By Stephen Hudson. Last Updated 25th July 2024. At Legal Expert, we have successfully helped many people make electric shock at work accident claims after they have been electrocuted at work. In this case, the claimant was an employee who was subjected to a 650-volt electrical shock whilst in the course of carrying out their duties. The electrical shock caused burn injuries to the claimant’s thumb and fingers.
They alleged that the accident and resulting injuries were caused by a lack of suitable PPE. After negotiation, the claimant’s electric shock compensation claim amount of £22,000 in damages was awarded.
Contact us if you have any questions about making an electric shock claim. To do so, you can:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Message us about your claim online
- Use the live chat box in the corner
You can also watch our video below which explains the key takeaways from our guide:
Select A Section
- Establishing Liability In An Electric Shock Compensation Claim Case
- What Injuries Can Be Sustained In Electric Shock At Work Compensation Cases?
- How Much Can I Claim For An Electric Shock?
- How An Electric Shock Claim Is Calculated
- No Win No Fee Electric Shock At Work Accident Claims
- Useful Links
Establishing Liability In An Electric Shock Compensation Claim Case
The claimant alleged that their employers working practices and systems were unsafe. They also alleged that the defendant (employer) had failed to provide the worker making the claim with fellow employees who had the correct training to carry out the necessary duties. As part of the claim, medical evidence was obtained to support the claimants’ allegation.
The medical reports confirmed that the claimant had been left with fingers which were prone to being stiff as well as leaving them with a lasting degree of numbness in their fingers. These affected their ability to work as well.
What Injuries Can Be Sustained In Electric Shock At Work Compensation Cases?
Electric shock injury compensation claims can involve a variety of injuries. At the time of the accident and resulting injury, the claimant was employed by the defendant. They were in the course of carrying out their usual duties which involved the testing of cabling for a railway. Whilst the claimant was dispensing these duties, a fellow employee turned the power back on. This caused the claimant to receive an electric shock of 650 volts.
The electric shock injury that the claimant suffered caused burns to their thumb and fingers which were handling the wire. The claimant/ victim suffered from these burns and due to their serious nature needed to have skin graft surgery to graft new skin onto the burned areas on their index finger and thumb.
As well as the physical injuries, the claimant also claimed that they had suffered from psychological trauma. This trauma had manifested in the form of nightmares. Subsequently, the worker was diagnosed to be suffering from PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These symptoms did abate after some time.
How Much Can I Claim For An Electric Shock?
How much you can claim for electric shock injuries and accidents will vary depending on your individual case. In this case, the defendant did not dispute their liability and immediately admitted that they were liable for the accident. The only issue which they raised was the electric shock claim amount that needed to be agreed upon between the two parties and how much compensation for electric shock would be awarded. After the defendant (employer) had admitted their liability for the accident they were able to enter into negotiations with solicitors acting on behalf of the claimant. The two parties worked to reach a settlement which was amicable. Unfortunately, an agreement could not be reached by the two parties, despite the goodwill between them.
As such, the claimant requested that her solicitors commence proceedings in the County Court to recover the compensation amount she was seeking. This provides an answer to the common question, “I have had an electric shock at work, can I sue”. The case was heard in the local County Court branch two years after the accident occurred. In the County Court case, the claim was heard two years after the accident happened and the injuries were sustained.
The judge reviewed and accepted the evidence, including the medical evidence. They took into account the fact that the claimant would continue to have a numb feeling in her hand and that the scarring which was seen would also be permanent. During the case, the judge noted that the claimant had not since been able to return to her full job role, and was so far unable to carry out her pre-accident job description/role.
How An Electric Shock Claim Is Calculated
Legal professionals make use of a variety of resources when they calculate how much you should be awarded for your physical and psychological injuries. One of these resources is a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG).
The JCG contains various figures that relate to how much claims regarding certain injuries have been worth in the past. The amount that’s awarded is called general damages. We’ve included some example entries in the compensation table below so you can have a better understanding of how the JCG is laid out. Please note, the figure in the top row was not taken from the JCG.
Alternatively, you can also head to our online compensation calculator.
| Injury | Severity | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious injuries and special expenses | Serious | Up to £500,000+ |
| Brain damage | Moderately severe | £267,340 to £344,150 |
| Serious burn injuries | Injuries that lead to ongoing psychological damage as well as physical injury. | Likely to exceed £127,930 |
| Chest injuries | (b) Traumatic injury to chest, lung(s) and/or heart | £80,240 to £122,850 |
| Chest injuries | (c) Damage to chest and lungs | £38,210 to £66,920 |
| Knee injury | Moderate (i) (may involve a dislocation) | £18,110 to £31,960 |
| Shoulder injury | Serious (can include a dislocation) | £15,580 to £23,430 |
| Elbow injury | Moderate or Minor (can include simple fractures) | Up to £15,370 |
You may also be eligible to receive special damages. This is an amount that’s made up of losses and expenses you experience due to your injuries. For example, a loss of earnings, medical costs, and travel expenses.
Get in touch for more information, including what evidence you will need to present during your special damages claim.
No Win No Fee Electric Shock At Work Accident Claims
If you have valid grounds to make a claim for an electric shock at work, then our advisors could put you in touch with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors. They can support compensation claims for an electric shock injury under what’s called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
If your solicitor works under a CFA, you won’t normally be obligated to pay your solicitor for their service before your case has started or while it’s being processed. You also won’t be required to pay the solicitor supporting you for their work if the claim goes ahead but fails.
Following a successful claim, your solicitor will take a success fee from the awarded compensation. This means that your solicitor will take just a small percentage from the compensation awarded for your electric shock injury claim. There is a legal cap on how much your solicitor can take as a success fee. This helps to ensure that you will keep most of the injury compensation awarded.
You can contact our advisors for free today to ask any questions you may have about receiving support from a No Win No Fee solicitor or other aspects of the claiming process. To speak to our team about claiming for an electric shock burn or other injuries, you can:
- Phone our team on 0800 073 8804
- Use our online form to start your claim online.
- Or you can get in touch today with our 24/7 live chat service.
Useful Links
- How Much Can I Claim For Electric Shock Accidents
Find out more information about electric shock at work accident claims and how much compensation you could be entitled to with Legal expert. - Accident At Work Claims
Find out about how to make an accident at work claim with Legal expert. - Making Accident At Work Claims
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