Hurt by Electricity? You Do Not Have to Figure Out the Next Steps Alone

Electrocution Injuries Tamiami: Florida Guide for Injured People and Families

Electrocution injuries can happen in Tamiami when electric current passes through the body. If someone else’s carelessness caused the shock, the injured person or family may have a claim under Florida law.

Miami Dolphins fans know a comeback takes time and a clear game plan. Recovering from an electrical injury works the same way. You take it one step at a time.

Electrocution Injuries Tamiami: What to Do If You Were Shocked

If you were shocked or electrocuted in Tamiami, get medical care first. Do this even if you feel fine.

The shock may have come from a pool pump in your backyard. It may have happened when a ladder touched a line on a job site. Or a metal gate may have become charged during a summer storm.

Whatever happened, you may feel scared about your body, your job, and your family. That fear is normal.

The first hours matter. A shock can affect the heart and nerves in ways that are not obvious at the scene. A shock that seems minor that day can still be serious.

Ask a doctor to check you, even if the burn looks small. Follow your doctors’ care. This page does not give medical advice.

Families feel this too. A parent, spouse, or adult child may end up handling bills, work schedules, and daily care all at once.

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. We represent people hurt in these incidents and the families of people who died. Our team can help you understand what happened and what you can do next.

What Electric Shock Does to the Body

Electric current can injure the heart, nerves, muscles, and tissue. These injuries often do not show on the skin. FloridaHealthFinder’s electrical injury entry covers causes, effects, symptoms, and first aid for electrical shock.

A shock often has an entry point and an exit point. Current can travel through the body between those points. Along that path, it can damage tissue you cannot see from outside.

That is why a small-looking wound can hide serious internal harm.

Electrical arc flashes are a different danger. An arc flash is a sudden burst of intense energy. It can cause severe burns. OSHA’s arc flash hazards page describes how these burns happen.

Some symptoms can appear hours or days after a shock. A doctor should check any shock, even a mild one. Tell your doctor about every symptom you notice, including ones that show up later.

Electrical Hazards Along Tamiami Trail and Nearby Neighborhoods

Electrical hazards in Tamiami often come from roadside work, storms, outdoor wiring, and older buildings. Along Tamiami Trail (US-41) and the SW 8th Street corridor, crews may work near overhead lines, cranes, and ladders.

A tool or ladder that touches a live line can injure a worker or a passerby in an instant. OSHA’s electrical safety guidance covers common workplace causes of electrical injuries.

Storm season adds another risk. Summer thunderstorms bring lightning, wet ground, and standing water. A yard, parking lot, or sidewalk can become dangerous quickly. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s electrical hazards safety page covers electrical shock risks and general safety steps.

Homes have their own risks. In many yards, pool pumps, outdoor lights, and outdoor outlets sit close to water and damp ground.

Rental houses and older commercial buildings may have wiring that has not been updated. A tenant cannot always see when old wiring is failing. These problems often stay hidden until someone gets hurt.

Who May Be Responsible

Responsibility can fall on several parties. These include a property owner, a general contractor, and a subcontractor. A subcontractor is a company hired by the main contractor to do part of the work. Responsibility can also fall on an equipment maker or a utility.

It depends on the facts.

Each claim turns on three questions:

• Who did the work?
• Who controlled the equipment?
• What went wrong?

Records that show who installed, repaired, or maintained the equipment can help answer these questions.

Florida divides fault by percentage. Under § 768.81, a court enters judgment against each liable party. The judgment is based on that party’s percentage of fault.

This is not joint and several liability. When more than one party may share responsibility for an accident, how that responsibility is divided can affect a claim, and an attorney can explain how it applies to your situation.

Under the same statute, a party found more than 50 percent at fault for their own harm may not recover any damages in a negligence action. This subsection does not apply to an action for damages for personal injury or wrongful death arising out of medical negligence under chapter 766.

Contractors face an added rule. This applies in an action against a contractor for injuries caused by the contractor’s negligence, malfeasance, or misfeasance. It applies if the contractor is neither certified by the state nor licensed under the laws of the municipality or county where it works.

If you were working, workers’ compensation is its own system. Under § 440.11, an employer’s liability in that system is exclusive. That means it is the only liability, with listed exceptions. This generally shuts the door on suing your own employer.

A contractor, equipment maker, or other outside party is a separate question.

Remember that a lawsuit makes allegations. Those allegations must be proven.

Injuries and Losses a Claim May Cover

In a wrongful death claim, survivors may seek several kinds of losses. These can include the value of lost support and services. They can include mental pain and suffering where the law allows it. They can also include medical or funeral expenses the family paid.

Serious electrical injuries can involve severe burns, nerve damage, amputation (loss of a limb), paralysis, or brain injury.

Some of these injuries last for years. They can change work, family roles, and daily routines. Lost income can include work you can no longer do, not only pay you missed. Your doctors can explain your own medical picture.

Medical bills follow a specific rule. Under § 768.0427, evidence offered to prove the amount of damages for medical treatment that has already been satisfied is limited to the amount actually paid, regardless of the source of payment. Unpaid charges and future care are addressed by other parts of the same section.

Families may bring wrongful death claims. A wrongful death claim is a case brought after a person dies because of another’s wrongful act or negligence.

Under § 768.19, a person whose wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty causes a death can be liable for damages. This applies if the injured person could have recovered damages had death not occurred. It applies even if the death happened under circumstances that constitute a felony. It applies even though the injured person has died.

Florida calls this law the Florida Wrongful Death Act.

Under § 768.21, family members may recover certain losses:

• A surviving spouse may recover for lost companionship and protection, and for mental pain and suffering.
• Minor children, and all children of the decedent if there is no surviving spouse, may recover for lost parental companionship, instruction, and guidance.
• Each parent of a deceased minor child may recover for mental pain and suffering.

Families often ask what they can do next. The answer starts with deadlines and evidence.

Florida Deadlines and Evidence to Protect

Florida law sets a deadline for filing a lawsuit. The length depends on the type of claim. § 95.11 lists the time limits for different kinds of actions.

Deadlines apply, and other deadlines can apply too. Contact our firm promptly so you understand your own timeline. Waiting can make evidence harder to gather.

Evidence to preserve:

• Photos of the scene, the equipment, the outlet, or the power line
• Medical records, bills, and notes from emergency or follow-up visits
• Incident, work, or repair reports
• Names and phone numbers of anyone who saw what happened
• Utility notices, permits, or maintenance records

Keep a simple log of your symptoms, appointments, and missed work. Do not repair, throw away, or change the equipment or the scene until it has been documented.

Frequently Asked Questions About Electrocution Claims

How CHG Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. We serve people across Florida. Igor Hernandez is the responsible lawyer for this page. Our attorneys are licensed and admitted to The Florida Bar.

The firm offers a free first consultation. It is confidential and carries no obligation to continue. Our team will review what happened. That includes the property, the work, and the equipment involved.

Families who have lost someone can talk with us about the questions ahead. Our focus is on the family left behind.

If a shock at a Tamiami home, job site, or roadside has left you or someone you love facing a hard recovery, contact CHG Personal Injury Lawyers and ask for a free case evaluation.