Welcome to our electrocution compensation claims guide. Damage caused by an electric shock or burn can inflict minor to life-altering consequences. Unfortunately, there are some situations where an electrical injury could inflict harm, and nobody is at fault. However, in some circumstances, a third party could neglect their duty of care, which, in turn, could result in a person becoming injured or harmed. If that is the case and negligence is to blame, the affected individual could have potential grounds to pursue a claim for compensation.
Key Items To Remember When Making Electrocution Compensation Claims
- You could be entitled to compensation if negligence occurred.
- Common places to suffer an electric shock injury include public spaces and your workplace.
- Compensation amounts are decided on the injury severity, number of injuries and any related financial losses.
- Evidence is needed to support electrocution injury claims.
- Eligible parties can claim with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel.
Within this guide, we’ll discuss how our panel of solicitors could assist those that have been affected by the negligence of a third party. If when reading this guide you have a question or would like to proceed with a claim, please contact us. Our excellent team of advisors are available 24 hours a day to take your call:
- Call us on 0333 000 0729
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Jump To A Section
- Eligibility Criteria For Electrocution Compensation Claims
- Causes Of Electrical Injuries
- Workplaces Which May Have A Higher Risk Of Electrical Injuries
- How To Make Electrocution Compensation Claims
- How Much Compensation For An Electric Shock Could I Receive?
- No Win No Fee Electrocution Compensation Claims
- Supporting Information
Eligibility Criteria For Electrocution Compensation Claims
If you have suffered an electric shock injury, to be able to make a personal injury claim, you will need to prove the following:
- You were owed a duty of care.
- This duty was breached.
- This breach caused you to suffer your injury.
A duty of care refers to someone’s legal responsibility to ensure your safety. For example, your employer owed you a duty of care while you are working under the Health and Safety etc. Act 1974. They must take reasonable steps to prevent you from coming to harm while in the workplace or performing your work duties. For example, they could provide you with sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) when needed.
Those in control of public spaces owe you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. Per their duty of care, they must take steps and measures to ensure your reasonable safety while you are visiting that public space. For example, they could perform regular risk assessments and address any hazards they come across.
To see whether you may be eligible to make a personal injury claim if you suffered an electrocution injury, you can contact our advisors.
Causes Of Electrical Injuries
Many variants could contribute to an electrical injury. To further illustrate the various factors that could cause an electrical injury, we have provided a list:
- Faulty equipment.
- Damaged or frayed cords.
- Exposed parts of an electrical appliance making contact with the skin.
- Struck by lightning.
- Appliances coming into contact with water.
If your employer was responsible for your injuries or failed to prevent them according to their duty of care, grounds for electrocution compensation claims could be established.
Workplaces Which May Have A Higher Risk Of Electrical Injuries
You might be wondering whether or not you could sue for getting electrocuted at work, which is a justified question to ask. Unfortunately, there are specific industries where an accident involving electrocution could be more prevalent, which is simply due to the nature of the job. Examples might include;
- A farm accident
- Maintenance
- Forestry
- Those who work in underground services or explosive atmospheres.
The nature of the job role does not excuse an employer’s negligent actions. If you would like to discuss the incident that caused your electrical injuries and find out if you have good grounds to claim compensation, speak to a member of our advisory team.
How To Make Electrocution Compensation Claims
To make electrocution compensation claims, you may want to:
- Seek medical attention.
- Gather evidence.
- Ask for legal advice.
In the following subsections, we look at a few steps you can take following an electric shock injury.
Seek Medical Attention For Your Electric Shock Injury
Following any injury, including that from an electric shock, you will need to seek medical attention. This can allow for a thorough assessment of your injuries from a medical professional. An electric shock can cause burn injuries or even cardiac arrest. Both of which will need attention from a trained medical professional.
Additionally, the medical records will help support your claim for personal injury compensation (we look at this next).
Evidence To Support Electrocution Compensation Claims
Evidence needs to prove that negligence occurred. Some examples include:
- Medical records. You can request these from your GP.
- Footage of the incident. You can request CCTV of yourself.
- Photographs. These can be of exposed wires, other items that caused your electric shock or of the injuries themselves, such as burns or scars.
- Witnesses. You can’t take witness statements yourself, but what you can do is collect contact details from anyone who saw what happened and is willing to give a statement later on.
- Accident book. If the incident occurred at work, you can request a copy of the incident in the accident log book. Additionally, public places may also keep accident books.
The more compelling the evidence, the stronger your electricity injury claim. The above list is just a few examples of the items that can be collected to support electrocution injury claims.
Get Help With Your Electric Shock Claim
Another step you can take is to ask a Legal Helpline advisor, ‘Can I claim if I was electrocuted?’ One of the advisors from our team will:
- Assess whether your personal injury claim is valid.
- Provide free guidance on what evidence could help your claim.
- Estimate how much electric shock compensation you could claim.
- Talk you through the basics of the first step to beginning electrocution compensation claims.
Should you have strong grounds to pursue electric shock compensation and wish to proceed with our services, an advisor can connect you to our panel of solicitors. If one of the solicitors from the panel supports your claim, they will:
- Ensure that your compensation is accurately valued. This valuation will consider all your injuries and their severity, the effect they’ve had on your life plus any related out of pocket expenses.
- Talk you through the Pre-Action Protocol for Personal Injury Claims.
- Ensure that relevant documentation is sent off on schedule, such as sending the Letter of Claim to the defendant’s insurer.
- Negotiate with the liable party’s insurer to ensure that the compensation award reflects your suffering and expenses.
- Connect you with any specialists to help aid your recovery.
Furthermore, our panel operate on a No Win No Fee basis, so you won’t be asked to pay for your solicitor’s services upfront. We explain what this means in more detail later on. If you have any questions about making electrocution injury claims so far, please call an advisor.
How Much Compensation For An Electric Shock Could I Receive?
In this section, we are going to look at how much compensation for an electric shock could be awarded in a successful personal injury claim. Settlements could consist of both general damages and special damages.
General damages compensate for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by the injury. To help when valuing personal injury claims, legal professionals will use a document titled the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). It lists compensation guidelines for various types of injuries.
In our table below, we’ve provided figures from JCG, except for the first figure. Please only use our table as guidance.
| Injury | Severity | Notes | Compensation Bracket - Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Severe Injuries With Financial Harm | Severe | Compensation for suffering multiple injuries that are severe in nature and the financial harm they have caused, such as lost earnings and medical expenses. | Up to £350,000+ |
| Brain Damage | Moderate (i) | A moderate to severe intellectual deficit with an effect on sight and speech and no prospect of employment. | £183,190 to £267,340 |
| Scarring to Other Parts of the Body | Burns | Serious burns that cover over 40% of the body. | Likely to exceed £127,930 |
| Noticeable or Disfiguring Scars | Multiple noticeable laceration scars of a singular disfiguring scar to the hands, arms, legs, chest or back. | £9,560 to £27,740 | |
| Chest | Traumatic Injury | Affecting the chest, heart or lungs that causes permanent damage and impaired function. | £80,240 to £122,850 |
| Facial Disfigurement | Very Severe Scarring | The cosmetic effect is very disabling with a severe psychological reaction. Usually applicable in case for those who are a teen to their early 30s. | £36,340 to £118,790 |
| Less Severe Scarring | A substantial disfigurement with a significant psychological reaction. | £21,920 to £59,090 | |
| Significant Scarring | Plastic surgery will have reduced the worst effects leaving behind some cosmetic disability. | £11,120 to £36,720 |
Special Damages
Your electric shock claim amount could also include special damages. This compensates you for the financial losses you incurred due to your injuries. To be able to claim special damages, it is likely that you will need to present evidence regarding your expenses, such as bank statements.
Examples of what losses you might be able to recover include:
- Loss of earnings, including your past, present and future earnings.
- Medical expenses, such as the costs of therapy.
- Travel expenses, such as taxi fares to medical appointments.
- Domestic help, such as the cost of a carer.
If you would like a free valuation of your electric shock compensation claim, get in touch with our advisors.
No Win No Fee Electrocution Compensation Claims
If you’d like to learn more about the average compensation for an electric shock, we recommend talking to a legal professional. There are many benefits that can come with making a personal injury claim with the help of a solicitor; for example, a solicitor can talk to witnesses for you, and request CCTV and other video footage. They can also arrange for you to undergo an independent medical assessment, the results of which can be used to help prove your claim.
Our panel of solicitors work on a No Win No Fee basis through the means of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). Under a CFA, your solicitor won’t ask you to pay for them to start work on your claim. Likewise, if you don’t make a successful claim, then you won’t pay for their services. If you do make a successful claim, they’ll deduct a small percentage of your compensation as their success fee.
Our team of advisors are here to help. If you’d like to learn more about making a personal injury claim after an electric shock, get in touch today. They can evaluate your claim for free, and could potentially pass your claim on to a solicitor.
To get started:
- Call us on 0333 000 0729
- Contact us online
- Use the live chat feature
Supporting Information
- Accident at Work – Could I make a claim against a negligent employer?
- Fatal Workplace Accident – Could I make a claim on behalf of a loved one?
- Shop Accident Claims – Does a shop owe me a duty of care?
- NHS – First Aid
Thanks for reading our electrocution compensation claims guide.
Guide by MN
Edited by REG
