Electrical injuries occur when the body comes into contact with electricity, often through exposure to live wires, faulty wiring, defective equipment, or unsafe conditions in workplaces or public areas. These injuries commonly occur in construction sites, industrial facilities, shopping centers, or residential complexes where safety regulations may be neglected.
The severity of an electrical burn depends on the voltage, duration of exposure, and the path the current takes through the body. Unlike surface burns, which primarily damage the skin, electrical burns can cause significant internal harm to muscles, nerves, and organs, even if external signs are minimal. This internal damage complicates treatment, as it may affect deep tissues and, in severe cases, disrupt critical systems like the cardiovascular and neurological systems, posing life-threatening risks.

Electrical injuries can be categorized into main types:
- Electrocution: This results in immediate death
- Electric shock injuries: These cause various physical effects, including:
- Skin damage: Burns at the entry and exit points of the electrical current
- Muscles and bone injuries: Fractures or dislocations caused by muscle contractions triggered by the electrical shock
- Cardiac issues: Irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) or cardiac arrest caused by the voltage
- Neurological damage: Short-term effects like seizures or long-term problems like memory impairment, reasoning deficits, or brain damage caused by high voltage exposure
In the United States, electrical injuries result in approximately 1,000 deaths annually, with around 500 caused by high-voltage electricity. Additionally, there are at least 30,000 non-fatal electric shock incidents each year that lead to significant injuries. About 20% of these injuries occur in children, while for adults, electrical accidents rank as the fourth leading cause of workplace-related traumatic deaths.
Common Causes of Electrical Injuries
- Workplace Accidents: People who work with electricity, like electricians or construction workers, are often at risk. Exposed wires, broken equipment, or failure to follow safety rules can cause electrical injury.
- Example: An employee touches an exposed cable that is not appropriately insulated on the cable tray.
- Defective Products: Sometimes, electrical appliances or tools don’t work correctly, which can cause electrical injuries. The company that made or sold the product could be responsible in these cases.
- Example: Wrongly grounded electrical outlet.
- Public Places: People can get hurt if a building has bad electrical wiring or no warning signs around dangerous areas. Proper maintenance and signage are required by law.
- Example: Signage was not adequately maintained around underground wires, generators, fences, or transformers. Additionally, power companies are required to respond promptly to fallen wires.
- Home Accidents: Electrical injuries can occur at home, apartment complexes, pools, or rental properties due to faulty wiring, broken appliances, or improper installation of electrical devices.
- Example: Damaged or lack of maintenance to electrical outlets, breaker boxes, or faulty pool equipment introducing electricity into the water.

Types of Electric Injuries
- Arc Burns (Flash Burns): Arc burns happen when electricity jumps through the air and hits you, even if you don’t touch the source. This often happens with high-voltage equipment. The heat from the electricity can burn your skin and clothes, but the damage usually doesn’t go too deep inside your body.
- Electrical Burns (Direct Contact Burns: These burns happen when you touch something with live electricity, like a wire or a faulty appliance. The electricity goes through your body and can cause burns on your skin and hurt your muscles, nerves, and bones.
- Thermal Burns: Thermal burns happen when electricity causes a fire, and the fire burns you. For example, this can happen if an electrical appliance overheats and catches fire.
Long-Term Effects of Electrical Burns
The long-term effects of electrical burns can vary depending on the severity of the injury, the voltage involved, and which parts of the body were affected.
- Nerve Damage: Electrical burns can damage nerves, leading to chronic pain, tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. This may result in loss of feeling or use of the affected limb.
- Central Nervous System Damage: In severe cases, electrical burns can impact the brain or spinal cord, leading to cognitive issues, memory problems, vision problems, hearing problems, and even paralysis.
- Muscle and Tissue Damage: Electrical burns can cause deep tissue damage, which may not be immediately apparent. Muscle fibers can break down, a condition called rhabdomyolysis, leading to kidney damage or failure if untreated.
- Scarring and contractures: Burns can result in significant scarring, and in some cases, the skin may tighten (contractures), reducing mobility.
- Arrhythmias: (Irregular heartbeats) or even long-term heart damage can occur if the electrical current passes through the heart. In some cases, this can lead to cardiac arrest or sudden heart problems later on. Ongoing cardiac monitoring may be necessary.
- Psychological Effects: The trauma of an electrical injury can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, or emotional difficulties.
- Chronic Pain: Long-term pain, either from nerve damage or from physical trauma and scarring, can be a persistent issue after electrical burns.
- Amputation or Loss of Limbs: In extreme cases where severe tissue damage occurs, amputation of affected limbs may be required to prevent infections or manage non-recoverable injuries.
Determining Liability
- Employer: If the injury occurred in a workplace setting, an employer may be liable if they failed to provide a safe working environment or adequate training. This could include failure to follow safety regulations, improper maintenance of equipment, or lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Property Owner: If the injury occurred on someone else’s property (such as at a construction site, public space, or rental property), the property owner may be liable if unsafe electrical conditions existed and they failed to address them.
- Manufacturer or Distributor: If the injury was caused by defective electrical equipment, the manufacturer or distributor of that equipment could be held liable under product liability laws.
- Electricians or Subcontractors: If improper electrical work was performed, resulting in faulty wiring or hazardous conditions, the electrician or subcontractor responsible for the installation or repair may be held accountable.
- Utility Companies: In some cases, electrical burns are caused by issues with electrical utilities. If the injury was due to power line failures, transformers, or other utility-related issues, the utility company might be liable if it was negligent in maintaining the infrastructure.

What Should I Do Next?
No matter where the injury happened—at work, in public, or at home—knowing your rights is the first step to getting the help you need. Victims of electrical injuries often endure physical pain, emotional distress, and the challenges of long-term rehabilitation. The Ghuneim Law Firm can assist in pursuing compensation by identifying responsible parties, such as negligent employers, manufacturers of defective products, or property owners who failed to maintain safe conditions.
Contact Ghuneim Law Firm at 833-GHU-NEIM or 281-487-8929 to schedule a free consultation.
References:
Zemaitis MR, Foris LA, Lopez RA, et al. Electrical Injuries. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448087/