Are you looking for free legal advice about an electric shock injury? Were you injured in an accident at work, in a public place or in a road traffic accident because of someone else’s negligence? If so, this guide can help you learn how to make a personal injury claim for compensation.
In this guide, we’ll explain how you could have grounds to make a claim if a third party breaches their duty of care to you and you suffer as a result. We’ll also explain how our panel of personal injury lawyers could help you get the compensation you deserve by handling your claim on a No Win No Fee basis, using an example case study where a claimant won £24,000 to illustrate.
Alternatively, you can always reach out to our team of specialist advisors today if you’re interested in getting a free consultation. Whether you’re wondering if you have grounds to make a claim or would like to see how our panel of personal injury lawyers could help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch:
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Fill out a contact form online
- Use our live chat feature
Select a Section
- A Guide To Claiming Compensation Payouts For An Electric Shock Injury
- What Is An Electric Shock Injury?
- How Can You Suffer An Electric Shock Injury At Work?
- Electric Shock Injury In A Public Place
- How Can You Suffer An Electric Shock Injury In A Road Traffic Accident?
- Breakdown Of Personal Injury Compensation Calculation Process
- What Are Special Damages?
- Case Study: £24,000 For An Electric Shock Injury
- Your Claim Is Eligible For Free Legal Advice
- Simple Guidance On No Win No Fee Policies
- Our Experienced Team Offer Free Legal Advice
- More Resources And Guides On Electric Shock Injuries
- Electric Shock Injury – FAQ’s
A Guide To Claiming Compensation Payouts For An Electric Shock Injury
If you’re wondering whether you could have grounds to make a personal injury claim for your electric shock, you’ll first need to determine the following:
- Did a third party owe you a duty of care by law?
- Did they fail to uphold it?
- As a result, did you suffer your injury?
Providing you answered ‘yes’ to this series of questions, you could be entitled to compensation for your suffering.
This guide will outline how to make legal proceedings to successfully secure the payout that you deserve. To do so, we’ll begin by defining what an electric shock is and how you could sustain one as a result of third-party negligence. We’ll then discuss how claims are valued and what damages can be compensated: general and special damages. To help illustrate, we’ve provided an example case study of how a claimant secured £24,000 for their injury.
To conclude, we’ll offer insight into how a No Win No Fee agreement works and how you could benefit from one by working with our panel of personal injury lawyers. So, if you’d like to learn more about the claims process, please read on or get in touch with us today to see how we could help.
What Is An Electric Shock Injury?
An electric shock occurs when the body is exposed to an electrical energy source. A current flows and it can block the electrical signals between the muscles and brain. It can cause:
- The heart to stop beating properly
- The person to stop breathing
- Muscle spasms
Safety standards mean that most appliances that we come into contact with day-to-day will be safe. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on electrical standards and codes of practice, which are designed to prevent hazards, accidents and injuries.
If safety standards are neglected, the results can be disastrous. An electrical current with a voltage as low as 50 volts could harm us.
Electrical burns can also result from an electric shock. This occurs when an electrical current passes through the body and heats the tissue. The higher the voltage, the more severe the burn will likely be.
How Can You Suffer An Electric Shock Injury At Work?
Employers have a duty to protect their employees’ safety as much as is reasonably possible. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is a piece of legislation that imposes this duty of care. The Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires employers to carry liability insurance. If you suffer as a result of your employer’s negligence, you could make a personal injury claim against this insurance.
What Is An Employer’s Duty Of Care?
In general, all employers owe their employees the same duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. As part of this duty, employers must follow certain guidelines to do as much as they reasonably can to keep their employees from harm while at work.
The HSE outlines guidance for safe practices concerning electrical work. Some key guidance includes:
- Establishing appropriate written rules and procedures for employees, including task-specific risk assessments.
- Ensuring that employees are properly trained to know how to work safely and without risk to their health.
- Provide greater supervision to those with lesser knowledge or experience.
- Never let unauthorised, untrained, or unqualified employees work on electrics.
- Provide task-specific and suitable PPE.
However, regardless of health and safety guidelines, accidents can still happen, as these statistics demonstrate:
- Over 1.6 million workers were suffering from a work-related illness in 2019/20
- 142 workers lost their lives at work (2020/21)
- 693,000 workers sustained some type of injury at work (2019/20)
RIDDOR is a useful resource to properly record serious accidents and electrocution is reportable, depending on the severity of injuries and the incident. What’s more, reporting the accident could help evidence any future claim you make for it.
How Can This Duty Be Breached?
Neglecting this duty of care can cause accidents in the workplace. Here are some examples of how breaches of this duty can result in accidents and cause an electric shock:
- Lack of appropriate PPE
- Unsupervised high-risk tasks
- Poorly maintained equipment or machinery
- Lack of regular risk assessments and maintenance checks
- Untrained staff carrying out work
- Faulty fixtures and fittings
Whatever your situation, if you can prove that your employer’s negligence was to blame for your suffering, you could be entitled to compensation.
Electric Shock Injury In A Public Place
You may have suffered an electric shock in a public place accident. If it wasn’t your fault, you could be able to make a claim for compensation. Though it may not be immediately obvious who to make your claim against, there may be a third party in control of a public place, whether it’s your local council, a private business or otherwise.
In other words, those in control of public places, whether that’s the owner, occupier or someone else, owe all visitors and users of their space a duty of care in regards to protecting their safety. Therefore, public liability could apply to any of the following places, which include but are not limited to:
- Council-run areas
- Roads, pavements, and pathways
- Shops, shopping centres and outlets
- Parks, playgrounds, and open spaces
- Zoos, fairgrounds, and theme parks
- Cafes, restaurants, and bars
The Duty Of Care Of Those In Control Of Public Spaces
The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 outlines a duty of care to those in control of public places. An occupier is anyone in control of an area, whether it’s partial or full control, and whether they’re the owner or manager.
There are some specific requirements that occupiers must comply with, such as:
- Demonstrate a duty of care to all visitors in equal measure
- Warn visitors of any hazards
- Undertake maintenance checks and repairs on a regular basis
- Accept that allowances may need to be made for children as they cannot follow guidelines as carefully as adults
- Display appropriate signage indicating ‘keep out’ or the like if this duty of care isn’t assumed in a public place
If this duty of care is breached by occupiers, public place accidents can happen as a result. Please read on to the next section for some examples of how this could occur.
How Can This Duty Be Breached?
In regard to electric shock injuries, any of the following hazards could cause serious harm:
- Poorly maintained electrical equipment
- Lack of appropriate hazard signage for high voltages
- Exposed wires or cables
- Damaged power sockets
- Improperly fitted electrics
- A leak or damp site near electrics
How Can You Suffer An Electric Shock Injury In A Road Traffic Accident?
You may have suffered your electric shock because of a road traffic accident. For example, you may experience an electrical fault in a work vehicle supplied to you by your employer. They may have provided you with the vehicle without first ensuring it was safe to use.
If you can prove that this accident and your resulting injuries weren’t your fault, you could be entitled to claim compensation.
As road traffic accident casualties statistics by the Department for Transport for 2019 to 2020 demonstrate, British roads can be fraught with danger:
- There were 1,472 reported road deaths
- 23,486 people were killed or seriously injured
- There were 115,333 casualties of all severities
Duty Of Care Of Road Users
Under The Highway Code, all road users owe one another a duty of care while on the roads. Drivers, riders and the like all have a responsibility to do as much as they reasonably can to ensure the safety of their fellow road users, which includes:
- Having an up-to-date driving licence
- Meeting the minimum eyesight requirements
- Having an MOT certificate and vehicle tax
- Hold a minimum of third-party insurance
- Demonstrate a requisite standard of skill while operating a vehicle, regardless of experience
If a road user’s negligence causes injury, they could be held responsible for any damage caused through a personal injury claim. This includes injuries caused by electrocution as a result of the road user’s negligence.
How Can A Road User Breach Their Duty Of Care?
Some examples of how road users can breach their duty of care to one another include:
- Driving under the influence of drink and drugs
- Speeding
- Reckless or erratic manoeuvers
- Use of mobile phones or devices
- Road rage
Breakdown Of Personal Injury Compensation Calculation Process
If you’re wondering how much your electric shock claim could be worth, you may look to the use of online personal injury compensation calculators. However, as these tools use generalised figures rather than specific estimates, we recommend you get in touch with our specialist advisors instead. We offer free consultations that could help you get a sense of what types of damage you could claim for and how much you could be entitled to.
Personal injury claims have two parts that can make up a typical settlement: general damages and special damages. General damages cover any pain and suffering you’ve experienced because of your injury, both physically and psychologically.
These impacts can be difficult to quantify as they vary for each person according to the severity of their suffering. However, the more information you can provide about your situation, the better your payout can attempt to compensate you for these consequences.
General damages can be valued with the help of figures from the Judicial College Guidelines. This publication provides compensation brackets for specific injuries of all severities. Solicitors may use these guidelines to value injuries. They’ll also use a report from a medical assessment you attend as part of your claim.
What Are Special Damages?
Alongside physical and psychological damage, you may also suffer financial losses as a result of your injuries. In the wake of an injury, there can be a range of sudden and unexpected expenses that need to be covered. In many cases, these will have to be paid for out of pocket, often resulting in some sort of shortfall.
Special damages are the second head of claim that could form part of your personal injury compensation. They are designed to cover financial losses you’ve incurred because of your injuries. To evidence these, you’ll have to collect bills, receipts and any other invoices relating to these expenses as proof.
Some examples of payments that could be recovered as part of your special damages claim include:
- Loss of earnings
- Future loss of earnings
- Travel costs to hospital appointments
- Private treatment expenses not covered by the NHS
- Home adaptation costs, such as handrails and stairlifts
- Damage to property because of the accident
- Care costs, including professional care or gracious care by loved ones
- Loss of work bonuses or pension schemes
- Domestic help, including gardening, cleaning, childcare, and the like
For a free consultation about what costs you could potentially recover as part of your claim, please get in touch today with our team of specialist advisors. In the meantime, for an example case study of how a settlement of this type could be calculated, please see the next section.
Case Study: £24,000 For An Electric Shock Injury
On the day of his accident, Mr Smith was on his break in the basement of the processing plant where he worked. As he went to switch on the kettle, he received a sudden, sharp flash of pain travelling up his arm, causing him to suffer palpitations and acute pain in the area.
Upon receiving emergency medical attention, Mr Smith discovered that he had suffered serious electrical burns to his hand as a result of the tissue coming into contact with extreme heat. For over a fortnight, he was unable to move his hand as he had suffered a temporary loss of sensitivity. During this period, he was unable to work or perform day-to-day tasks and suffered financially as a result.
After he reported the accident, Mr Smith discovered that water had been leaking from the ceiling and running directly over the electrical socket. Though these leaks had been reported to management, they had failed to act upon the issue and the hazard remained. Had the kettle not had a built-in circuit breaker, the accident could have been much worse for Mr Smith.
After discussing his case with a No Win No Fee personal injury lawyer, Mr Smith learned that his employer’s negligence was responsible for his injuries, giving him grounds to seek compensation for his suffering. His solicitor built a strong case by obtaining CCTV footage of the incident, documents proving the hazard had been reported but not acted upon and medical reports from independent medical professionals.
After Mr Smith’s employer’s admitted liability, he was awarded £24,000 in damages to reflect his losses. He received £14,000 in general damages and £10,000 in special damages.
| General damages | how much? | special damages | how much? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Looking at previous cases like this and seeing how they were awarded, Mr. Smith's lawyer was able to argue on two points for compensation. The first involved tissue damage to his hand which left a residual numbness and was recognised as possible being awarded between £5,260 - £12,460. The second amount reflected the scarring which could get £2,220 - £7,350. | Together, he received £14,000 | loss of earnings | £3,000 |
| counseling for emotional distress | £500 | ||
| travel costs to hospital | £500 | ||
| specialist heart tests and cardiograms to detect hear damage | £1,000 | ||
| missed family holiday he was too sick to attend | £1,500 | ||
| care costs for two weeks | £3,000 | ||
| medications and painkillers for the burn | £500 |
If you’re unsure as to how your injury might be valued, get in touch. Our advisors offer free estimates.
Your Claim Is Eligible For Free Legal Advice
The case study of Mr smith is simply an example of how a personal injury claim could progress. However, if you believe you could have grounds to make an electric shock claim, our team of specialist advisors are on hand to give you a free consultation about your case.
Upon getting in touch with them, you’ll be asked a few questions about your situation. The more information you can provide, the better our advisors can build an idea about your case. After this point, you can discuss any questions you may have about making a claim, including whether you could be entitled to compensation and how much you could be able to claim.
If you have a valid claim and you’d like to get help winning the compensation you deserve, our advisors can connect you to our panel of personal injury lawyers to handle your case on a No Win No Fee basis:
To learn more about No Win No Fee agreements and how they could benefit you, please read on to the next section.
Simple Guidance On No Win No Fee Policies
If you want to get legal help making your claim but are worried you won’t be able to afford the cost of solicitors’ fees if your case loses, a No Win No Fee agreement could be the answer. This is because if you work with a solicitor on this basis: you won’t have to cover the cost of their services unless they win your case.
Our panel of personal injury lawyers always works on a No Win No Fee basis, as these agreements have a range of benefits, including::
- No upfront solicitor costs.
- No running solicitor fees.
- You would pay a success fee if your claim is won, but this is capped by law at a small percentage of your payout.
To learn more about how to get in touch with our panel of No Win No Fee personal injury lawyers, please read on to the next section.
Our Experienced Team Offer Free Legal Advice
Thank you for reading our electric shock claims guide. You can reach out to our team of specialist advisors today if you’re interested in getting a free consultation.
Whether you’re wondering if you have grounds to make a claim or would like to see how our panel of personal injury lawyers could help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch:
- Call 0161 696 9685
- Fill out a contact form online
- Use our live chat feature
More Resources And Guides On Electric Shock Injuries
- Our accident at work claim guide
- Our car accident claims guide
- Our damaged nerve injury claims guide
- Information on how to make a claim through the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB)
- NHS guide to first aid treatments
- Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive
Electric Shock Injury FAQs
What should I do if someone is being electrocuted?
Never grab them and attempt to pull them away, as the electricity can travel through you too. Turn off the source of the electricity or, if not possible, move the source away with a non-conductive material. Seek medical advice.
What are the effects of electric shock?
If the skin is burned, permanent scarring can result. In addition, the nervous system can be impacted, resulting in issues with nerve endings, tingling sensations, numbness or weakness when trying to move limbs. Depending on where the shock occurred, you could be left with acute damage. For example, if you suffered a head trauma, you could be left with brain damage.
Why are people unable to let go of the source that’s electrocuting them?
It’s called tetanic contraction and it is a phenomenon that occurs when the muscles clench beyond your control, making it hard to let go of an electrical current.
Thank you for reading our guide on claiming after an electric shock injury.
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