• mobile
Select Page

Electric Shock Injuries in Virginia


Every year, workers, homeowners and people in the wrong place at the wrong time suffer electric shock injuries in Virginia and other states. These types of injuries can cause horrific damage. In some cases, an electric shock proves fatal, electrocuting a victim.

The consequences of electric shock injury in Virginia and elsewhere can include permanent nerve damage, severe burns and the loss of use of a limb.

What is An Electric Shock?

An electric shock occurs when a victim makes contact with an exposed electric circuit or an object they touch suddenly becomes electrified. If the negligence of another party causes your electric shock injuries, that party may be liable in a lawsuit. At The Smith Law Center, our experienced Virginia trial lawyers represent people who suffered horrendous injuries from shocks and other sources. Please contact us for a free consultation.

How Common Are Electric Shock Injuries and Electrocution?

Workers who deal with electricity on a daily basis are most likely to sustain injuries and electrocutions. Electrocution is the sixth most common cause of worker deaths in the United States. Electricity causes about 350 deaths a year nationwide, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Every year, about 4,000 workers suffer electric shock injuries.

You are less likely to receive an electric shock if you do not work with electricity, but people may suffer electric shocks in their own homes or be shocked by downed power lines or other unexpected hazards.

How Does the Human Body Cope with an Electrical Shock?

The human body is a good conductor of electric current. Electricity passes very easily throughout our bodies. Direct contact with electrical current can cause massive injuries and death. While some electrical burns appear to be minor, they may cause extreme damage to the organs like the heart and the brain.

How Does Electric Current Cause Serious Injuries and Deaths?

When dealing with electric shock Injuries in Virginia and elsewhere, we are conscious of the different ways electricity can damage the human body. There are three main possible effects of electric shock, namely:

  • Nerve, muscle, and tissue damage from a current passing through the body
  • Cardiac arrest due to the electrical effect on the heart
  • Thermal burns caused by contact with an electrical source

 

Damage sustained to the nervous system is often extremely serious. It can leave victims with permanent neurological damage. If you suffer injuries of this nature, it is necessary to recover as much as possible from a defendant who may be an individual, a power company, an employer or another entity.

What Scenarios Can Lead to Electric Shock Injuries and Electrocution?

Some dangerous scenarios that can cause electric shocks include:

  • Construction workers and forklift or crane operators who routinely come into contact with electrified wires
  • Storms that bring down power lines or strike transformers
  • Electricians who face dangers from faulty wiring or other hazards
  • Tree surgeons and landscapers who work close to overhead power lines
  • Homeowners and tenants who face dangers from faulty wiring in kitchens, bathrooms and other areas
  • Railroad workers who suffer shocks on tracks and on trains
  • Swimmers who suffer shocks in pools or marinas

 

What Can You Claim If You Suffer an Electric Shock Injury in Virginia?

If you are harmed by exposure to electricity in Virginia, you may be able to recover for a wide range of costs and harms including:

  • Medical bills, which may include the costs of rehabilitation.
  • Lost wages if you took time off work or if the injury forces you to change your job. You may end up permanently disabled or unable to return to your old job.
  • Pain and suffering, including physical and emotional pain and discomfort.
  • Emotional strain associated with the electric shock injury

 

Wrongful Death Lawsuits After an Electrocution

If you lose a loved one from electrocution, you may have grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This can be brought against an employer who asked a worker to go into a dangerous facility or a power company that was negligent when its lines fell down and killed a passer-by. Electrocution often occurs in the most unexpected of circumstances.

Family members or the estate of a victim can claim the following damages.

  • Funeral expenses
  • Medical expenses
  • Projected future income of the deceased
  • Work benefits and health insurance
  • Projected financial contributions in the future including the deceased’s lost payments to mortgages and car loans
  • Loss of the value of services to the family

Contact an Experienced Electrocution Injury Lawyer in Virginia

At the Smith Law Center, our experienced Virginia trial lawyers have helped people who suffered terrible injuries from electric shocks due to the fault of another party or the families of those who lost a loved one. Please contact us for a free consultation today at (757) 244-7000.

 

Best lawyers
American Board of Trial Advocates
Brain Injury Association
Brain Injury Association
Best lawyers
American Board of Trial Advocates
Brain Injury Association
Brain Injury Association
icon headset

SPEAK TO US NOW FOR FREE

Your legal questions answered, completely free of charge.

icon target

DELIVERING RESULTS SINCE 1949

We are one of Virginia’s largest and most successful law firms.

icon law

IF WE DON’T WIN, YOU DON’T PAY

There are absolutely no out-of-pocket fees for filing a claim.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU


Use the simple form below to send a message directly to our lawyers. We will respond within 1 hour or less during business hours.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

icon headset

SPEAK TO US NOW FOR FREE

Your legal questions answered, completely free of charge.

icon law

IF WE DON’T WIN, YOU DON’T PAY

There are absolutely no out-of-pocket fees for filing a claim.

If you or a relative had a severe reaction to military housing mold, it might be time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Mold is everywhere, and can be dangerous. Researchers have linked mold to serious respiratory illnesses in some individuals.

Smith Law Center may be able to help if a property owner failed to keep you safe from mold in your military housing. We are one of Virginia’s oldest and most successful firms. We know how to hold negligent property owners responsible, especially when the military is involved.

Call us at (757) 244-700 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. There’s no fee for learning more about Virginia mold laws, your rights, and your legal options.

Mold in Military Housing

Black mold in military housing became widely known when Reuters published an investigation in 2018. Since then, the Department of Defense and the housing providers were supposed to take steps to improve the situation.

Unfortunately, a 2020 audit by the DoD Office of Inspector General found many issues, including the need for mold remediation, still persist.

Monetary Awards in Military Housing Toxic Mold Cases

If the property owner lets toxic mold run wild and continue to cause you harm, talk with our toxic mold attorneys about filing a lawsuit.

You may receive financial compensation for:

Service members and their families do not receive different types of damages than civilians. These are civil lawsuits in traditional courts of law.

Military Housing Mold Toxicity Symptoms

The Institute of Medicine discovered there was evidence connecting exposure to indoor mold with:

  • Upper respiratory tract symptoms;
  • Coughing;
  • Wheezing;
  • Asthma symptoms in individuals with asthma; and
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals with weak immune systems.

There is also limited evidence that mold causes respiratory illnesses in healthy children or causes people to develop asthma.

Understanding Exposure to Toxic Mold in Military Housing

The topic of toxic mold is complicated. This Is in part because the term “toxic mold” isn’t accurate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains mold isn’t toxic or poisonous. However, some molds are toxigenic, which means they produce toxins called mycotoxins.

Mold is common in military housing because it’ll grow anywhere there’s moisture. That includes on and inside walls, carpet, upholstery, wallpaper, and heating and air conditioning systems. This is especially pronounced in humid conditions such as those present in Virginia.

Some people have no difficulties around mold, even large infestations in their homes. Other individuals are sensitive to molds, including those that produce mycotoxins. Someone can have a severe reaction when exposed to a large amount of mold indoors.

People may be more likely to experience mold toxicity symptoms if they have:

  • Allergies,
  • An underlying lung disease,
  • Immune suppression,
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder,
  • Asthma, or
  • Another chronic respiratory disease.

Common Types of Military Housing Mold

When you’re trying to learn more from the CDC and other resources, you’ll see the word “fungus” a lot. Mold is a type of fungus, which is something that exists all around us. Fungi are living organisms different from animals, plants, and bacteria. There are over 200,000 types of fungi and over 100,000 types of molds.

If you discovered mold in your military housing, it could be Cladosporium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus, or many other types. Stachybotrys is what everyone knows as black mold. Aspergillus is a common indoor fungus, which releases mycotoxins and can cause illness. Your symptoms may resemble common allergy or asthma symptoms.

Who is Liable for Military Housing Mold?

Since 1996, most military housing has come under the management of private companies:

  • Belfour Beatty Communities: Fort Eustis and Fort Story/li>
  • Lincoln Military Housing: Dahlgren, Little Creek, Naval Station Norfolk, Northwest Annex, Oceana, Portsmouth, Quantico, and Yorktown/li>
  • Hunt Military Communities: Fort Lee and Langley AFB

Outside of Virginia, Lendlease and Corvias Military Living are two more housing providers. Together, these five companies formed the Military Housing Association.

Military families living in on-base housing must take their complaints to their private management company — not the military. The company is responsible for providing habitable conditions and making repairs, including mold remediation.

If you’re unsure about your rights, review your state law and local ordinances about mold. In general, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide a habitable unit, which means it has to be safe to live in. A unit isn’t safe if it’s causing a tenant health issues due to mold.

The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires landlords to disclose if there’s mold in the written report of the move-in inspection. If a tenant discovers visible mold in the unit, then the Act requires the landlord to remove the mold and relocate the tenant until it’s gone at no additional cost to the tenant.

Unfortunately, many families find their housing providers aren’t receptive to complaints. Attorney Stephen M. Smith has handled many mold lawsuits against military housing providers who fail to abide by their lease terms and the law when it comes to mold remediation and other hazards.

Other Hazards in Military Housing

Many service members and their families deal with uncomfortable, if not hazardous, conditions in privatized military housing, including:

Lead Paint: Lead-based paint can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, irritability, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, organ damage, and in extreme cases, death.

Asbestos: Exposure to asbestos harms a person’s lungs, and can lead to lung fibrosis (scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Radon: Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It naturally forms underground, however cracks and gaps in buildings lead to over-exposure indoors.

Poor Water Quality: Dozens of military sites have water with detectable levels of harmful chemicals.

Other issues involve rodent or insect infestations, pesticides, and faulty electrical wiring.

What Happens When a Lot of People Get Sick?

Sometimes mold exposure impacts a single individual or family. However, when the mold spreads throughout military housing, it can impact hundreds or thousands of people.

Occasionally, a large enough group of people are injured to allow for a class action or mass tort lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is one where a class representative acts as the plaintiff on behalf of the group of hurt individuals. Not every victim participates in the lawsuit. There are rules about when a group is big and similar enough to create a class action.

Mass tort lawsuits are different. When there are fewer plaintiffs who have their own set of circumstances, each person files a lawsuit. For efficiency’s sake, one or a couple of law firms may represent most plaintiffs, and the lawsuits are consolidated in a federal court.

Call the Military Housing Mold Lawyers at Smith Law Center for Help Right Away

Mold cases come about in a few ways. You or a loved one may start getting sick, and after weeks or months of struggling to find answers, you finally realize your military housing has a mold infestation. In other cases, you struggle with visible mold and then become ill.

Once you connect the illness with the mold, it’s time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Reaching out to an attorney early helps you build a strong compensation claim. We know how to collect evidence, identify who is liable, and craft a successful argument for a settlement or court award.

Attorney Stephen M. Smith has decades of experience handling injury claims and has been internationally recognized for his work. He has litigated cases involving catastrophic injuries and complex legal and scientific issues. In 2019, he was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.

You’re in good hands when you come to Smith Law Center for help. Reach out online or call (757) 244-7000 to schedule your 100% free consultation.

Military Housing Mold Lawsuits: FAQs

icon target

DELIVERING RESULTS SINCE 1949

We are one of Virginia’s largest and most successful law firms.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU - Tablet View

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU


Use the simple form below to send a message directly to our lawyers. We will respond within 1 hour or less during business hours.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.