Electrical Accidents

Why Hire HKGC For Your Electrical Injury Lawsuit?

Electrical accident cases are unlike many other personal injury claims. While the injuries are often catastrophic, determining who is legally responsible can be far more complex than in a typical accident. Investigating an electrocution may require examining utility company operations, construction practices, electrical codes, equipment maintenance records, workplace safety standards, and the actions of multiple companies working on the same project.

Many victims assume the accident was simply unavoidable because electricity is inherently dangerous. In reality, many serious electrical injuries occur because established safety rules are ignored, equipment is improperly maintained, hazards are left uncorrected, or dangerous work is performed without appropriate safeguards.

At Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain (HKGC), our attorneys investigate electrical accidents from every angle. We work with electrical engineers, safety experts, and accident reconstruction specialists to determine how the incident occurred. We also work with life-care planners and medical professionals to document the full impact on a client’s life, including the cost of medical care they’ll need and the lost earnings resulting from an electrical injury. 

Whether an electrical accident occurs on a construction site, near overhead power lines, in an industrial facility, offshore, or on private property, our goal is the same: identify every responsible party and pursue the compensation our clients need to move forward.

Many Electrical Accidents Are Preventable

Electricity powers nearly every aspect of modern life, but serious electrical accidents are rarely unavoidable. Many electrocutions and high-voltage injuries occur because established safety procedures were ignored, hazardous conditions went uncorrected, equipment was improperly maintained, or electrical systems were designed or installed without adequate safeguards, leading to serious personal injury or even wrongful death.

Throughout Louisiana, electrical accident litigation commonly involves construction sites, utility infrastructure, industrial facilities, offshore operations, commercial properties, and other locations where workers and the public may be exposed to energized equipment or overhead power lines. Although electricity is inherently dangerous, many catastrophic electrical injuries occur because preventable hazards were never identified or corrected.

Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Electrical Injuries

Electrical injuries are often far more serious than they initially appear. Victims may suffer burns, cardiac injuries, nerve damage, traumatic brain injuries, orthopedic injuries from falls, and permanent disabilities that require years of treatment.

Understanding these injuries is important not only for medical treatment but also for establishing damages in an electrical accident lawsuit. Many victims require ongoing rehabilitation, future medical care, vocational assistance, or lifelong accommodations. Properly documenting those losses is an important part of pursuing full compensation.

Because many electrical injuries involve permanent impairments, our Louisiana electrical accident attorneys often work with treating physicians, burn centers, rehabilitation specialists, and life-care planners to evaluate both current and future damages.

Common Types of Electrical Accidents

Electrical accident claims arise in a wide variety of settings throughout Louisiana. Construction workers may come into contact with overhead power lines. Industrial employees may be exposed to energized equipment during maintenance or repairs. Offshore workers face unique electrical hazards aboard vessels and drilling platforms. Homeowners and visitors can also suffer serious injuries because of defective wiring, improperly maintained electrical systems, or unsafe conditions on someone else’s property.

Although every electrical accident is unique, most incidents fall into one of three categories:

Electric shock: Electric shock occurs when someone comes into contact with an energized conductor or electrical circuit. The severity of an injury depends on factors such as the voltage involved, the path the electrical current travels through the body, where it enters and exits, and the length of exposure.

Electrical burns: Electrical burns often involve damage beyond the skin. When electrical current travels through the body, it can injure muscles, nerves, organs, and bones. Victims may also suffer thermal burns after coming into contact with overheated equipment or energized surfaces.

Electrical fires and explosions: High-voltage electricity can ignite fires or create explosions that cause devastating burn injuries, blunt-force trauma, or other catastrophic injuries when equipment fails or debris is propelled toward nearby workers or bystanders.

While electrocutions can occur in different environments and involve various injuries, one question remains consistent: could the injury have been prevented through reasonable safety measures? Answering that often requires investigating applicable safety standards, maintenance records, inspection reports, and the actions of everyone involved before the incident.

Legal Requirements of Electric Utility Companies

Electric utility companies are required by law to use the “utmost care” to reduce potential hazards to the general public. They’re required to recognize that people may make mistakes and unknowingly venture too close to electrical lines – and must account for this reality when determining how best to safeguard the public from their power lines.

Electric utility companies are required to insulate their lines. They may insulate lines by coating the wire’s exterior with a mineral substance such as rubber. Utility companies may also satisfy their duty to insulate by a method commonly known as “insulation by isolation.” “Insulation by isolation” refers to the process of isolating an overhead electrical line by hanging it so high that it is effectively isolated from the public. In other words, the line is isolated because it’s not readily accessible to people.

Electric companies in Louisiana are also legally required to routinely inspect their lines to ensure they remain isolated. Over time, the rubber insulation that coats a wire and makes it safer for the public may deteriorate. Likewise, an overhead electrical line, once “insulated by isolation,” may begin to sag dangerously close to the ground. Utility companies are required by law to catch and fix these problems before they result in personal injury or wrongful death.

Utility company cases frequently involve determining whether a dangerous condition existed long enough to have been discovered during routine inspections. Evidence such as inspection records, maintenance logs, vegetation management practices, engineering reports, and prior complaints may all become important when evaluating whether a utility company met its legal obligations.

Filing Electrical Injury Lawsuits Against Utility Companies

Building a successful electrical accident case often begins long before a lawsuit is filed. Utility companies and other large corporations often begin their own investigations immediately after a serious incident, so injured individuals can benefit from having their own experienced legal representation as early as possible. 

Electric utility companies are heavily regulated because they operate inherently dangerous electrical systems. Yet, like many large corporations, they are also profit-driven businesses. When companies fail to properly inspect, maintain, or replace aging electrical equipment, preventable hazards can develop, placing workers and the public at risk of serious injury or death.

Following a serious electrocution or electrical accident, utility companies often dispatch investigators to the scene within hours to photograph evidence, inspect equipment, interview witnesses, and evaluate potential liability. Their attorneys and insurance representatives begin preparing a legal defense almost immediately.

For injured victims and their families, this creates an uneven playing field. While corporate investigators work to protect the company’s interests, critical evidence may disappear, accident scenes may change, and memories can fade. Having an experienced electrical accident attorney involved early helps ensure evidence is preserved, independent experts can conduct their own investigation, and your interests are protected from the very beginning.

At Herman, Katz, Gisleson & Cain (HKGC), we have extensive experience representing victims in complex electrical accident litigation, including claims against utility companies. Our attorneys work with engineering, safety, and medical experts to investigate how an accident occurred, identify every responsible party, and pursue the full compensation our clients deserve. We are proud to have obtained some of the highest recorded verdicts in Louisiana involving electrical accident cases.

Finding a Louisiana Electrical Accident Attorney

In an ideal world, utility companies, employers, and insurers would pay electrical accident victims fair compensation for the current and future costs of their injuries and other damages, such as emotional suffering. But this rarely happens without the help of an electrical accident attorney. Finding a Louisiana electrical accident attorney immediately following an accident is crucial to ensure your rights are protected and proper compensation is paid.

The fact is that electrical accidents are usually preventable. The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), Louisiana Overhead Power Line Safety Act (LOPLSA), and National Electrical Code (NEC), combined with workplace safety practices, aim to reduce the risk of electricity-related accidents. However, electrical injuries happen far more often than they should in Louisiana and throughout the U.S., and victims deserve to be compensated for the full impact they have on their lives.

If you or a family member has been severely injured in an electrical accident, the attorneys at HKGC are here to help. Learn about your legal rights from our experienced New Orleans electrocution lawyers by calling 504-581-4892, using our live chat now, or by filling out our free, no-obligation case review form.