Electrocution may result in catastrophic injuries

Electrocution is a very ugly way to sustain injuries or die. Nearly 1,000 people die each year as a result of electrocution.

Those who work with electricity or come into contact with it in the workplace are, in essence, playing with fire. An accident can happen at any time, despite how careful a person is being. While you can control your own actions and movements, you can’t control what another person may or may not do. And therein lies the conundrum. There have been cases just like this taken to court by a New Mexico injury lawyer on behalf of a severely burned client.

Electricity, when it comes into contact with a human body, will go with the path of least resistance. This often means it flows through the body, through your muscles, hair, organs and even the skin. The one organ that really counts, your heart, is at high risk to go into fibrillation on being shocked; an event that often results in death. A large number of the electrocution injuries and deaths that happen in the U.S. every year are a direct result of a workplace accident involving faulty wiring and equipment or someone else’s negligence.

If you survive an up close and personal encounter with electricity, do not wait to go to the doctor. While the injury might seem insignificant, like a small burn, the real damage is often under the skin and deep in the tissues. Electrical shock victims tend to experience difficulty breathing, confusion and a great deal of pain just prior to losing consciousness.

The stronger the current, the greater the internal damage. The stronger the current, the further the victim may be thrown from the point of contact, resulting in broken bones, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injury. If being shocked isn’t bad enough on its own, the secondary bodily injuries that may occur compounds the victim’s difficulties. These are details that often wind up in court documents for a jury trial being handled by a New Mexico injury lawyer presenting a client’s case.

Generally speaking, the most common reason electrocution happens is due to human error. People taking short cuts, not following safety guidelines, working with defective equipment, etc., can incrementally kick up the level of risk of coming into contact with electricity. Sadly, it’s also fairly common for those at on the job to not follow the proper safety procedures or to look the other way if a situation is hazardous. In the rush to get a job done, sometimes corners are cut when they should not be. The end result of that may well be a severely injured or dead worker.

If you have been in a situation where you were involved in an accident and electrocuted (but lived), speak to a seasoned New Mexico injury lawyer. You may find out that machinery or equipment was modified, which made it unsafe or that underground electrical wires were not properly flagged. The causes may be legion, the compensation should be appropriate for your injuries. This is something you need to discuss with the lawyer.

Scott Atkinson was admitted to practice in New Mexico in 1989 and is a New Mexico personal injury lawyer and New Mexico wrongful death lawyer with the Atkinson Law Firm, LTD. Learn more at Attorneynewmexico.com or call 1.505.944.1050.



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