Hurt by Electricity in Lauderhill? You Do Not Have to Face the Aftermath Alone

Electrocution Injuries in Lauderhill: Your Options After an Electrical Injury

If electricity hurt you or someone you love in Lauderhill, you may have legal options. Electrocution injuries in Lauderhill can happen in a second. They can change a family’s life just as fast.

This guide explains where these injuries happen around Lauderhill. It also covers what they can do to the body and the family. And it explains how Florida law looks at responsibility and deadlines.

How Electrocution Injuries Happen in Lauderhill

Electrocution happens when electric current passes through the body. It can take less than a second. There is often no warning.

Three everyday situations show how it happens:

• A worker touches an overhead line while moving a ladder or a length of pipe.
• A resident plugs in a space heater with a cracked cord and feels a jolt.
• A visitor steps onto a wet deck near a pool and touches a fixture that should not be live.

Lauderhill has single-family homes, apartment communities, shopping centers and active construction. Electrical hazards can show up in all of them. They are not only a problem on job sites.

Storm season adds risk. Wind and heavy rain can bring lines down. A downed line can look harmless when it isn’t. Stay back, keep others away, and call 911.

Busy outdoor spaces carry their own risks. On a warm weekend, families gather at Central Broward Regional Park. Lighting, wet ground and portable equipment can all share the same space.

Damage is often hidden inside walls, panels and cords. A problem may not be obvious until someone is hurt.

Construction Sites, Power Lines and Work-Related Electrocution

A worker hurt by electricity on the job may be able to get workers’ compensation benefits. These are insurance payments for injuries that happen at work.

Common job-site hazards include:

• Contact with overhead or buried power lines
• Missing or improper grounding (grounding gives electric current a safe path into the earth)
• Damaged cords and tools
• Work too close to energized parts (parts that carry electric current)

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) describes employer duties for workplace safety. Electrical work is one area where those duties matter.

Construction zone accidents often involve several parties. A general contractor, a subcontractor, an equipment owner and a property owner may each have a role in the work. One incident can raise more than one question. Each party’s role is part of the picture.

Florida’s workers’ compensation law works differently from an ordinary injury claim. Under Fla. Stat. § 440.11, an employer’s liability is generally exclusive. That means workers’ compensation is generally the only remedy against the employer. It takes the place of all other liability of that employer, including vicarious liability (legal responsibility for another person’s actions).

The statute lists exceptions. One exception covers certain intentional torts, which are deliberate wrongdoing. This exception requires clear and convincing evidence, a high level of proof.

Report the incident to your employer right away. Keep a copy of any incident report you receive.

Electrical Hazards on Rental and Multi-Unit Property

A tenant, guest or visitor hurt by a building’s wiring may have a claim against the property owner or manager. The answer turns on what was known and what was done about it.

Examples include:

• Exposed wiring on a stairwell
• A burnt or open breaker box
• Outlets that spark or buzz
• A pool light with a cracked lens or loose fixture

These problems can appear in apartment complexes and rental homes alike. Stay away from exposed wiring. Tell the manager in writing.

Questions that often come up after an injury include:

• What did the owner or manager know?
• When did they know it?
• What did they do in response?

Records can matter a great deal. Repair requests, maintenance logs, tenant complaints, texts, emails and photos can show what was reported and when. Keep your lease and every message with the manager.

What Electrocution Can Do to the Body and the Family

Electrical injuries can cause deep burns, heart rhythm problems, nerve damage and injuries from falls caused by the shock. Some effects are not obvious at first.

Severe electrical trauma can lead to lasting outcomes. These include spinal cord injury, amputation or long-term disability.

Follow your doctors’ care. Keep a folder with every appointment note, test result, prescription and bill. These records help show the full impact of the injury.

When an electrical accident takes a life, the family left behind may have legal options. Florida law provides ways for the family to pursue a claim after a death. A lawyer can review with the family who may bring a claim and what losses can be sought.

Responsibility, Evidence and Florida Deadlines

Responsibility depends on the facts. Those facts include who controlled the equipment, the property or the work.

Florida law also looks at how fault is shared among the people involved. Under Fla. Stat. § 768.81, in a negligence action to which this section applies, a party found more than 50 percent at fault for its own harm may not recover any damages. Fla. Stat. § 768.81 reads: “This subsection does not apply to an action for damages for personal injury or wrongful death arising out of medical negligence pursuant to chapter 766.”

This rule does not apply to personal injury or wrongful death actions arising out of medical negligence under chapter 766.

Evidence can make or break a claim. Save these items if you can:

• Photos of the scene, the wiring and the equipment
• Incident reports and the names of witnesses
• Utility or inspection records
• Repair requests and maintenance messages
• The damaged cord, plug or device, which should not be repaired or thrown away

Deadlines apply to every case. They vary by type of claim. For example, Fla. Stat. § 95.11 sets time limits for medical malpractice actions. Contact a lawyer promptly. This helps protect evidence and time limits.

Talk With CHG Personal Injury Lawyers About Your Electrical Injury

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. It handles personal injury cases of every severity, including electrocution injuries, for people across Florida.

Igor Hernandez is the responsible lawyer for this page. The firm’s attorneys are licensed in Florida.

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

If an electrical shock has changed your life, or your family is facing a loss in Lauderhill, you don’t have to decide everything today. Contact CHG Personal Injury Lawyers to talk through what happened and what comes next.

A Spanish-language version of this guide is planned. Its required disclosures will appear in both languages.