Each day, millions of employees go to work with the expectation that they will return home safely at the end of the shift. This is not always the case, however, and many employees unfortunately are injured while performing the duties of their job. Some professions pose a higher risk of certain types of injuries. For example, construction workers, firefighters, medical workers, and electricians face a higher risk of electrocution or electric shock injuries. Electric shock injuries can be very painful and have lasting effects on quality of life and ability to earn an income. If you sustained an electric shock injury in the workplace, your employer is most likely required to provide you with workers’ compensation benefits. A knowledgeable Riverside and San Bernardino County work injury lawyer may assist you with pursuing workers’ compensation benefits following an electrocution or electric shock to ensure that you are adequately compensated.
The attorneys at Law Office of Joseph Richards, P.C. are aggressive advocates for injured workers and vigorously pursue workers’ compensation benefits on their behalf. Our main office is located in Orange County, and we have a second location in Riverside County.
An electric shock can be anything from a seemingly harmless jolt to a deadly shock. Electric shock injuries occur when a person comes into contact with an electrical current. They are frequently caused by unsafe equipment, such as exposed live wires or machinery with an active current. You are not required to show that your employer’s negligent failure to provide a safe workplace caused your electric shock injury to recover workers’ compensation benefits, however, and you may most likely recover benefits regardless of who was at fault for your injury. This is true even if you caused the injury through your own carelessness.
An electric shock can often result in very serious injuries, such as a heart attack, brain damage, seizures, nerve damage, or damage to internal organs. Electric shocks can also cause burns and scarring. In addition to the immediate injuries caused by exposure to the electrical current, victims who experience an electric shock may face long-term health issues. For example, a person who has experienced an electric shock may suffer from muscle pain, headaches, fatigue, and balance problems months or years after the shock occurred. The magnitude of electric shock injuries is not always readily observable, and the severity of the symptoms may not directly correlate to the strength of the electrical current that the injured person contacted. Due to the complex nature of the long-term problems caused by electric shock injuries, injured workers may face difficulties in proving that their injuries were caused by the electric contact. As a result, if you suffered a workplace electric shock injury, you should seek the assistance of a skilled workers’ compensation attorney to prevent your claim from being undervalued.
In some cases, a person is unable to withstand the electric shock and suffers death by electrocution. Electrocution is one of the most common causes of workplace fatalities. If your spouse died due to a work-related electrocution, you are entitled to recover benefits. Death benefits are paid to surviving spouses and dependents who meet certain criteria. The total amount recoverable depends on the number of dependents whom the deceased person supported. Death benefits are paid out in installments, similar to disability benefits. Surviving dependents are also entitled to reasonable burial expenses.
You may be entitled to recover the cost of any medical treatment that you undergo following your electric shock injury, as well as the cost of transportation to and from medical appointments. If you are unable to work following your injury, you may also be entitled to recover disability benefits. The amount and duration of the disability benefits that you receive depends on whether your disability is partial or total, and whether it is temporary or permanent. If you cannot return to your prior position, you may also be entitled to receive benefits that assist you with obtaining training in a new field.
The attorneys at Law Office of Joseph Richards, P.C. are mindful of how overwhelming it can be to try to recover workers’ compensation benefits while healing from an injury. We hope to ease the burden caused by your injury by helping you recover the benefits that you are rightfully owed. We have an office in Orange County and another office in Riverside County and regularly represent individuals seeking workers’ compensation benefits in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Irvine, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, El Centro, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and San Diego. We assist injured workers in other cities in Orange, Riverside, Imperial, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties as well. Contact us at (888) 883-6588 or via our online form to set up a consultation.