Electrocution Cases We’ve Won
Our attorneys don’t just talk about what’s possible for electrocution victims. The results below represent real people who came to us after catastrophic electrical accidents and what we recovered for them.
- $12.5 million for a refinery worker who suffered severe electrical burns.
- $12.5 million for the family of a man fatally electrocuted by a downed power line.
- $11 million for an electrician killed on the job due to a faulty electrical plan.
- $6.5 million for an oilfield worker shocked and burned in an electrical accident.
- $5 million for the family of a powerline worker fatally electrocuted on the job.
In a recent case, we filed suit in Dallas County on behalf of a lineman who suffered catastrophic burns when he was subjected to a violent electric shock as he was working on a defective transformer in Denton, Texas. We look forward to getting the answers and compensation he needs to ensure his ongoing support and care.
Common Causes of Electrocution Accidents in Dallas
Electrocution accidents almost always result from preventable failures by employers, contractors, manufacturers, or property owners who didn’t follow the safety standards designed to keep people alive around electrical equipment.
Common causes our Dallas electrocution attorneys see include:
- Contact with overhead power lines. Crane operators, roofers, scaffolders, and tree trimmers face serious risks when work brings them too close to energized lines. Utility companies have a duty to mark and de-energize lines when notified of nearby work, and employers have a duty to maintain safe clearances.
- Arc flash and arc blast incidents. Sudden electrical discharges at high-voltage equipment can cause severe burns, hearing loss, and other traumatic injuries, often resulting from damaged insulation, improper protective equipment, or work performed on equipment that should have been properly de-energized.
- Lockout/tagout failures. OSHA’s lockout/tagout standard requires equipment to be fully de-energized and secured before workers service, clean, or repair it. When that standard isn’t followed, workers can be electrocuted, struck, crushed by, or otherwise injured by equipment that unexpectedly powers on.
- Defective tools and equipment. Power tools with damaged cords, missing ground prongs, or failed insulation can deliver fatal shocks. Manufacturers of defective electrical products can be held liable under product liability law.
- National Electrical Code violations. Installations that violate the National Electrical Code (NEC), including missing ground-fault circuit interrupters, undersized wire, and improper grounding, create serious electrical hazards that can severely injure or claim the lives of workers, tenants, and the general public.
- Inadequate training and supervision. Workers assigned to electrical tasks without proper training, or supervisors who allow shortcuts around safety procedures, are responsible for many preventable electrocution injuries.
Who Is Liable for an Electrocution Accident in Dallas?
Expanding infrastructure, ongoing construction activity, and dense industrial areas in Dallas mean electrocution incidents may impact nearly every kind of workplace, from utility line work and refinery operations to manufacturing facilities. Identifying every responsible party is one of the most important steps in an electrocution case, and it’s rarely straightforward. Our attorneys investigate thoroughly to pursue every available source of compensation.
Liable parties in a Dallas electrocution case may include:
- Employers who failed to provide adequate electrical safety training or enforce lockout/tagout procedures.
- Electrical contractors or subcontractors who performed faulty wiring or installation in violation of NEC standards.
- Equipment manufacturers whose defective tools or components caused the injury.
- Property owners who failed to maintain safe electrical systems on their premises.
- Utility companies that failed to properly maintain power lines or electrical infrastructure.
- General contractors who failed to maintain a safe worksite, particularly on construction sites where electrocution is one of OSHA’s Fatal Four leading causes of worker death.
Texas law also creates an important distinction for injured workers. Many construction and industrial employers in the state are non-subscribers who have opted out of the workers’ compensation system entirely. Workers injured at non-subscriber employers can file a direct personal injury lawsuit that allows recovery for pain and suffering and other damages beyond what workers’ comp provides. Even when workers’ comp does apply, third-party claims against contractors, equipment manufacturers, or property owners may still be available.
After an electrical incident in Dallas, multiple responsible parties can be pursued simultaneously.
When an Electrocution Accident Is Fatal
Many electrocution accidents are fatal, particularly those involving high-voltage equipment, fallen power lines, or contact with industrial machinery. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 71.004, the surviving spouse, parents, and children of a person killed by electrocution may file a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible parties. Those claims can seek compensation for funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, loss of companionship and guidance, and the mental anguish caused by the loss.
Arnold & Itkin has handled fatal electrocution cases for families across Texas, including the $12.5 million settlement referenced above and additional multi-million-dollar recoveries listed in our case results. No financial outcome can replace what a family loses, but holding responsible companies accountable is often the only way to ensure those losses are recognized while helping to ensure those affected have the opportunity to rebuild and move on.
How Arnold & Itkin Handles Electrocution Cases
Dallas electrocution cases require more than just legal knowledge. It often takes engineering testimony, safety code analyses, and a willingness to confront large corporations that have entire legal departments dedicated to denying liability. That’s exactly the environment where our firm performs best.
We prepare every case for trial because that preparation is what can compel corporations to take responsibility instead of offering inadequate settlements. Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin are members of the Inner Circle of Advocates, a group recognized as the 100 best plaintiff’s lawyers in the country. Our attorneys have also been selected to Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, and the Lawdragon 500. We’ve taken on Johnson & Johnson, Union Pacific, Bayer/Monsanto, and many other massive corporate defendants, and we’ve won.
Proving an electrocution requires an immediate investigation. Evidence at electrical accident scenes can be altered or destroyed quickly, and expert testimony from electrical engineers and safety specialists is typically needed to establish OSHA violations and National Electrical Code failures. Our team moves fast to preserve what matters.
Compensation available to Dallas electrocution victims may include emergency and ongoing medical expenses, future care costs, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and, in cases involving gross negligence, punitive damages. We handle every case on contingency: our clients pay nothing for legal services or litigation expenses unless we win.
Get the Legal Support You Deserve
If you or a loved one has suffered due to an electrocution accident in Dallas, now is the time to seek experienced legal help. At Arnold & Itkin, we’re ready to stand up to the companies that caused your harm and pursue the compensation and accountability available to you and your family under the law. Our Dallas injury lawyers handle electrocution cases on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t pay anything unless we win.
Call us at (888) 493-1629 to schedule your free consultation.
