What are Electrical Burns?
Electrical burn injuries are among the most dangerous and medically complex burn cases. Unlike many other burns, an electrical injury may damage the body both on the surface and deep below the skin. What looks like a small wound at the point of contact can be associated with extensive damage to muscles, nerves, blood vessels, internal organs, or the heart.
McEwen Law Firm reviews serious electrical burn and electrocution injury cases nationwide. These cases often arise in construction accidents, power line incidents, industrial settings, unsafe worksites, defective equipment cases, and dangerous property conditions. When an electrical injury is caused by negligence, the injured person and family may have the right to pursue compensation.
Electrical burn cases are often life-changing. Victims may suffer severe tissue damage, cardiac complications, nerve injury, muscle destruction, fractures caused by violent muscle contractions, falls from elevation after a shock, permanent scarring, amputation, or death. Because the injuries can be so serious, these cases often require immediate investigation and careful documentation of both the accident and the long-term medical consequences.
Why electrical burns are so serious
Electricity injures the body in ways that are often very different from a flame or scald burn. When current passes through the body, it can create intense heat, disrupt the heart’s rhythm, damage deep tissue, and affect multiple organ systems. In serious cases, an electrical injury may cause both visible burns and hidden internal damage.
The severity of the injury often depends on several factors, including:
- the voltage involved
- the path the current traveled through the body
- the length of exposure
- whether the current passed through the heart, brain, or other vital organs
- whether the victim was thrown, fell, or suffered secondary trauma
A person may survive the initial shock and still face a long recovery involving hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, chronic pain, weakness, neuropathy, disfigurement, and emotional trauma.
How electrical burn accidents happen
Electrical burn accidents happen in many different settings. Some occur on job sites when workers come into contact with live power lines, energized equipment, exposed wiring, switchgear, transformers, or unsafe industrial systems. Others happen in homes, apartment buildings, businesses, farms, or public places because of defective products, unsafe maintenance, code violations, or dangerous property conditions.
Common causes of electrical burn accidents include:
- contact with overhead power lines
- arc flash or arc blast events
- exposed or improperly insulated wiring
- unsafe jobsite conditions
- malfunctioning tools or equipment
- defective electrical products or appliances
- negligent maintenance of electrical systems
- construction equipment contacting energized lines
- unsafe ladder placement near power lines
- utility-related failures
- faulty grounding or improper lockout/tagout procedures
In many cases, the injured person did not do anything reckless. The accident happened because a company, contractor, utility, property owner, manufacturer, or another party failed to make the environment reasonably safe.
Types of electrical burn injuries
Electrical burn cases can involve several different injury mechanisms.
True electrical burns
A true electrical burn happens when current passes from the electrical source through the body and into the ground. These injuries often leave entry and exit wounds, but the most serious damage may be inside the body rather than on the skin.
Arc burns
Arc burns happen when electricity jumps, or “arcs,” from a source to a person or nearby object. These injuries are especially common in high-voltage settings and can cause devastating surface burns, deep tissue damage, ignition of clothing, and blast-related trauma.
Thermal burns from electrical events
Electrical incidents can also cause thermal burns when sparks, arcs, or superheated materials ignite clothing, tools, nearby surfaces, or flammable materials. In those cases, the injured person may suffer both an electrical injury and a flame-burn injury.
Secondary trauma
Many serious electrical accidents also cause secondary injuries. A person may fall from a ladder, scaffold, roof, bucket truck, or elevated platform after a shock. Violent muscle contractions may fracture bones or dislocate joints. Blast pressure from an arc flash may throw a worker or damage hearing and vision.
Common complications after an electrical burn
Electrical injuries often involve more than a burn wound. Depending on the circumstances, a victim may suffer:
- severe skin and tissue burns
- nerve damage
- muscle destruction
- cardiac arrhythmias
- respiratory problems
- kidney complications from muscle breakdown
- vision problems
- hearing injury
- fractures or orthopedic injuries
- traumatic brain injury from a fall or blast
- chronic pain
- permanent weakness or loss of function
- scarring and disfigurement
- amputation
- wrongful death
That is one reason electrical burn cases should never be treated as minor simply because the visible wound appears limited. In some cases, the external burn is only one part of a much larger medical picture.
Workplace electrical burn accidents
Many severe electrical burn injuries happen at work. Construction workers, electricians, utility workers, painters, roofers, truck drivers, tree trimmers, maintenance workers, and industrial employees are often exposed to energized systems, overhead lines, and heavy equipment near electrical hazards.
A work-related electrical burn case may involve:
- overhead power lines near a jobsite
- unsafe clearance around energized lines
- failure to de-energize equipment
- missing lockout/tagout procedures
- failure to train workers properly
- defective tools, lifts, ladders, or machinery
- unsafe subcontractor coordination
- dangerous site planning
- inadequate warning about electrical hazards
Even when an injury happens at work, there may be a claim against a party other than the employer. Depending on the facts, that could include a utility, general contractor, subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, property owner, or another company involved in creating or failing to correct the hazard.
Electrical burns outside the workplace
Not all electrical burn cases happen on construction sites or in industrial settings. Serious injuries can also happen in homes, rental properties, apartment buildings, businesses, and public spaces.
Examples include:
- defective household appliances
- unsafe extension cords or power tools
- exposed wiring in a rental property
- poorly maintained electrical panels
- code-violating installations
- dangerous swimming pool or outdoor electrical conditions
- fires caused by negligent electrical maintenance
- children injured by unsafe electrical access points
These cases may raise product liability, premises liability, negligent maintenance, or other legal claims depending on how the injury occurred.
Who may be liable for an electrical burn accident?
One of the most important issues in any electrical burn case is identifying all potentially responsible parties. Liability may extend beyond the most obvious person or company involved.
Depending on the facts, responsibility may rest with:
- a utility company
- a property owner or landlord
- a general contractor
- a subcontractor
- a maintenance company
- an employer or site operator
- the manufacturer of a defective product or component
- an equipment rental company
- an electrical contractor
- another party that failed to inspect, warn, repair, maintain, or act reasonably
A serious electrical burn case often requires a prompt investigation into the accident scene, equipment involved, system design, work practices, maintenance records, applicable safety rules, and the full medical consequences of the shock or burn.
Compensation in an electrical burn case
When an electrical injury is caused by negligence, compensation may be available for the losses caused by the accident. Depending on the case, that may include:
- past and future medical expenses
- hospitalization and surgery
- rehabilitation and therapy
- lost income
- reduced future earning capacity
- pain and suffering
- permanent scarring and disfigurement
- disability and loss of function
- emotional distress
- wrongful death damages, when applicable
Because electrical burn cases can involve long-term impairment and future treatment, it is important to evaluate the case based on the full impact of the injury rather than only the immediate hospital bills.
Trial collaboration on catastrophic electrical burn matters
On catastrophic electrical burn, electrocution, and explosion-related cases, Gregory McEwen works jointly with Eric Hageman in trial collaboration.
Eric Hageman is the Managing Partner of Pritzker Hageman and leads the Pritzker Hageman burn injury legal team. He handles catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases throughout the country, including severe burn, fire, electrical injury, power line injury and explosion matters.
In serious electrical burn cases involving permanent injury, wrongful death, and complex technical investigation, our expanded team can make the difference from the beginning of the case through final resolution.
What to do after an electrical burn accident
After an electrical injury, the first priority is medical treatment. Once the person is safe, it is often important to preserve as much information as possible about what happened.
Helpful evidence may include:
- photographs of the scene and equipment
- names of witnesses
- employer or incident reports
- product information
- maintenance records
- utility communications
- safety complaints or prior reports
- medical records and burn-treatment documentation
Electrical burn cases often depend on technical evidence that can disappear quickly if the scene changes or equipment is removed.
Contact Our Burn Legal Team
If you or someone in your family suffered serious electrical burns, an electrocution injury, an arc flash injury, or wrongful death because of negligence, contact us for a free case review. Serious electrical injury cases require prompt investigation, careful review, and a full understanding of the long-term impact of the injury.