When the weather gets particularly dry in Texas, you experience an electrical charge when you get out of your car or reach for a light switch. You may see sparks and feel a pinch at the moment of contact. While most of the time the jolt that comes from static electricity is more of a surprise, if enough energy builds up, you may feel genuine pain from the shock.
However, even the most severe static charge could not have prepared you for the pain and suffering of an electrical shock. A few seconds of contact with an electrical current changed your life forever. For that brief time, you became part of the current. Witnesses may have struggled to separate you if they were unable to shut off power. Now you are rebuilding your life, and you may only be starting to understand the extent of your injuries.
Electrical shock may result in unseen injuries
Many factors determine the severity of a shock injury, including the type and amount of electrical current and how the current travels through your body. In most cases, an electrical current will enter your body at one point and exit through another. You may have burns, tissue damage or deformities in those areas, but you may also suffer from internal injuries that are not apparent on sight, such as:
- Muscle damage along the path the current flowed through your body
- Organ damage
- Eye injuries
- Neurological damage
- Damage to your heart or disruption to your heart’s rhythm
In some cases, victims of electrical shock suffer cardiac arrest after the incident and require defibrillation. Additionally, if the jolt caused you to fall or threw you a distance, you may also suffer injuries to your spine, neck or head. You may require extensive medical treatment and access to many resources to assist in your recovery.
While many electric shock accidents occur in the workplace, you do not have to be an electrician or construction worker to be at risk of a serious, life-threatening shock. You may suffer electrical shock from faulty wiring in your apartment, defective electrical equipment or poorly maintained appliances. Coming in contact with wires left negligently exposed may leave you with lifelong injuries. In such a case, you have the option of seeking information from an attorney about options for pursuing compensation.