If you or a family member were hurt by an electrical accident injury, you may not know where to get advice about whether you have a claim, what steps should be taken, and how long you have to proceed.
Many families have been devastated by an electrical accident. High voltage electricity is in every neighborhood, and is around every construction site. On contact, high voltage electricity will cause death or major electrical burns with permanent disability.
Because of the danger, companies and landlords are subject to strict rules and safety standards. Power companies, construction companies and building owners are required to follow these rules and safety standards. The rules and safety standards are intended to keep you safe. However, rules are sometimes broken. If death or personal injury results, the company that broke the rules is liable.
Sometimes the injured person slipped up, and that played a part in causing the injury. Normal people slip up from time to time. This does not excuse a company from its liability. How this works varies from state to state. More information is on the page about What if the injured person was also at fault.
Electrocution accident cases involve a lot of money. The defendants are sophisticated and can spend plenty. They will hire the best defense lawyers. Their lawyers will use hard core defense tactics. When that happens, you want a lawyer who has prepared you for it, and who knows how to hit back. You can get an experienced lawyer on your side who likes to face a tough opponent.
Power lines are Dangerous
Electrical accident injuries vary with the voltage of the conductor. The most dangerous conductors are the electric utility transmission lines, with very high voltage, sometimes over 100,000 volts. At such a high voltage, you do not have to actually touch the conductor to be electrocuted. If you get near such a high voltage line, the electricity will arc over to complete the deadly circuit.
As these electrical power lines go into neighborhoods, a transformer at a substation will drop the voltage. The neighborhood distribution lines are still very dangerous.
Premises Liability
An electric utility transmission line on an easement, or a high voltage cable in a building or construction site, can give rise to premises liability for someone injured by the absence of an adequate insulator. The injury results when a person’s body becomes the conductor for a short circuit, resulting in electrical burns or death.
Time Limits
Each state, and the Federal government, has rules that require papers to be filed within a time limit. For information about this, please see the page on Time Limits – Statute of Limitations.
Questions? What Next?
For your electrical injury case, you will want to consult with an attorney with electrical case experience. Each situation is different. The law office that provides this website will provide a free consultation for accident victims. To get your free consultation, call 503-221-2000.
Sometimes the accident victim cannot travel because the injuries are so severe. Sometimes the accident victim is still in a hospital or rehabilitation center for weeks after an accident. We can drive or fly out to your location for the consultation if you are not able to travel.
When a lawsuit is filed, we usually advance the money that has to be paid out, called “costs”. You do not have to come up with money when you are in hard times.
Most electrocution accident cases should call for an initial consultation to go over the facts and the law. But if you just want to send in a question about your electrical accident claim, you can do so through this website. There is no charge for this service, just see the ask-a-question page.
This website is provided by a personal injury attorney office in Portland, Oregon. We welcome questions from anywhere in the United States. We work with local counsel in other states, and we serve as local counsel for lawyers from other states.
The information contained in this website is for general purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or opinion. This material may not be applicable or suitable for the reader’s specific circumstances or needs. Therefore, the information should not be used as a substitute for individual consultation with professional advisors. See the disclaimer and privacy policy page for more information. This site was created by an electrical accident attorney and is dedicated to providing information about personal injury, including accidental electrocution and electrical injury claims.