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A dog died after a frayed wire on scaffolding electrocuted it. The dog’s owner was walking the 11-year-old pit bull mix back to her Lower East Side building when the dog suddenly “began to spasm” and then stopped moving, said CBS News (2.16.14). Attorney at Law David Perecman understands that electrocution and electrical shocks can cause serious injuries.
“It is tragic that the dog died, and a worrisome scenario. It could have been a child,” said Perecman, a construction accident lawyer for over 30 years.
According to CBS News, Con Ed said the dog came into contact with a frayed wire on the scaffolding.
Electrocution accidents on New York construction sites can injure both workers and passerby. Construction companies must use reasonable care to protect the general public from their wires. If a live wire sags, run too close to the sidewalk, or gets knocked down for any reason, supervisors, contractors, and-or property owners, may be responsible for any injury that occurs. Failure to take reasonable precautions to prevent injury may be considered negligence. High-voltage electricity can injure people or even kill them.
Injuries caused by electrical current exposure may include burns, deadly abnormal heart rhythms, kidney damage, lung damage, infections, and even loss of fingers, arms or limbs. Electrical damage to the nerves and brain can be linked to seizures, brain hemorrhages, and personality changes.
A good Samaritan tried to revive the dog following the scaffold accident but the dog died. After the incident, workers shut off power to the building where the dog was electrocuted.
The third leading cause of worker deaths on construction sites in 2012 was electrocution, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
“Construction deaths from electrocutions are preventable,” said Perecman.
New York construction accident lawyers at The Perecman Firm have helped many individuals obtain compensation following construction accidents, including workers who were injured by electricity on a construction site or who fell from a scaffold. Contact The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C.
