-voltage electric lines may be particularly at risk of potential accidents. The majority of injuries and deaths are concentrated in the following occupations:

• Construction workers
• Cable installers
• Electricians
• Tree trimmers/landscapers
• Mechanics
• Meter readers
• Welding Injuries
• Maintenance workers
• Plant and equipment operators

Common Causes of Electrical Burn Accidents

Many electrical burn injuries result from situations where safety rules were ignored or equipment was defective. Some of the most frequent causes include:

• Workplace Accidents: Construction sites, factories, and utility jobs present high risks. Contact with exposed wires, ungrounded machinery, or poorly maintained electrical systems often leads to severe burns. Employers are legally required to provide protective gear, training, and safe conditions. When they fail, workers may have claims beyond workers’ compensation.
• Defective Products: Household appliances, power tools, or consumer electronics that are improperly designed or manufactured can overheat, short circuit, or expose users to dangerous currents.
• Unsafe Premises: Property owners may be liable when faulty wiring, poorly maintained outlets, or uninspected hazards cause guests or tenants to suffer electrical burns.
• Vehicle and Equipment Failures: Electrical systems in cars, trucks, and industrial equipment can malfunction, exposing operators or passengers to electrical shock and burn injuries.

Investigating Electrical Accidents at the Workplace

In order to avoid accidental electrocution, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established standards necessary for appropriate work to be completed at construction sites.

Specifically in regards to crane usage, the OSHA explains that unless lines have been “de-energized and visibly grounded” or standalone, unattached insulating barriers have been put up to prevent contact with the lines, certain criteria need to be established.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that contact with overhead power lines is the most common cause of electrocutions, resulting in over 40 percent of all on-the-job electrical deaths. Other causes of injuries and fatalities include the following:

• Failure to properly de-energize electrical equipment prior to commencing work
• Contact with electrical components mistakenly thought to be de-energized due to a mistake in wiring or re-wiring, or misidentified wiring
• Contact with buried, underground power lines
• Contact with the electric current of a machine, tool, appliance or light fixture
• Contact with wiring, transformers or other electrical components

Other common causes of electrical injury often fall under the following categories:

• Industrial Accidents
• Farming Equipment Accidents
• Fracking Injury
• Machinery Accidents
• Construction Accidents
• Crane Accident Injury
• OSHA Safety Violations

The Lyon Firm has experience developing evidence in electrical injury cases in Ohio through the use of life care planners, economists, and medical professionals to present the highest quality arguments on the plaintiff’s behalf.

This work has resulted in significant settlements that enhanced and secured a dignified quality of life for the plaintiff’s future.

Types of Electrical Burn Injury

Direct contact with an electrical wire sends a heavy current flowing through the body. This can result in massive tissue damage and patients are at risk of developing multi-system organ failure. Electricity passes easily though the human body, and even minor burns can result in damage to vital organs like the heart or brain.

Typically, the extent of injury is determined by the intensity of the electrical current contacted. The long-term prognosis depends on the severity of the initial injury and the development of subsequent complications. Common injuries include the following heart injuries, tissue degeneration, and severe burns.

• Electrical heart injury—Electrical shock can interfere with the heart’s regular current and cells. In severe cases, cardiac arrest (heart attack) can occur.
• Contact (Internal) Electrical Burn Injuries—some electrical burns may not look severe on the outside though significant internal damage occurred. Contact electrical burns occur when the electricity arcing inside the body is converted to heat. This heat commonly follows the current flow, which typically is along blood vessels and nerves. Electrical burns are usually located at the entry and exit points of the voltage.
• Myoglobinemia—In addition to organ tissue damage from electrical burns, a secondary injury of an electrical burn may produce excess levels of myoglobin in the blood, and may lead to acute renal failure (kidney failure).

Utility Company Negligence

The Lyon Firm is investigating electrical injury cases due to utility company negligence and tree care accidents. Electrocution accidents are not uncommon for tree care specialists, and power companies may be liable for injuries sustained.

For property owners, landscapers and tree care specialists, tree trimming can be a perilous task. Electrocution and electrical injury can be severe and prove deadly in many cases. Workers may be taking precautions, but when hidden power lines are hit, accidents occur.

Electrocution due to hidden power lines or foliage that has not been properly dealt with may be the responsibility of a utility company. With that said, tree care and landscaping employees are urged to protect themselves and know the risks of nearby power lines whilst tree trimming.

Tree workers and those maintaining their own property must employ safe practices while removing branches, limbs or trees. Personal protective equipment, proper fall protection gear, and safe ladders and lifts should be utilized. But even when workers are being safe, risks remain when a utility company fails to clear brush from power lines.

Certain tools are particularly risky when used around power lines, due to electrocution accidents. Chainsaws and hedge clippers can easily cut through a live power line, leading to a serious electrical injury.

Unsafe Power Line Injury Lawsuits

Power lines can be difficult to detect, especially when negligent utility companies allow trees to grow out of control around lines, poles and transformers. Overgrowth issues are the responsibility of utility companies to protect the public and private tree care contractors. Otherwise, electrical injury hazards can lead to a host of problems.

Even when power lines are detected, if the infrastructure has not been properly maintained, or has been damaged in a storm, electrocution accidents may be a reality. After storms, some property owners may not be patient enough to wait weeks for utility companies to clean up a mess and may engage in unsafe tree trimming or removal.

Due to the dangerous nature of electricity, utility companies owe residents a high duty of care. This duty of requires proper constructing, managing, maintaining, repairing, installing, and operating electric lines.  

External Arc Flashes and Explosions

When an electrical current jumps between two different points, it is called an “arc flash.” Workplace electrical accidents occur when arcing faults (caused by tears or gaps in insulation) allow an electrical current to stray from its intended path. Arc flashes can ignite flammable clothing and materials, the latter allowing an arc flash’s electrical explosion to become a chemical explosion.

About ten arc flashes occur on work sites every day in the United States. These electrical accidents pose workplace burn injury dangers to all electricians, factory workers, or construction workers near the arc. Serious injuries may result from the high levels of heat and intense pressure associated with the arc flash.

Contact an Electrocution Injury Lawyer

Following an electrical injury where you suspect there was negligence or simply have questions about what may have happened, you should contact and experienced catastrophic injury and product liability lawyer.

An electrical injury may have a long lasting impact and should be addressed by a lawyer qualified in complex personal injury matters. The legal recourses from an accident will depend on what caused the electrical injury.

The injury may have been caused by a defective product, mismanagement, or independent contractor negligence during industrial or construction work. A subcontractor or third party defendant may also be subject to general negligence.

In addition to Worker’s Compensation, a victim may deserve further compensation for pain and suffering, past and future medical expenses, lost past and future wages, and loss of quality of life.

The legal options will depend on what caused the electrical injury. In any case, these injuries are too serious for the injured party to negotiate a fair and comprehensive settlement without an attorney. The interplay of complex liability questions, subrogation, and possible future life care plans require the attention of an attorney experienced in spinal cord injury lawsuits.

There are personal injury cases where an attorney may not be necessary, but an electrical injury will may long lasting impact and should be addressed by a lawyer qualified in complex personal injury matters.

Often, where the employer is at fault, the case requires a removal of an equipment safety guard or a knowing violation of an OSHA regulation to move past a motion for summary judgment. A subcontractor or third party defendant, however, is subject to general negligence.

Electrocution Prevention

• Ladders shall have non-conductive side rails if they are used where the employee or the ladder could contact exposed electrical equipment.
• Portable metal or conductive ladders shall not be used near energized lines or equipment except as may be necessary in specialized work such as in high voltage substations where non-conductive ladders might present a greater hazards than conductive ladders.
• Conductive or metal ladders shall be prominently marked as conductive and all necessary precautions shall be taken when used in specialized work.

Utility Company Negligence Cases

Who is Responsible for Trimming Trees near Power Lines?

A utility company is responsible for power lines, poles, pipes, meters, power outages, overgrowth, repairs, and other issues. If a storm knocks down a power line or a car hits a utility pole, the utility company should fix the problem.

The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) requires utility companies to make sure trees, branches and other vegetation near power lines are trimmed, pruned and removed.

Can you Sue an Energy Company?

If you’ve been injured as a direct or indirect result of a negligent service provided by a public utility, it’s possible to file a lawsuit seeking compensation for your losses.

The utility company is responsible for electrical injuries sustained because of damaged utility wires. While utility companies have a high standard of care to protect the public from injuries, a power company may not always be liable. For example, if a landscaping company or construction company caused the line to fall, it could be liable for damages.