Electric Shock Injury Lawyers in Kansas City, Holding Negligent Parties Accountable for Your Losses

Electricity is a hallmark of modern civilization, and it’s how we enjoy life’s basic luxuries. Without electricity, we cannot power our homes, relax in air conditioning, keep our food cold, or even charge our smartphones. However, this technology also has the capability of harming those who use it. Electrical shock injuries occur on a routine basis. When they do, they can cause severe injuries and lead to lasting damage. Most such injuries happen to workers in workplace accidents, but we all honestly face some risk of this danger daily. If you or a loved one suffered such an injury, electric shock injury lawyers in Kansas City may be able to help.

At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, our personal injury attorneys fight diligently to ensure negligent parties are held responsible for their actions. We do this by striving to secure maximum compensation for our clients. An electric shock injury can lead to significant damage, and in some cases, this can cause years of recovery and even wrongful death. While fewer electrical accidents happen than in decades past, there are still far too many victims who experience related injuries due to the negligent actions of others. Contact Mohlman Gurney Injury Law today for a free consultation so you can better understand your rights.

Causes of Electric Shock Injury

Kansas City relies on our electrical workers to ensure that power runs smoothly—especially after severe thunderstorms go through the area during the tumultuous spring months. These workers often put their lives at risk by handling exposed and dangerous wiring. Most of these individuals have been trained to work in such situations. However, sometimes scenarios occur involving issues the workers were not properly trained for. Additionally, companies could act in a way that needlessly puts their employees’ lives at risk of electrical shock.

Of course, it’s not only utility workers who face potential electrical injuries. We all are surrounded by electricity in our daily lives, so the risk is always there. Even non-workers can find themselves injured in the following ways:

• Faulty products used for daily activities
• Damaged lighting in public pools
• Unprotected outlets at daycare
• Damaged extension cords in businesses
• Downed power lines during storms
• Lightning strikes

As evidenced by this list, an electrical accident can lead to many types of personal injury lawsuits. When looking at just this list—which is far from exhaustive—the potential for a product liability claim, premises liability lawsuit, and government negligence all exist. We’ve even seen wrongful death lawsuits filed over lightning strikes. The key takeaway is that there are a variety of potential causes of electrical burns, falls, cardiac arrest, and other electric shock injuries.

If you or a loved one is injured in such an incident, don’t make assumptions about whether you’re entitled to electrical injury compensation. At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, we provide free consultations. We also work on a contingency fee basis, so we don’t get paid unless you do. To put it simply, you have nothing to lose by seeking the help of a Kansas City electric shock injury attorney today.

Workers’ Compensation vs. Personal Injury Cases

If you suffered electrical burns or other severe electric shock injuries, you may be entitled to compensation. What many people don’t realize is that there are multiple ways to pursue such financial restitution. This is why you should consult with a personal injury lawyer to determine the best course of action. For instance, applying for workers’ compensation benefits may be an ideal solution if you were injured while on the job. There are certain limitations to these claims, but it may be the only option you have. Missouri workers’ comp law is meant to reimburse employees while minimizing potential litigation.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always an option. Contract workers will have a more difficult time in receiving damages brought under these claims, and validating your status as a full-time employee versus a part-time or contract worker could prove difficult. There are also other instances—which are far rarer than you might expect—where you can sue employers for injuries suffered on the job. For such a claim to be successful, though, you must typically prove that extreme negligence or willful actions caused your injury.

For those who weren’t injured on the job, there are also multiple ways to recover compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and other losses. It’s possible to get a fair settlement from an insurance company without going to court. This is particularly true if you have an electric shock injury lawyer in Kansas City on your side. Insurers are more likely to offer a fair settlement from the start in such cases. If such a settlement can’t be reached for your serious injury, though, an experienced attorney can also sue liable parties in court to secure appropriate compensation.

Who is Liable for my Electrical Shock Injury?

If you’re injured in an electric shock accident, being able to prove liability will affect your ability to recover fair compensation. In some situations, liability may seem very clear. For instance, imagine an electrical accident victim was harmed when they visited a grocery store and touched a seafood display case that was electrified by faulty wiring. Unfortunately, not all situations may be as clear-cut—and even when liability seems apparent, electric shock injuries can lead to complex settlement negotiations and court cases.

Proving liability comes down to showing that someone had a duty of care, that they violated this duty of care, and that your accident and losses were a result of this violation. In the above example, the grocery store owner had a duty of care to protect customers. They failed in that duty, and this failure led to harm, so they may be held liable. Of course, some victims also hold partial fault for their own electric shock injuries. In such cases, Missouri’s comparative negligence laws mean they can still recover compensation.

If assigning liability in electrical accidents seems complex, it’s because it very much is. You or a loved one’s injuries could be caused by a negligent property owner, the manufacturers of products located on that property, a third party who acted recklessly, or an array of other individuals and entities. Since identifying at-fault parties and proving liability is a key component of any successful personal injury lawsuit, you need an experienced attorney on your side to help with this endeavor.

Electric Shock Injury Lawyers in Kansas City, MO, can Help

While electrocution injuries are no longer the fifth leading cause of death in America—as they were between 1980-1992—there are still far too many people who die from such injuries. The statistics are even bleaker when you add in how many people suffer non-fatal harm in such incidents. Whether an individual was hurt while working on power lines or from faulty wiring in a consumer product, it’s important that they understand their rights. Speaking with a personal injury attorney will help with this effort and assist you on the road to recovering compensation.

The legal professionals at Mohlman Gurney Injury Law have years of experience helping injury victims. In our daily lives, close proximity to electrical equipment is par for the course. When negligence leads to serious accidents or worse, however, it’s imperative that we hold liable parties accountable for their negligence. That’s exactly what we strive to help our clients do—while fighting to get them the fair compensation they deserve. Contact us today by calling (816) 648-6000 to schedule a free consultation. Our experienced personal injury lawyers are on standby and ready to help.