New York Electrocution Accident Lawyer: Advocates for Construction Workers and Beyond

The damage that can be caused from exposure to an electrical shock include:

• Burns
• Muscle Spasms
• Cardiac Arrest
• Cellular Damage
• Death
  

Yes, electric companies must maintain their power lines safely. Their failure to do so can lead to liability, particularly in cases where individuals, including construction workers, come into contact with electric wires.

Contact with overhead power lines  is a frequent source of  electrocution. Electric companies have a duty to properly install and maintain their wires including fixing sags in power lines or repairing and guarding against power lines that have been knocked down in a storm. When a power company fails to exercise reasonable care in protecting the public in these situations, it can be held responsible. Workers on cranes in the area of electric wires often suffer injury or death from a failure to shut down electrical power.

Electrical injuries often result from defective products, such as malfunctioning power tools or improperly installed electrical systems. We thoroughly investigate to identify and pursue claims against responsible entities. Electrocution caused by a defective product can also occur in the home when an appliance, power tool, or even a phone, computer or medical device malfunctions. Children are particularly susceptible to electrocution by unsafe children’s products as they can often occur instantaneously and without any prior warning. Faulty installation of appliances, light fixtures, and outlets can also result in electrocution and are a primary cause of electrical accidents in the home. 

Electrocution cases in New York often involve theories of product liability.  These types of cases definitely require attorneys with specialized expertise in the applicable New York laws. In a case involving an electrical shock arising from the defective design of a product, the claim is that the product functioned as it was designed but the design was negligent. The risk of electric shock or electrocution must be designed out of the product if such can be done without destroying the utility of the product. If this can't be done then the possibility of electrical shock or electrocution must be guarded against or, if guarding is not possible, warned against.

Liability varies and can include employers, product manufacturers, or property owners, especially when there's a failure in maintaining safe working conditions or managing electrical hazards properly. Electrocution in the workplace normally occurs due to unsafe working conditions, poor procedures & training, or malfunctioning or defective machinery or tools. Although many of these cases will be limited by the Workers Compensation laws of the State of New York, cases often can be pursued against other companies such as the manufacturers of the defective product or the companies that maintain it. In the case of a construction worker who suffers injury or death as a result of electrocution, the owner or general contractor may be liable for failure to shut down the source of the electrical power. Construction sites are required to be free from electrical hazards pursuant to Industrial Code of the State of New York section 23-1.13. If a construction site owner or general contractor violate the industrial code, an injured worker may be able to bring a claim under New York Labor Law 241(6) as a result of the violation.

Our NYC electrocution attorneys will not only retain the best experts in the fields of electrical engineering, accident investigation, and reconstruction, to determine how the accident occurred and who is responsible but will also hire economists, financial analysts and accountants to determine the costs associated with the accident such as cost of care, lost wage, pain and suffering and other monetary loss.