Queens Electrocution Accidents Attorney

construction worker squats near ground to work on electrical project

Have you been electrocuted at work in Queens? You may have legal options for pursuing financial relief for your medical bills, lost income, pain, suffering, and other losses. Let an experienced Queens electrocution accidents attorney from The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., explore the options for you and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.

Why Choose Our Queens Serious Electrical Injury Lawyers?

When you’ve suffered injuries in an electrical accident at work, the right electrocution injury attorney can make a difference in your financial and legal recovery. For decades, injured workers in Queens and throughout New York City have turned to The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., for help pursuing financial benefits and compensation. They trust our personal injury lawyers because of:

Our proven track record of success in catastrophic injury cases, recovering more than half a billion dollars for our clients to date.
Our 40-plus years of legal experience, including in some of New York’s groundbreaking cases that have changed the law to better protect the rights of accident victims.
Our deep roster of skilled litigators backed by top experts and substantial resources to take on the most challenging injury claims.
Our reputation among our legal peers, with many attorneys choosing to refer their most complex cases to us.
Our dedication to our clients, leveraging our full-service firm’s resources to handle every aspect of our clients’ cases so they can focus on healing.

Main Types of Electric Shock Injuries and Causes of Accidents

Electrocution injuries fall into one of four categories, depending on the source of the electric current:

Lightning injuries – These injuries typically affect the skin’s surface, caused by short-duration, high-voltage electrocutions.
Flash injuries – These electrocution injuries affect a victim’s skin without damaging deeper tissues.
Flame injuries – Electrocution victims may suffer flame injuries when clothing or other materials on the victim’s body catch fire from the electrical current.
True electrical injuries – These injuries occur when an electrocution victim becomes part of an electrical circuit, causing electricity to flow into one side of their body and out the other.

Electrocution accidents can occur for many reasons, such as:

Malfunctioning electrical distribution equipment
Defective equipment, such as electronic tools and machinery
Negligent maintenance and inspection of worksites
Unsafe worksite conditions, including lack of proper safety equipment, improper grounding, exposed power lines, or allowing electrical wires to contact equipment or scaffolding
Lack of shelter from lightning

Types of Injuries Resulting from Electrocution Accidents in Queens

Electrical hazards on construction sites and other workplaces in Queens can cause various injuries, including:

Electrical burns – Electrocutions frequently cause burns to the skin and, in severe cases, tissues underneath the skin.
Nerve damage – Electrical energy can overload and damage a victim’s nervous system. Nerve damage may also cause issues with muscle control or violent muscle contractions and may trigger seizures.
Cardiovascular complications – Electrocutions can cause interruptions to a victim’s heartbeat, either causing the heart to skip a beat and fall out of rhythm or to stop altogether, resulting in cardiac arrest.
Internal organ damage – An electrical current flowing through an electrocution victim’s body can damage internal organs.
Limb loss – A limb that touches a high-voltage wire can suffer severe burns and damage that causes it to become necrotic, requiring amputation.
Fatal injuries – Electrical exposure can be deadly in the most severe cases. When electrical fatalities occur, surviving family members might be entitled to bring a wrongful death case.

Are There Labor Laws in Place to Protect Victims of Electrocution Accidents?

Construction workers in Queens who suffer electrical shock injuries on the job may have the right to recover compensation for their injuries and related losses. New York’s Labor Law includes several statutory claims that injured workers in the construction industry could pursue to obtain financial recovery after a work-related electrocution, including the following:

N.Y. Labor Law §240(1) – This statute gives workers engaged in constructing or repairing property the right to proper protection when working on scaffolding, ladders, and other similar devices. The statute imposes strict liability on a site owner, contractor, or employer who fails to maintain necessary protective equipment.
N.Y. Labor Law §241(6) – This statute states that excavation or demolition sites must have equipment to protect the safety of persons employed on or lawfully entering the site. Site owners or contractors who fail to take reasonable steps to ensure site safety may bear liability to injured workers.
N.Y. Labor Law §200 – This law imposes a general duty of care on employers to maintain a safe workplace by providing equipment and setting up machinery to protect workers from injuries.

The Labor Law covers electrical work, even when not part of a construction project, when such electrical work involves a significant change to a property or structure, such as installing new light fixtures throughout a property, for example.

Workplace electrocution accidents can also give workers the right to file a workers’ comp claim with their employer to obtain the benefits guaranteed by New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law.

In some cases, an injured worker in Queens might have a personal injury claim against a third party – someone other than the employer and co-workers. For example, if a defective electric tool caused the electrocution, the injured worker could have a product liability case.

Potential Compensation in a Queens Electrocution Accident Claim

Suffering injuries due to a work-related electrocution accident may give you the right to recover compensation or other financial benefits for the harm and loss you’ve suffered, such as:

Medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses
Cost of care and support services for prolonged or permanent disabilities caused by your injuries
Lost wages for time you miss from work while recovering from your injuries
Lost future earning capacity and job benefits due to permanent disabilities that prevent you from returning to work
Physical pain and anguish
Emotional trauma and distress
Reduced quality of life due to disabilities or visible scarring and disfigurement

A workers’ compensation claim can provide you with various financial benefits to assist with your recovery and return to work, including:

Medical benefits that pay for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment and rehabilitation
Lost wage benefits that provide partial reimbursement for missing time from work
Permanent disability benefits that provide financial payments based on the type and severity of permanent disability

Statute of Limitations on Electrocution Cases in Queens

Under New York’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases, you typically have three years to file an injury claim against those liable for your electrocution injuries. If you decide to file a workers’ comp claim, the law requires you to notify your employer about your claim within 30 days of your injury and to file a formal workers’ compensation claim within two years of the electrocution accident.

Get Help from Our Experienced Queens Workplace Electrical Accident Attorneys

Were you electrocuted at work in Queens? Contact The Perecman Firm, P.L.L.C., today for a free consultation to speak with a New York electrocution accidents lawyer about your legal options for seeking compensation.