In the United States, electrical currents are responsible for more than 400 electrocutions on an annual basis, according to the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC [1]). Additionally, hundreds more people are injured in fires that are caused by electric products on a regular basis. In order to keep your family safe from electrical injuries you should always take safety measures such as child-proofing your outlets, avoiding over-loading of outlets, replacing older wiring, avoiding using ladders near power lines, and more. The CPSC provides an online electrical safety checklist [2] for households to follow to keep members safe.
Even if you take all possible precautions to protect yourself and your family against electrical injuries, such injuries may still occur due to no fault of your own. Many of these injuries are caused by negligent parties and, in such situations, those parties should be held responsible for any injury-related losses suffered by victims.
Negligent manufacturers
A large number of electrical injuries are caused by faulty household or workplace products. If a product malfunctions and causes you injury, you can recover from the manufacturer that negligently sold the defective product by filing a products liability claim. Manufacturers have a legal duty to design and assemble products that are reasonably safe for the intended use. Therefore, all household appliances and products should be safe for use in your home. If a product causes an electrical fire or shocks someone in your home, the manufacturer should have to compensate you for your losses.
Dangerous premises
Other times, a manufacturer is not at fault, but instead the owner of the premises on which the electrocution took place. For example, if a construction crew leaves ungrounded wires exposed and fails to warn against a potential hazard, any passersby or visitors to the construction site who suffer electrocutions as a result should be able to recover from the negligent crew. Similarly, if a contractor fails to properly install electrical wiring or other products and you are electrocuted, the contractor should be held liable for your injuries.
If you have suffered an electrical injury and believe another party was at fault, you should always contact an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney to discuss a possible case today.