Hurt by Electricity in Delray Beach? You Don't Have to Face the Aftermath Alone

Electrical shocks can burn the skin. They can also damage tissue deeper in the body. This can happen even when the outside looks minor.

If you were hurt by electricity in Delray Beach, Florida law may give you options.

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based personal injury firm. We represent people throughout Florida, including Delray Beach and Palm Beach County.

Delray Beach has many places where power and water meet. Electricity is never far away. It can be present in the crowds on Atlantic Avenue or on the docks along the Intracoastal Waterway.

This guide explains how electrical injuries happen. It also explains why symptoms can be delayed. Finally, it explains how a claim may work.

What an Electrical Injury Does to the Body

An electrical injury can burn the skin where current enters and leaves the body. It can also damage tissue under the skin. Tissue is the body’s soft inner material.

The StatPearls overview of electrical injuries describes these injuries as a unique kind of trauma. They are different from a blunt blow or a puncture wound.

Electricity most often affects the heart’s rhythm and the nervous system. The heart’s rhythm is its steady beat.

A small entry mark does not show what is happening inside the body. Only a medical evaluation can show that.

Follow your doctors’ care. This page is general information, not medical advice.

Electric Shock or Electrocution: What the Words Mean

An electric shock is any contact with electrical current. “Electrocution” is the word people use when a shock causes death.

Doctors call the broader problem an electrical injury. How serious it is depends on three things:

• How much current passed through the body
• The path the current took
• How long the contact lasted

FloridaHealthFinder’s electrical injury entry covers causes, effects, symptoms, and first-aid steps for electric shock.

The law looks at these injuries in two ways. A shock that leaves someone hurt can lead to a claim. A shock that causes a death can also lead to a claim. The two routes are different.

• An injury claim is brought by the person who was hurt.
• A wrongful death claim is brought by a family after a death.

How Electrical Injuries Happen in Delray Beach

Electrical injuries in Delray Beach usually follow a few repeated patterns. The most common involve:

• Construction sites
• Temporary power on wet ground
• Exposed wiring
• Waterfront equipment

Construction sites. Overhead and buried power lines can be hard to see. A crane, ladder, or metal pipe that touches a power line can carry current to a worker. Cords and generators run across damp ground add more risk.

OSHA’s arc flash hazards page explains that arc flash can cause burn injuries. Arc flash is a sudden, high-energy electrical blast.

Homes and commercial buildings. The risks here are quieter. Exposed wiring, faulty outlets, and light fixtures can shock people without warning.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s electrical hazards guidance describes shock risks and common wiring hazards in homes and buildings.

Electrical work done without permits or inspection is another concern. No one may have checked it.

Marinas and docks. Power and water meet here. Shore power, dock lights, and pool or fountain equipment near water can all carry risk.

These are risk patterns. They are not descriptions of any particular site or event.

For a related guide, see our electric shock injury guide for West Palm Beach.

Who Is at Risk and Why It Matters

Construction workers, trades workers, maintenance crews, and boaters often face higher risk. Children can also be at risk near equipment that is damaged or left unshielded.

Florida treats trespassers differently. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.075, an owner generally has no duty to warn an undiscovered trespasser of dangers.

For a discovered trespasser, the owner must warn of known dangers that are not easy to see. The statute keeps liability for intentional misconduct. For discovered trespassers, it also keeps liability for gross negligence. Gross negligence means conduct that shows a serious disregard for safety.

How the rules apply depends on the facts of each case.

When Symptoms Can Appear and Why Timing Matters

Some symptoms show up right away. Others can appear later. Heart rhythm problems and nerve symptoms are examples.

The StatPearls overview notes that these effects need medical attention. This is true even when the first signs seem mild.

If you were shocked, get a medical evaluation, even if you feel fine. Tell the doctor exactly what happened and where the contact occurred. Clear details help the medical team.

Evidence matters too. Keep these items:

• Photos of the scene
• Names and contact details of witnesses
• The exact location
• Any incident or repair records

Write down what you remember while it is fresh. Medical records and a timeline of your symptoms both matter when a claim is reviewed.

Who May Be Responsible in a Florida Electrical Injury Claim

Depending on what happened, responsible parties may include:

• A property owner
• A contractor or subcontractor
• An electrician
• A product maker

Insurers and the parties often disagree about who caused what.

Florida compares fault among everyone involved. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, in a negligence action a party found greater than 50 percent at fault for their own harm may not recover any damages, but this bar does not apply to an action for personal injury or wrongful death arising out of medical negligence under chapter 766.

This applies if the contractor is neither state-certified nor licensed under local law.

This is one reason to ask who did the electrical or construction work.

Florida’s filing deadlines are set out in Fla. Stat. § 95.11. Missing a deadline can end a claim. Do not wait.

Facing an insurance company by yourself can be hard.

Options for Electrical Accident Victims and Families in Delray Beach

If you were hurt, you may have a personal injury claim. If a loved one died, the family may have a wrongful death claim.

• Under Fla. Stat. § 768.19, a person whose negligence causes a death may be liable under the Florida Wrongful Death Act.
• Under Fla. Stat. § 768.20, the decedent’s personal representative brings the action for the survivors and the estate.
• Under Fla. Stat. § 768.21, a surviving spouse may recover for loss of companionship and for mental pain and suffering.

Minor children and parents may recover for certain losses too.

A consultation can cover what happened, the injuries and medical care, and who may be involved.

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. Igor Hernandez is the responsible attorney for this page. We represent clients throughout Florida, including Delray Beach and Palm Beach County.

CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery. The first consultation is free, confidential, and without obligation.

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