What You Need To Know About Electrical Burn Injuries

The world that we live in today is completely reliant on electricity. While there may be many advantages to electricity, it also poses a hazard. If electricity comes in contact with your skin, it often results in significant burns along with other serious health effects. Here at Minnesota Injury, our lawyers specialize in assisting victims of electrical burns, which was caused by the negligence of another party, to obtain compensation for such injuries.

What Is An Electrical Burn?

Electrical burns happen when electrical currents jump from an appliance, outlet, cord, or a wire, which then passes through the body. Exposure to electricity causes burns to the skin along with the ability to cause extensive internal damages, which can even include cardiac arrest. Internal injuries that electrical burns can cause are not always immediately evident, while electrical burns that are visible from the outside often show entry and an exit point caused by the electrical current. In most cases, the entry point is present on the victim’s hand.

What Are The Causes Of Electrical Burns?

Electrical burns are often caused by electrical outlets, high-voltage wires, appliances, cords, or overhead power-lines. A lot of the injuries arise from an appliance that is still plugged in, that accidentally falls into water, when a person sticks an object into a live outlet, like their fingers, a knife, or a pin, or when a young child puts an electrical plug or cord inside their mouth. Most of the electrical burns that are work-related arise from mishandling of power lines or wires.

Where Are The Common Places That Electrical Burns Occur?

Electricity is around us where ever we may go, which is why an electrical burn accident can occur anywhere. Fortunately, shielding typically stops people from exposure to direct electricity. However, when this shielding has been removed or has degraded, which happens when cords are damaged, appliances break down, or from a fallen power line, the risks of electrical burns increase dramatically.

Below is a list of a few common places and industries where most electrical burns occur:

– Appliance Repair

Working on an appliance to conduct repair work is hazardous when the correct safety procedures are not in place.

– Downed Power Lines

Utility poles have the potential to fall, which is often caused by natural disasters, vandalism, or improper maintenance, this can lead to a heightened risk of causing electrical burns.

– Defective Products

Certain products can expose people to electrical shocks when the design is poor, improper testing procedures, and inadequate manufacturing processes.

– Electrical And Construction Work

The construction sites often present many hazards, and one of these includes electricity.

The above-mentioned scenarios are just some of the examples where an electrical burn accident can occur.

The Potential Effects Of Electrical Burns

An electrical burn may result in extreme internal damage and burns, thermal burns to the skin, and even cause irregularities when it comes to regular bodily functions. Exposure to an electrical current that is prolonged can even cause death.

If you ever see a person that is exposed directly to an electrical current, the first course of action should be to shut off the current (when it is safe to do so), and then call 911 immediately for medical assistance. How long the person was exposed to the electrical current has a direct effect on their prognosis.

Liability For Electrical Burns

When your electrical burn was caused by the irresponsibility or negligence of a business or another person, you may be able to hold them liable, when it comes to the following:

– Your previous and future expenses for medical treatments.

– Your loss of income when you were unable to go back to work due to your injuries.

– Pain and Suffering when the injury has had an adverse impact on your overall quality-of-life, which often includes disfigurement or permanent disability.

In most cases, the insurance policy of the individual or business will be the entity used for paying out your compensation for this type of injury. In the case whereby the electrical current has resulted in your loved one passing away, you might be eligible for filing what is known as a wrongful death lawsuit.

Negligence covers a variety of different forms. Below are a few examples:

– When a company has failed to provide the correct equipment and safety training to workers or failed to encourage the correct safety procedures. In these cases, the company might be held accountable for an electrical burn injury that a person suffers while they are working.

– When you have followed the directions on how to use a product and it results in an electrical burn or shock. The manufacturer can be held liable.

– When there are exposed wires at a business or hotel without any warnings, which results in an electrical burn, the business owner can be held accountable under what is known as premises liability laws.

When you have suffered from electrical burns caused by a working environment that is unsafe, or when a person is negligent, our lawyers can help you. Call our firm today, to tell us about your specific circumstance surrounding your burn injuries.