Electrical Accidents and Compensation
A cable employee who was shocked by an electrified fence is suing the property owner, Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano.
According to a report on mycentraljersey.com, the worker was on Napolitano’s property in 2009 to rewire cable. The worker says in his suit that he needed to retrieve bolt cutters from his truck but couldn’t open a gate from the property. So he tried to climb over a deer fence, unaware that it was electrified
The cable worker is also suing a company that provides cable and telecommunications services in Sussex County. Napolitano- who is a former Superior Court judge – and the company are counter-suing another cable services company and the cable construction company that employed the man.
OSHA Statistics
Electrical accidents account for 9 percent of construction worker fatalities in the U.S. each year, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Many other workers are hurt in electric accidents, with injuries ranging from mild to severe.
OSHA lists three main factors that determine the severity of the shock from an electrical circuit:
- Amount of current flowing through the body
- Path of the current through the body.
- Length of time the body is in the circuit.
Other factors that may affect the severity of the shock are:
- The voltage of the current.
- The presence of moisture in the environment.
- The phase of the heart cycle when the shock occurs.
- The general health of the person prior to the shock.
A property owner’s liability insurance may cover an electrical injury in New Jersey, but without an experienced accident and injury attorney, it can be difficult to collect full compensation.
If you have suffered an electrical accident while on a construction job, the New Jersey electrical accident lawyers at the Ginarte firm can help protect your legal right to compensation.
