Case Result: Electrocution While Installing New Powerlines to Private Property

Our client was an employee of an electric utility contractor hired to install new utility poles and power lines on the private property of a corporation. Neither our client’s employer nor the corporation de-energized the lines or placed protective coverings over the “hot” lines as required by safety rules and regulations. As designed, the work required our client and others to work in close proximity to highly-charged power lines. A piece of equipment came in contact with the overhead powerline and the “tagline” held by our client, which caused his electrocution and death.

The case was exceptionally difficult because, as a general rule, lawsuits against the employer are prohibited. Through extensive witness depositions, the employer was made to admit that they knew of the risks associated with working near the overhead power lines but failed to take the safety precautions that were found in their own safety documents. As a result of the commitment our firm made to take on what was otherwise a difficult case, the Defendants were forced to pay millions of dollars in compensation.

Under the state’s Wrongful Death Statute, the compensation paid went to the benefit of our client’s elderly parents. As with the vast majority of our clients, their personal histories epitomize the hard-working families which make up the backbone of our country. So many of our clients and their families have succeeded primarily by being united and supportive of one another. We are glad that the compensation paid will likely outlast the lives of our client’s parents and ultimately pass down to the extended family of siblings, nephews, and nieces.