Electrical injuries can happen when a person contacts a high-voltage power line, faulty wiring, damaged equipment or an improperly grounded appliance. They can cause burns, nerve damage, cardiac problems and death.
Who may be responsible?
- Power companies have duties to maintain their high-voltage lines, including inspecting them and correcting problems they find.
- Property owners and contractors may be responsible for unsafe wiring or for failing to warn about electrical hazards.
- Manufacturers may be responsible for defective electrical products (see product liability).
These cases usually require expert testimony, such as from an electrical engineer, so evidence should be preserved early. Injuries on the job may also involve workers’ compensation.
What to do
- Get medical care and keep your records and bills.
- Report the incident to the owner or manager and note who you spoke with.
- Photograph the scene and the condition that caused the injury, and get witness names.
- Ask that any surveillance video be preserved. It may be erased quickly.
Deadlines
Most claims against private property owners must be filed within three years (Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49). If the property belongs to a city, county or state agency, the Mississippi Tort Claims Act generally requires a written notice of claim at least 90 days before suit and a lawsuit within one year (Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-11). Missing a deadline can bar the claim completely.
Comparative fault
If the injured person was partly at fault, Mississippi law reduces the damages in proportion to that fault rather than barring the claim (Miss. Code Ann. § 11-7-15).
Talk with a Jackson, Mississippi lawyer
Have questions about electrocution and electrical injuries? Call (601) 355-9600 (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.) or send us a message to arrange a confidential consultation.
Our only office: 355 S. State Street, Jackson, MS 39201, next to the Hinds County Chancery Courthouse. We serve clients throughout Jackson and central Mississippi.
This page provides general information, not legal advice. Every situation depends on its own facts, and reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.