Electrocution injuries are among the most severe a person can survive, and the legal claims that follow are rarely simple. Multiple liable parties, overlapping regulations, and complex insurance structures make these cases difficult to investigate without a team that knows the terrain. Frischhertz & Impastato brings together eight attorneys with over 85 years of combined experience handling catastrophic injury claims, including electrical accidents across the work settings where they happen most: construction sites, industrial facilities, and maritime vessels.
We’ve recovered more than $700 million on behalf of injured people and their families. That record reflects not just the resources at our disposal but also a litigation approach built around collaboration and aggressive client advocacy. When you work with us, every attorney on your case contributes strategic thinking rather than leaving one person to handle everything alone.
If you or someone you love was hurt in an electrical accident, call our New Orleans electrocution attorneys at (504) 276-6962 for a free consultation.
Why Experience Matters in Electrocution Claims
Most electrocution accidents don’t fall into a single, tidy category. A construction worker may be struck by a line owned by Entergy New Orleans while a subcontractor’s crew works nearby. A maritime worker may be injured by faulty electrical equipment aboard a vessel. Our attorneys regularly handle construction accidents, industrial accidents, and maritime claims as part of one practice and can investigate liability across these and other accident settings.
Louisiana Law & the Rules That Determine Fault
The Louisiana Overhead Power Line Safety Act (LRS 45:141–146) prohibits unauthorized work within 10 feet of a high-voltage overhead line unless the utility is notified at least 48 hours in advance and mutual safety arrangements are confirmed. When a worker or bystander is injured because those steps weren’t followed, the Act often becomes central to the liability analysis. Contractors, employers, and property owners each have duties under this framework, and identifying which party failed to meet them is frequently where a case turns.
The National Electrical Safety Code sets standards for how utility companies must maintain line height, equipment condition, and clearance. These standards apply alongside the state statute and help define what a reasonably operated utility should have done.
Workers’ Compensation & Third-Party Injury Claims
A Louisiana worker injured in an on-the-job accident, including one involving electrocution, is generally entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, regardless of fault. Those benefits cover medical treatment and a portion of lost wages, but they don’t account for full pain and suffering or long-term loss of earning capacity. Critically, workers’ compensation does not prevent a separate claim against a negligent third party.
If a utility company, a contractor on the same site, or an equipment manufacturer contributed to the accident, an injured worker may pursue a third-party claim in addition to workers’ comp benefits. These parallel claims require careful coordination, and the strategy differs meaningfully from a standard personal injury case. We work through that analysis from the start so no issue is left unaddressed.
Where Electrocution Accidents Most Often Happen in New Orleans
Electrical accidents occur across a range of work environments and residential settings, and where an accident happens shapes who can be held liable.
Some of the most common scenarios our New Orleans electrocution lawyers see include:
Construction Sites: Contact with live wires, overhead power lines, and faulty equipment makes construction the industry with the highest rate of electrocution fatalities.
Industrial and Plant Facilities: High-voltage machinery and complex electrical systems create serious risk during routine operation and maintenance work.
Maritime and Offshore Platforms: Vessel and platform workers face electrical hazards distinct from onshore settings, often governed by different legal frameworks.
Residential Properties: Old wiring, defective appliances, and improperly performed electrical repairs cause injuries to homeowners, tenants, and contractors alike.
Who Is Liable After an Electrical Accident?
Liability in an electrocution case rarely falls on a single party. Entergy New Orleans, LLC, serves as the regulated electric utility for Orleans Parish and carries responsibility for maintaining its equipment and protecting the public from contact with energized lines. But a contractor who ignored required clearances, a property owner who failed to disclose known hazards, or an equipment manufacturer whose product failed can each bear responsibility as well.
Utilities and their insurers typically begin investigating the scene quickly after an accident. Conditions at an accident site can change within days, so early evidence preservation, including photos, equipment condition records, and witness identification, is critical. We move quickly at the outset of a case for exactly that reason.
The Medical Consequences of an Electrocution Injury
Electric shock injuries range from minor burns to conditions that permanently alter a person’s life. High-voltage contact can cause cardiac arrhythmia, entry and exit burns, deep tissue destruction, and, in the most serious cases, limb amputation. Arc flash burns, produced when electrical current jumps through the air during a fault, cause severe thermal injuries that often require multiple surgeries.
What makes electrocution claims medically and legally complex is delayed onset. Neurological complications, including nerve damage, chronic pain, and cognitive changes, may not fully manifest until months after the initial incident. Documenting these emerging conditions requires ongoing medical evaluation, and we work with treating physicians and specialists throughout the life of a case.
Compensation Available After an Electrical Injury or Death
An electrocution injury claim can pursue damages that reflect the full scope of what a victim has lost: medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and long-term care costs. When injuries are permanent, future cost projections in these cases can be substantial.
In fatal cases, surviving family members may pursue wrongful death damages, including funeral and burial expenses, loss of financial support, and loss of companionship. Louisiana law also provides a separate survival action for the pain and suffering the victim experienced before death. We can handle both claims together so families don’t have to coordinate multiple legal proceedings.
Louisiana Filing Deadlines for Electrocution Claims
Louisiana extended its personal injury prescriptive period from one year to two years for injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, under Act 423. If your injury or a family member’s death occurred before that date, the one-year deadline applies.
Delayed-onset neurological symptoms can complicate the deadline calculation. Louisiana’s discovery rule may extend the period when an injury’s effects weren’t apparent at the time of the accident, but courts apply this rule narrowly and don’t grant extensions automatically. Waiting to confirm how serious an injury has become is a risk. Contact an electrical injury attorney as soon as possible to protect your options.
Discuss Your Case at No Cost
We offer a free consultation for anyone injured in an electrical accident or for families who have lost someone. There is no fee unless we win your case.
Call our New Orleans electrocution attorneys at (504) 276-6962 to get started.
What to Do After an Electrical Accident
The steps taken in the hours and days after an electrocution can significantly affect both your health and your legal options. Prompt medical evaluation is the first priority. Some injuries, particularly neurological ones, don’t produce obvious symptoms right away, and early documentation by a treating physician establishes a medical record connecting your injuries to the incident.
Preserving evidence matters just as much. Conditions change, equipment gets moved or repaired, and witnesses become harder to locate. If you’re able, photograph the scene and the equipment involved before anything is altered and identify anyone who witnessed the accident. If you can’t do this yourself, ask someone you trust to do it for you.
Don’t give recorded statements to a utility company, employer, or insurer before speaking with an attorney. Those statements can be used in ways that may limit your recovery.
Contact Frischhertz & Impastato at (504) 276-6962 before you speak with any opposing party.
A compilation of the Frischhertz & Impastato attorneys and staff at work and interacting with clients.
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