Electric Shock

An injury resulting from an electric shock accident can have long-term effects on a victim, from burns that leave permanent scars to injuries that cause severe nerve or brain damage. Many situations can give rise to electric shock accidents, and often it is a sign of a property owner’s negligence. The premises liability at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon are experienced in assisting Miami residents who have been hurt in these types of accidents. Our firm represents clients in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties, among other areas. We can help you determine who is at fault for your injuries and pursue compensation through settlement or trial.

Many times, electric shock injuries are caused by a property owner’s carelessness in maintaining its premises, whether it is a company operating a business or an individual neighbor who fails to take proper precautions. Types of situations that could lead to an electric shock injury include faulty power lines, poor electrical wiring, fires due to electrical issues, an absence of proper safety devices, and contact with a charged metal structure. Electrocutions can happen anywhere, from constructions sites, restaurants, and public sidewalks, to another’s home.

Electric shock can also cause a variety of injuries, including:

• Burns;
• Cardiac arrest;
• Nerve or tissue damage;
• Spinal cord injury, both from electric currents passing through the body as well as falls from a ladder or other distance;
• Respiratory arrest;
• Kidney and muscle damage; and
• Confusion or amnesia.

Sometimes an electrical current can also result in a fatality, since the current is so strong that it can stop the victim’s heart. Because of the severity of these injuries, as well as the underlying or long-term effects that may result, it is advisable to consult an attorney with any questions regarding your legal options following an accident.

When an electric shock accident occurs on someone else’s property, determining fault often depends on who owns or occupies the premises and who is responsible for maintenance and keeping the property safe. A visitor’s actions on the premises may also determine liability. A property owner has a legal duty to visitors to provide a safe environment, free from unreasonable risk of harm. An owner must maintain his or her property in a safe way, as well as fixing hazardous conditions. For instance, if the owner of a store fails to install proper electrical wiring or repair a frayed wire, and a customer comes into contact with the faulty wiring and suffers an electric shock injury, the owner may be liable for that injury.

A property owner’s level of care differs depending on the status of a visitor. People visiting a property for a business purpose, such as a restaurant patron, are owed a heightened level of care. These property owners must engage in regular inspections to check for dangerous conditions. In Florida, to show premises liability as a business invitee, a victim, or plaintiff, must prove that the owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition and should have taken action to fix it. Licensees, or those visiting a property with a social purpose, are owed a lower degree of care by owners, who must maintain their property in a reasonably safe way, including making repairs to dangerous conditions and warning visitors of any known hazards. Additionally, in Florida, property owners must refrain from causing intentional or reckless injury to trespassers.

Visitors are also expected to exercise a reasonable degree of care while on another’s property in order to stay safe. For example, if a visitor knowingly touches an exposed wire, leading to an injury, he or she may be partially at fault. Since Florida is a pure comparative negligence state, however, a victim who is partially responsible may still recover damages proportionate to the defendant’s degree of fault. Damages available in an injury lawsuit often include medical expenses, pain and suffering, the costs of future treatment, and lost wages. In the devastating event that an individual loses his or her life due to electrocution, certain family members may pursue a wrongful death claim against the parties responsible.

If you or a loved one has sustained an injury due to an electric shock on property in the Miami area, you should contact the slip and fall attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon. We are dedicated to helping victims of electrocution and other serious harm assert the right to compensation from negligent property owners. Call 877.499.4878 or Contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation.