Long Beach Electrician Accidents Lawyer

Electricians have an inherently dangerous job. Working with unfinished electrical systems means exposure to significant risks of electrocution and other injuries. It’s also possible for electrical work to entail dangerous situations, such as working in high places, within unfinished structures, and without any safety features designed to protect people from electrical injuries. If you or a loved one recently suffered an injury while working as an electrician in Long Beach, CA, you need to know your legal rights for recovering your losses.

Legal Representation for Long Beach Electrician Accidents

An experienced Long Beach electrician accident lawyer can be an invaluable asset after experiencing this type of workplace injury. Electrocutions and other electrician accidents can easily cause life-changing medical complications beyond their severe immediate effects. Therefore, it’s essential for anyone in this situation to understand the California workers’ compensation system and potential options for recovering compensation outside of workers’ compensation.

Pratt Law Corporation is a team of experienced Long Beach electrician accident attorneys who can provide injured electricians and their families with the legal guidance they need following electrocutions and other electrician accidents. We understand the devastating toll these accidents take on victims and their families and provide the comprehensive legal representation you need to recover.

Why Do I Need a Long Beach Electrical Injury Attorney?

Suppose you were injured at work in California, and your employer is legally required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. In that case, you might assume that the process of recovering compensation for your damages will be simple and straightforward. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Navigating the workers’ compensation claim process is more challenging than many claimants realize at first, and there is no guarantee you will secure as much compensation as you initially anticipate when you attempt this process without an experienced attorney on your side.

Your Long Beach electrician accident attorney can not only help you with your workers’ compensation claim but also assist you in determining whether you have grounds for further legal action. Workers’ compensation insurance typically shields employers from civil liability for their employees’ workplace injuries, but employers can absorb liability for employees’ damages under certain conditions. Therefore, it is also possible for third parties to bear fault for an electrician accident in Long Beach, CA.

Ensuring the total recovery possible under California state law requires careful discernment of how the electrician accident happened, who is responsible for causing it, and the California statutes likely to come into play as your case unfolds. Your Long Beach electrician accident attorney will help you with your workers’ compensation claim if these benefits are available to you before assisting you in exploring your additional legal options for recovering your losses.

How Does an Electrical Accident Happen?

Electrical injuries can occur for many different reasons. Some of these incidents occur because of the electrician’s inexperience or error. Others happen because of a lack of training or inappropriate work assignments from employers. It’s also possible for electrician accidents to occur due to faulty equipment, materials, and tools. Therefore, the first step toward recovery after an electrician accident is determining exactly how the accident happened.

When any party is at fault for causing an electrician accident, the injured party needs to determine whether workers’ compensation is available or if they need to take legal action outside of the workers’ compensation system. The California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) is the state agency responsible for handling all workers’ compensation benefits claims. A Long Beach electrician accident lawyer can help you file your workers’ compensation claim if your employer has workers’ compensation insurance coverage. However, suppose you are an independent contractor or sole proprietor who does not have workers’ compensation coverage. In that case, you may need to file a civil claim against the party responsible for causing your electrician accident to recover your losses.

Commonly Reported Injuries From Electrician Accidents

The most commonly reported injury from electrician accidents is electrocution. This occurs when a high voltage electrical current contacts a human body, discharging electricity through the body. The strength of the voltage, location of the contact with the current on the body, and various environmental factors can influence the severity of an electrocution. These injuries can easily cause painful shocks, burns, nerve damage, and even cardiovascular interruptions.

Other commonly reported electrician accident injuries in Long Beach, CA, include:

• Injuries from faulty equipment and tools. Electricians must rely on various pieces of equipment and specialized tools to perform their work. When an item is defective, the product manufacturer could absorb liability for resulting injuries under California’s product liability laws.
• Deep cuts from precision cutting instruments. An electrician can suffer severe cuts from the tools required for cutting wires and other slicing tools. Some of these injuries could damage tendons and soft tissues and require extensive treatment.
• Slip and fall injuries. Some electricians may require scaffolds and ladders to reach high places. Fall injuries are a leading cause of accidental workplace injuries and deaths throughout the US. In addition, falls can result in traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, and bone fractures.
• Long-term medical complications from electrocutions. Electrocution is a life-threatening injury that often causes long-term medical problems for the victim. These problems can include disrupted heart rhythm and other cardiovascular problems, nerve damage, and loss of function.

These are just a few examples of the injuries an electrician accident can cause. If you are injured while performing electrical work, seek medical treatment immediately and notify your employer of the injury.

Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim for an Electrician Accident

California state law requires all employers with at least one employee to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Independent contractors and sole proprietors typically do not have access to workers’ compensation, but all other employees in California should have access to workers’ compensation claim forms through their employers following workplace injuries. Many electrician accidents result in severe injuries that demand immediate medical treatment. Therefore, after an electrician accident occurs, the victim should receive medical attention as soon as possible.

An injured employee should report their injury to their employer as soon as possible, ideally immediately after the injury occurs. Prompt reporting will reflect well on a subsequent workers’ compensation claim. If there is any significant delay in the victim’s report, the California DWC may be skeptical about the validity of the victim’s claim for workers’ compensation benefits. When an injured employee reports a workplace injury to their employer, the employer must provide the employee with the materials necessary for filing a workers’ compensation claim.

Workers’ compensation insurance carriers provide lists of approved local physicians who can examine and treat injured workers. An injured employee can seek medical care from any available doctor in an emergency. However, they must visit an approved workers’ compensation physician for a medical examination once they stabilize. A workers’ compensation physician will assign the injured worker a disability rating based on the severity of their injury. This rating determines the scope of benefits the employee can receive from the California DWC.

Common Problems With Workers’ Compensation

While the workers’ compensation claim process may appear straightforward at first, the reality is that many injured workers encounter various issues with their claims. The first is unexpected delays. When you are struggling with the aftermath of a painful electrical injury and are facing expensive medical bills and inability to work, delays in securing the compensation you need from the workers’ compensation system can be highly distressing.

Working with an experienced Long Beach electrician accident attorney can make your workers’ compensation claim process much easier and more efficient. Many claim delays result from incomplete paperwork and other errors. Your attorney can help you complete your claim and gather any supporting documentation you need to submit with it.

It’s also possible for the California DWC to award you a lower level of benefits than you initially expected. The DWC may award temporary or permanent disability benefits depending on the scope of the claimant’s injuries and the disability rating assigned by their workers’ compensation doctor. If you believe the DWC’s determination is unreasonable, or if your workers’ compensation doctor assigns a lower disability rating than you believe your situation dictates, it’s vital to consult an attorney as soon as possible.

Even when a workers’ compensation claim is successful, and the claimant receives the total amount of benefits the DWC can offer for their situation, these benefits may not fully cover the claimant’s losses from an electrician accident. Depending on how their accident occurred, the victim may have grounds for a personal injury claim against the party responsible for causing their injury.

Filing a Personal Injury Claim After an Electrician Accident

If you are an employee who suffered an electrocution or other electrical injury at work, you may wonder whether you have grounds to sue your employer to recover your damages. California’s workers’ compensation law exists to protect employees and ensure they have the compensation they need after workplace injuries, but it also protects employers from liability for their employees’ damages. An injured employee typically cannot sue their employer for a workplace injury unless the employer intentionally caused the employee’s injury or demonstrated egregious negligence that resulted in damages.

While you may not have grounds for a personal injury claim against your employer, it is possible to file a personal injury claim against a third party responsible for causing your electrical injury. For example, if you were electrocuted due to a defective tool or piece of equipment, you may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer. Likewise, suppose a third party caused your electrician accident due to negligence. In that case, you could file a personal injury claim against them to recover the compensation that workers’ compensation cannot provide.

Success with a personal injury claim in California requires accurate identification of the party or parties you believe to be responsible for your injury and a complete record of all the damages you sustained. In addition, you must prove the defendant was negligent and that their negligence directly caused your claimed damages.

Workers’ compensation benefits may be able to cover your immediate medical expenses and provide some compensation for your lost income while you are unable to work. In addition, a personal injury claim can help you secure additional compensation for damages including:

• The cost of rehabilitation and other ongoing restorative treatments that you require are not covered by workers’ compensation.
• Lost income beyond the partial weekly wage compensation you receive from workers’ compensation.
• Property damage compensation, in the event the defendant’s actions resulted in property losses.
• Pain and suffering compensation. California state law allows a personal injury plaintiff to recover compensation for physical pain and emotional distress caused by a defendant’s negligence.

While workers’ compensation benefits can provide economic relief fairly quickly after an electrician accident, a personal injury claim can provide a more complete recovery from all of your damages.

Experiencing an electrical injury at work can be a life-changing experience. However, navigating the workers’ compensation claim system on your own is incredibly challenging, and meeting your procedural requirements while managing the effects of your injury is much easier with reliable legal counsel on your side. An experienced Long Beach electrician accident lawyer can not only assist you with your claim for workers’ compensation benefits but also assist you in exploring your other options for expanding your recovery.

The team at Pratt Law Corporation has years of experience guiding clients through complex workers’ compensation claims and personal injury claims. We believe in providing aggressive, client-focused legal counsel in every injury case we accept. Our team will take time to get to know you and your situation, answer your most pressing legal questions, and guide you through the legal proceedings necessary for securing the compensation you deserve.

It’s natural to have many questions about your legal rights and to feel uncertain about your ability to recover from a workplace injury, especially one as damaging as an electrical injury. If you are ready to discuss your legal options with an experienced Long Beach electrician accident attorney, contact Pratt Law Corporation today and schedule a consultation with our team.