Burns happen for many reasons other than just fire. Electricity may burn you to death.

Burns can happen to anyone, but most often they do tend occur on worksites or in the workplace. Fire isn’t the only source of a burn, and anyone who has suffered electrical burns and survived can tell you those burns are painful. What many people don’t realize is that an electric shock may break bones and cause other severe internal injuries. Depending on the patch of the electricity when it enters and leaves a body, it may also result in death.

We’re all familiar with electric shocks in a minor way; static electricity. Static electricity is an electrical transfer on a much smaller scale than coming into contact with a live high tension power line. While static electricity doesn’t usually harm us, it could be very dangerous at the gas station.

Touching a badly insulated electric wire or device has the potential to serve up some really nasty injuries. See a bare wire? Don’t touch it. See one that isn’t all that well covered? Leave it alone. Why take the chance that something bad could happen? Be aware of what protects you from shocks: rubber material, glass and plastics. Also know what conducts electricity: charged gases, salt water, many metals and the infamous water in any form.

‘Water in any form’ reminds us of a case we heard of where a man survived a bad rollover into a ditch by an electrical pole. He walked away to call police and needed to answer the call of nature. What he didn’t see was the downed electrical wire in the ditch. He was electrocuted on the spot. Pay attention to your surroundings no matter where you are.

If you do happen to touch an exposed wire, your injuries will be the result of two things: the power of the current that shoots through you, and the length of time you’re exposed to the current. The longer the duration and the higher the power, the worse the outcome.

Generally speaking, there will be two burns, an entrance and exit burn. The stronger the current passing through, the higher the chances of extreme muscle contractions and/or seizures. The contractions may break bones, as can the thrashing on the ground as you are being electrocuted.

If the current enters the head, it may prompt seizures, paralysis and you may quit breathing. A chest hit may damage your heart or stop it entirely. If you have a pacemaker, a shock will interfere with how it functions and may also cause death.
These kinds of cases are always difficult for the victim who needs an experienced Austin personal injury attorney to help recover compensation if the electrocution was the result of someone else’s negligence. Don’t wait to talk to a personal injury lawyer, as time is of the essence in cases like this.

They’re never easy for anyone, and you may be facing long-term rehabilitation and many surgeries. Your care, medical bills and therapy, loss of income and other factors are taken into consideration for any lawsuit claim that may be filed on your behalf by an Austin personal injury lawyer.

Beverly Aylmer writes for The Lee Law Firm. If you need an Austin personal injury lawyer, contact an Austin personal injury attorney from The Lee Law Firm. Visit RWLeelaw.com.

Pools have been called many things, but some families know them as silent killers.

Unfortunately, the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. is death by drowning. The statistics show that at least 4,000 people die a watery death every year; those figures thanks to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. The shocking part is that just about one-third of the death toll is children under the age of 14 years old. That’s something to think about. What will you do about it?

You might want to give some consideration to a pool alarm. While it’s simple, it has been known to save lives. It’s pretty straightforward. You put the device in the water and it monitors the water for movement; much like a motion detector light that flicks on when someone moves into its monitoring radius. In the case of the pool alarm, if movement is detected, an alarm will go off warning that something has disturbed the water. As a practicing Austin personal injury attorney, I wish more people would invest in something like this to protect the children.

This would certainly make a significant difference in the response time of the lifesaver from the time a child fell into the pool until they are pulled out. It only takes a matter of seconds for a child to drown – in fact, your child could drown in the length of time it takes you to go get a glass of water. An alarm is instantaneous, prompting a quick response.

You’d want to choose a pool alarm that has some brains and can monitor and analyze the pool’s surface. It would sound the alarm if movement – say an animal or child fell in the pool – was sensed. Most alarms of this type have some kind of motion detection that relies on an integrated circuit to control the alarm. Make sure you choose one that runs on batteries. It’s a major no-no to have an alarm plugged into an electrical outlet and floating in water.

Also check to make sure there is a low battery warning built into the system and perhaps go for one with a 9-volt battery that can be recharged (ni-cads) or at least has a longer life (lithium ion) and one that is loud; loud enough for even the neighbors to hear. In other words, make it simple and easy to use, to change, to watch and to set up. A simple setup should also mean the pool alarm you choose has a bypass key for when the adults go swimming. When you leave the pool and aren’t sure who else is in the area, reset the alarm to guard the pool.

This is actually a very important thing to note. If you have a pool, you have something enticing to neighborhood children. And legally speaking, if you don’t protect it and have it set up in such a way as the children can’t break in and use it, you may have a world of legal problems on your hands if there is a drowning accident. A pool alarm would also help keep your pool clear of trespassers that want a free swim.

There are a lot of choices out there and one of them may be just right for you and your pool. Protecting your family is important, but protecting yourself against lawsuits is also important, emotionally and financially. Don’t let something bad happen in your pool, not when you have other options to keep everyone safe.

Beverly Aylmer writes for The Lee Law Firm. If you need an Austin personal injury lawyer, contact an Austin personal injury attorney from The Lee Law Firm. Visit RWLeelaw.com.