Dothan Electrician Accident Attorney
Electricians are exposed to significant hazards during the course of an average workday. Exposure to electrical currents (especially when working at elevation or in tight spaces) can result in severe injuries. These accidents can have a lasting impact on your health and your ability to work and support yourself and your loved ones.
At Gartlan Injury Law, our Dothan electrician accident attorneys understand the impact that a severe injury can have on your life and your livelihood. If you or a loved one have been hurt on the job, call us now to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your rights. Our goal is to get you the compensation you need to pay your medical bills and get back on your feet.
Contents
- How Do Electrical Accidents Happen?
- What Are the Most Common Injuries from Electrocution Accidents?
- Who Can Be Held Liable for an Electrocution Injury?
- How Do You Prove Negligence in an Electric Shock Accident?
- What Compensation Is Available for Electrician Accident Victims?
- Talk to an Electrician Accident Lawyer in Dothan Now
How Do Electrical Accidents Happen?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the leading causes of electrical accidents are unsafe equipment, unsafe environment, and unsafe work practices.
Specific causes of electrical accidents include:
- Unsafe working conditions
- Unsafe equipment usage
- Defective tools
- Faulty installation of a product
- Hazardous practices when using extension cables
- Overloading circuits or equipment
- Improper power supply
- Lack of ground-fault protection
What Are the Most Common Injuries from Electrocution Accidents?
Common injuries from electrocution accidents include:
- Burns. Burns are the most common injuries resulting from contact with electricity. Burns can range from minor burns to the skin to burns so serious that limbs are lost.
- Musculoskeletal injuries. These include a variety of conditions that involve injury to the body’s muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, and other soft tissue.
- Internal injuries. Large amounts of electricity moving through the body can cause tissue damage, internal bleeding, irregular heartbeat, and cardiac arrest.
- Nerve damage. The brain, spinal cord, and nerves all have tiny electrical impulses they use to relay information. When an electrical current is introduced into the body, this can disrupt these impulses, resulting in serious damage to your entire neurological system.
- Amputations. Workers who suffer electrocution injuries sometimes have to undergo amputations.
- Scarring and disfigurement. An electrical burn may cause significant scarring and disfigurement and require reconstructive surgeries.
- Traumatic brain injuries. Victims may suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) that lead to loss of consciousness and other serious problems.
Who Can Be Held Liable for an Electrocution Injury?
In Alabama, if you suffer an electrocution injury while on the job, you may file a workers’ compensation claim. In order to receive workers’ comp benefits, you must prove that your injury occurred “arising out of employment and occurring during the course of employment.”
In cases of injury not connected to job duties, you may seek compensation from others whose negligence caused the accident that injured you. In electrical injury cases, multiple parties could be held liable. These include electrical part manufacturers, building owners, and other contractors on a jobsite.
For instance, a subcontractor working on the same job may have created dangerous conditions that caused your electrocution injury. If defective equipment caused your injury, the manufacturer may be liable. You may have a right to seek compensation from an outside party that was liable for your injuries in addition to obtaining workers’ compensation benefits.
The electrician accident lawyers at Gartlan Injury Law can investigate your accident to determine who can be held liable. We will pursue all avenues of compensation on your behalf.
How Do You Prove Negligence in an Electric Shock Accident?
To recover damages in a personal injury claim after an electric shock accident, you must prove negligence by demonstrating the following elements:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care.
- The defendant breached that duty of care through negligence.
- The defendant’s negligence was a substantial factor in causing your injury.
It is important to understand that in a workers’ compensation claim, though, you do not have to prove negligence.
What Compensation Is Available for Electrician Accident Victims?
The benefits available under the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act fall into three broad categories:
- Medical benefits. These benefits cover the cost of all medical care and rehabilitation related to your work injury, including vocational rehabilitation to restore you to gainful employment.
- Compensatory benefits. These benefits provide compensation for lost wages due to missed work and permanent disability related to your injury. They are based on a percentage of your Average Weekly Wage (“AWW”).
- Death benefits. These are paid to the dependents of an electrician who dies within three years of a work-related accident, including funeral expenses and ongoing benefits for up to 500 weeks or until remarriage.
Even if workers’ compensation covers your injury, the Dothan electrician accident lawyers at Gartlan Injury Law may be able to recover additional compensation for your lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical expenses if the party responsible for your injury is someone other than your employer.
You generally cannot sue your own employer after a workplace accident. However, another company or a subcontractor working on the same jobsite may be held liable for the accident through a third-party claim.
After an injury caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to seek compensation for:
Medical bills- Lost wages
- Future lost income if you cannot return to work
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Talk to an Electrician Accident Lawyer in Dothan Now
If you or a loved one has been injured due to electrocution or another accident while working as an electrician, you need to talk to a skilled workplace injury attorney as soon as possible. You could be owed workers’ compensation benefits, or you might be eligible to pursue a personal injury claim. No matter the circumstances, we are dedicated to demanding the maximum compensation that you are rightfully owed.
Contact the experienced Dothan work injury attorneys at Gartlan Injury Law to schedule a free and confidential consultation today.
