When a High-Voltage Shock or Chemical Exposure Changes Everything

Electrical & Chemical Burn Injury Lawyers for Serious Burns

You reached for a tool. You touched a panel. Or you stood near gear that flashed. In a split second, everything changed.

Maybe a shock stopped your heart for a moment. Maybe an arc flash reached thousands of degrees. It burned skin you can no longer feel. Maybe a chemical splash kept eating into tissue long after you rinsed it.

Now you face surgeries and lost work. Your body no longer does what it used to.

Did a serious shock, an arc-flash blast, or a harsh chemical cause deep, permanent burns? If so, you may have a legal claim against whoever caused it. Sometimes more than one party is at fault. Sometimes your claim goes beyond workers’ comp.

This page explains what these injuries and claims involve. It uses plain language. You don’t need to know any legal terms to read it.

We focus on catastrophic, life-altering burns. That means third- and fourth-degree burns and deep-tissue damage. It also means injuries that need skin grafts or amputation. And it means burns that cause permanent disability or death. We take cases across the country from our Florida base, in English and Spanish.

Request a free, confidential case evaluation — no cost, no obligation.

Who This Is For

This is legal help for people with severe electrical or chemical burns. It is also for families whose loved one was killed by one.

We help people hurt by:

• Electrical injuries — electrocution, arc flash, arc blast, and high- or low-voltage contact
• Chemical burns — acids, alkalis, industrial solvents, and other harsh exposures

We also represent families who bring a wrongful-death claim. That is a lawsuit filed by the family after a fatal burn. A death is the most catastrophic outcome there is.

This service is not for minor burns. We do not handle small first-degree or surface burns that heal on their own. We handle permanent, disabling harm.

We take cases nationwide. We welcome Florida readers in Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville.

What Makes These Burns So Serious

Electrical injuries are often far worse than they look. A small mark on the skin can hide serious internal damage. The current travels through muscle, nerves, and organs. It follows the easiest path and cooks tissue deep inside.

That is why the American Burn Association treats electrical injury as its own category. It is also why current through the chest can cause cardiac arrest or dangerous heart rhythms.

There are a few main types:

• Contact burns — current enters the body where you touch a live source
• Arc/flash burns — heat from an electrical arc burns the skin. An arc flash can reach far hotter than the surface of the sun (roughly 35,000°F), per OSHA guidance on arc-flash hazards
• Arc blast — the explosive pressure wave of an arc. It can throw the body and cause blunt trauma, hearing loss, and fractures
• Internal injury — current that damages muscle, nerves, and the heart. It can cause rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown) and kidney injury

Chemical burns happen when acids or alkalis destroy tissue on contact. Alkalis, like lye or industrial drain cleaner, cause “liquefactive necrosis.” That means they keep burning deeper until neutralized. Chemical exposure can also permanently injure the eyes and lungs.

A burn becomes catastrophic when it causes full-thickness (third-degree) or fourth-degree damage. It is also catastrophic when it requires amputation. The same is true when it leaves permanent nerve damage or severe scarring, causes brain or heart damage from electrocution, or ends in death.

See our related guides on severe burn injuries, amputation injuries, and traumatic brain injury.

“I Got Shocked at Work — Can I Still Sue?”

This is the question we hear most. The answer confuses a lot of injured workers. Here is the plain version.

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. It pays for your medical care and part of your lost wages after a job injury. It pays no matter who was at fault. In exchange, you usually cannot sue your own employer for negligence. This is Florida’s workers’-comp “exclusive remedy” rule (see Fla. Stat. §440.11).

But that is not the end of it. Did someone other than your employer cause your injury? If so, you may bring a separate third-party liability lawsuit against them. A third party is any person or company that is not your employer.

That claim can seek money workers’ comp does not pay. This includes full lost earning power, pain and suffering, and scarring. Third parties in burn cases often include:

• The manufacturer of a defective tool, battery, charger, or machine
• An outside contractor or subcontractor who created the hazard on the jobsite
• A utility or power company with dangerous lines or equipment
• A property owner who left electrical hazards exposed or stored chemicals unsafely

So a worker shocked on the job can often collect workers’ comp and pursue a third-party lawsuit at the same time. One note: the comp insurer may later ask for repayment from a third-party recovery. This is called a “lien,” and your lawyer negotiates it.

How These Injuries Happen — and Who May Be Responsible

More than one party can be legally responsible for a serious burn. Often, more than one is. Common causes include:

• Workplace and jobsite accidents — exposed wiring, unguarded equipment, or missing lockout/tagout steps (required under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147), or contact with overhead power lines
• Defective or dangerous products — faulty appliances, chargers, lithium batteries, power tools, or industrial machines
• Unsafe property — hazards left exposed or chemicals stored unsafely
• Utility and power-company negligence — dangerous lines or equipment
• Construction and contractor mistakes — unsafe wiring or work conditions
• Truck and motor-vehicle crashes — fires, fuel, or hazardous-material spills; see our truck accidents page

What Compensation Can Cover

There is no fixed amount for a burn claim. Value depends on how severe and permanent the injury is. It also depends on the losses it caused. Compensation may cover:

• Medical care — emergency treatment, burn-unit hospital stays, and long-term care
• Skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, plus future procedures
• Rehabilitation and prosthetics
• Lost wages and lost future earning power
• Home and vehicle changes and in-home care
• Pain, suffering, scarring, and reduced quality of life
• Wrongful-death damages for families — funeral costs, lost support, and loss of companionship

A note on settlement math. People ask how much they would actually keep. Your net depends on three things: your fee agreement, your medical bills, and any liens. Liens are repayment claims from health insurers, a workers’-comp carrier, or providers. A lawyer explains all of this up front. We never promise a specific result. The law does not allow it.

If your loved one died, our catastrophic injury claims team can explain a family’s rights.

How Our Process Works

1. Free case evaluation. We listen, answer questions, and tell you whether you likely have a claim. No cost, no obligation.
2. Investigation. We move fast to save evidence — the product, the equipment, the scene. We gather incident and OSHA reports to find everyone who may be responsible.
3. Proving the injury. We work with burn specialists and electrical or engineering experts. They help document hidden internal damage and show what caused it.
4. Building and filing the claim. We prepare the demand, handle the insurers, and negotiate.
5. Settlement or trial. Many cases settle. If a fair settlement is not offered, we are prepared to go to court.

Deadlines matter. In Florida, most negligence claims that arise on or after March 24, 2023 have a two-year deadline under Fla. Stat. §95.11. A product-liability claim and a workers’-comp claim can have different deadlines. So treat every date as urgent. Calling early also protects evidence before equipment is repaired or thrown away.

Our fee. We work on a contingency fee. That means no upfront cost. You pay a fee only if we recover money in your case. We put the terms in writing before you sign.

Why Work With CHG Personal Injury Lawyers

We focus on catastrophic, life-altering injuries — not everyday cases.

• Licensed attorneys admitted to The Florida Bar, handling cases nationwide
• Experience with complex burn cases, working with medical and technical experts to prove hidden internal damage and causation
• Bilingual English/Spanish support and clear, plain-language communication
• Direct service — you will always understand where your case stands

We follow The Florida Bar’s advertising rules. We make no guaranteed outcomes. We make no “best” or “#1” claims. For general help choosing a lawyer, see The Florida Bar’s consumer resources.

Florida also uses a modified comparative-negligence rule under Fla. Stat. §768.81. Someone found more than 50% at fault usually recovers nothing. Any award is reduced by your share of fault. We explain how this may affect your case.

Contact us for a free case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to a Burn Injury Lawyer — Free, Confidential Case Evaluation

A serious burn changes everything — your body, your work, and your family’s future. You do not have to sort out your legal options alone.

We will review what happened and explain your rights. We will tell you honestly whether we think you have a claim. The review is free, confidential, and carries no obligation. We help clients nationwide, in English and Spanish.

Start your free case evaluation now. You can also explore our severe burn injuries and catastrophic injury claims resources.