
Justice for Electrical Injury Victims in Austin
An electric shock can cause serious and catastrophic injuries and even death. When it’s caused by negligence—from an unsafe work site, a defective product, or a downed power line—you deserve justice.
The Austin electrocution injury attorneys at LGR have the specific knowledge to investigate these complex cases and hold the responsible parties accountable. We fight to secure the maximum compensation for your recovery. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
Understanding Electric Shock & Electrocution Injuries
While often used interchangeably, “electric shock” refers to a non-fatal injury from electrical current, while “electrocution” refers to a fatal outcome. Regardless of the label, contact with electricity causes unique, severe trauma that goes far beyond surface burns.
The Hidden Internal Damage of Electrical Injuries
The human body is an excellent conductor, meaning the electrical current travels rapidly through tissues, destroying internal systems along its path to ground. External entry and exit wounds may appear minor, yet the current’s true damage is internal and delayed.
- Cardiovascular Disruption: The current can disrupt the heart’s natural electrical rhythm, causing ventricular fibrillation (cardiac arrest) or long-term arrhythmias.
- Neurological Damage: Electricity attacks the nervous system, leading to chronic pain, permanent nerve damage, numbness, muscle weakness, and cognitive deficits.
- Tissue Destruction: Internal heat generated by the current can cause massive muscle and organ destruction, sometimes leading to kidney failure or necessitating limb amputation.
Long-Term Effects of Electrical Shock
Surviving a non-fatal electrical shock often means facing a battle for physical and mental restoration that lasts decades. The damage to the nervous system is rarely visible, often manifesting as neurological complications.
Furthermore, survivors frequently experience profound psychological distress, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe depression.
An Austin electrical injury accident attorney must consult life-care planners and neurologists to project the massive cost of long-term rehabilitation and future lost earning capacity, ensuring the survivor’s financial future is secured.
LGR’s Austin Electrocution Injury Lawyers Are Here for You
Electrocution and severe electrical shock injuries are catastrophic events that require a strategic legal approach. These cases involve complex technical evidence and often lead to devastating, “invisible” injuries like nerve and brain damage.
At LGR, our process is specifically designed to uncover the technical negligence that caused the harm and to prove the full, often hidden, extent of our clients’ injuries.
Immediate Investigation with Engineering and Code Experts
What makes our approach unique is our rapid deployment of technical specialists. The moment we are retained, we dispatch a team of electrical engineers and workplace safety (OSHA) experts to the scene.
Our mission is to investigate violations of safety standards and to preserve critical evidence—such as faulty wiring, defective equipment, or downed power lines—before it can be repaired, altered, or removed by the negligent party.
Specialized Medical Analysis for Invisible Injuries
Our focus extends beyond visible burns. We understand that the most severe damage from an electrical shock is often internal. We work closely with leading neurologists, cardiologists, and neuropsychologists to document the full extent of the harm.
A specialized medical analysis is essential for proving the true, lifelong impact of the injury and securing the full compensation you deserve.
Compensation in Austin Electrocution Injury Cases
A severe electrical injury can cause catastrophic, often “invisible,” damage that requires a lifetime of specialized medical care and financial support. Texas law allows victims to seek comprehensive compensation, known as damages, to cover the full extent of these devastating losses.
Economic Losses
Economic losses cover all the verifiable financial costs related to your injury, both immediate and long-term. Because electrocution can cause complex medical issues, these damages are extensive.
This includes compensation for initial hospitalization, specialized care from neurologists and cardiologists, ongoing physical and occupational therapy, lost wages from missed work, and any diminished future earning capacity if you suffer from permanent cognitive or physical impairments.
Non-Economic Losses
Non-economic losses are intended to compensate you for the profound, intangible suffering the electrical injury has caused. This is a critical component of your claim, covering the chronic nerve pain, cognitive difficulties like memory loss, and the severe emotional trauma, including PTSD and anxiety.
Non-economic damages also address any visible scarring from electrical burns and the overall loss of enjoyment of life due to permanent limitations.
Punitive Damages
In cases where the defendant’s conduct was grossly negligent, Texas courts may award punitive damages. These are not meant to compensate you, but to punish the wrongdoer for their reckless disregard for safety.
For example, if a construction company willfully ignored established electrical safety protocols, or a utility company failed to maintain its power lines despite knowing of a danger, punitive damages may be sought to deter such dangerous behavior in the future.
Who Can Be Held Liable in Electrical Shock Cases in Austin?
In Austin electrical injury cases, liability is established by proving negligence—that a party failed in its duty of care to protect others from a foreseeable electrical hazard. Successfully recovering compensation often involves suing multiple entities, which requires the experience of an Austin electrocution attorney.
Multi-Party Negligence in Electric Shock Cases
The complex nature of electrical systems means multiple parties may share fault, creating a third-party liability claim, which is especially important in workplace and construction accidents.
Liable parties in Austin electrical shock cases may include:
- Utility/Power Companies: Liable for injuries caused by exposed or downed power lines, faulty transformers, or failure to properly inspect and maintain vegetation near electrical infrastructure
- Property Owners/Landlords: Liable under premises liability if they knew or should have known about a hazard like faulty wiring, outlets that are not code compliant (lacking GFCIs), or exposed electrical components on their residential or commercial premises
- Construction Companies/General Contractors: Liable for accidents on job sites due to OSHA violations, failure to provide proper training, or failure to implement mandatory lockout/tagout safety procedures
- Subcontractors/Electricians: Liable if the injury resulted from negligent installation, unpermitted electrical work, or failure to follow the electrical codes
- Product Manufacturers: Liable if a defective appliance, power tool, or electrical component caused the shock under product liability law
Common Causes of Electrocution Injury in Austin, TX
Electrocution and severe electrical shock injuries are among the most devastating and preventable accidents. In Austin, these incidents often occur on construction sites, near power lines, or due to faulty products, and are almost always the result of negligence.
Understanding the cause is the first step in holding the responsible parties accountable for the catastrophic harm they have caused. Common causes of electrocution injuries in Austin include:
- Workplace Accidents: Construction workers are at high risk from accidental contact with overhead power lines, using defective power tools, and employers failing to follow critical safety procedures like lockout/tagout.
- Defective Products: Poorly designed or manufactured consumer electronics, appliances, and tools can have faulty wiring or inadequate insulation, creating a serious risk of electrical shock for unsuspecting users.
- Contact with Downed Power Lines: After storms or car accidents, live power lines can fall into public areas. Contact with these lines is often fatal and can point to negligence on the part of the utility company.
- Premises Liability: Exposed or faulty wiring in residential or commercial buildings, which violates electrical codes, can lead to severe shock injuries for which the property owner is liable.
- Improper Electrical Work: Negligent repairs or installation by an electrician can create hidden, life-threatening electrical hazards within a property’s walls or systems.
Electrocution Injury FAQ
Can I sue a landlord for an electrical shock injury in my apartment?
Why do I need a lawyer for an electrocution injury case?
What evidence is critical to secure immediately after an electrical injury?
