Electrocution technically means death by electric shock. However, colloquially, any injury resulting from electricity is electrocution. Electricity is in almost everybody’s home, and we use it every day. It can be easy to forget what a powerful, dangerous force it is. If you or a family member experienced injury or death as a result of electrocution, chances are it was due to negligence on the part of the workplace, home construction, or doctor. Those who suffer an electrocution injury should speak with an experienced Kansas City serious injury lawyer as soon as possible.
Damages From Electricity
Electrocution can cause severe damage all over the body. Some of this damage takes a long time to heal; some will never fully go away. Burn injuries are some of the most common. Electrical burns can be mild or extremely severe. Burns may go several skin layers deep, even affecting underlying tissue. When electrical burns this bad are sustained, in most cases the dead and damaged skin and tissue must be removed to protect the healthy skin and tissue.
When electrocuted, a victim can be thrown a great distance. An electric shock can happen when you’re on a ladder or standing on top of another high place. In these cases, you’re often thrown backwards and unable to control your landing. You can sustain broken bones and other contact injuries in these cases in addition to damage the electric shock may have caused.
There are several severe, systemic conditions caused by severe electric shock. Nerve and spinal cord damage can result in loss of sensation or motion in extremities. Spinal cord damage resulting from electrocution may not present until later in life.
Organs can be severely damaged by strong electric current, as well. At the moment of the shock, respiratory arrest can occur. Kidneys, muscles, and other organs and tissues can suffer irreparable injury. Eardrum rupture is common. Cardiac arrest is often the result of an electric shock close to the chest. This can be immediately fatal.
Long-Term Problems Caused by Electrocution Injuries
Electrocution carries risk of several conditions that may present later in life. Victims of electrocution are more likely to develop cataracts, especially if the point of contact with the electricity occurs near the head. Long-term psychiatric effects are also frequently experienced. Severe depression, anxiety, and even aggression can develop in electric shock victims. Post-traumatic stress disorder is also a risk. All of these psychiatric, emotional and psychological injuries and conditions can make physical healing from the electrocution difficult.
Electrocution can therefore cause severe, catastrophic injuries. Victims almost always must miss work to recover, and sometimes are unable to ever return to their jobs. The medical bills combined with the lost wages can put an extreme strain on the injured person and his or her family. The emotional fallout makes this dimension of electrocution injury even more difficult to deal with.
