Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Police in Mexico are investigating after a man died and a woman remains in serious condition from being electrocuted while inside a resort jacuzzi.
The incident took place around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, according to reporting from CBS. The couple, identified as Jorge Guillen, 43, of El Paso, Texas, and 35-year-old Lizette Zambrano, were in the jacuzzi at the resort when there was a “possible electrical discharge.” Witnesses told the news outlet that they tried to jump in and save the couple who had both been rendered unconscious from the shock but they were zapped themselves when they tried to get in the water. A GoFundMe online fundraiser has been set up by friends of the family to help with funeral and medical expenses.
Zambrano remains in critical condition as of Thursday. Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the electric failure and the investigation is ongoing.
Leesfield & Partners
As with any vacation, tourists expect to need sunscreen or maybe even an extra pair of socks, not a personal injury attorney; but Leesfield & Partners has seen that, oftentimes, they do. According to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 2 million Americans are injured during popular holiday stretches like summer vacation. When it comes down to it, however, accidents don’t discriminate and people are left vulnerable when businesses or resorts don’t take the necessary precautions to keep their guests safe.
According to data from the National Library of Medicine, about 1,000 people die in the United States annually from electrical injuries with 400 being caused by high-voltage electrical injuries and anywhere from 50 to 300 being caused by lightning. At least 30,000 of the total shock incidents are non-fatal. Children account for about 20% of the total injured by electrical shock with adolescents and toddlers making up the bulk of that group. Most of these incidents take place in the child’s home. Electrical shock is the fourth-leading cause of workplace-related traumatic death in adults.
Leesfield & Partners represented the family of an 11-year-old girl in Central Florida who died after being electrocuted while playing on a mini-golf course to celebrate her birthday. The girl was playing when her ball went into a small pond. When she reached to get it back, she began screaming. A passerby heard her cries for help and grabbed her arm, allowing the electrical current to pass through to them. That person was also injured in the incident. After an investigation, attorneys at the firm uncovered that the miniature golf course operators had improperly installed electrical breakers that failed to meet state mandate such as the requiring ground fault interrupter (GFI). This is a device made specifically to prevent these types of injuries from happening by detecting when there is a surge of electricity and shutting off power to prevent injury.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to secure a $10 million settlement for the family in that case.
The law firm also handled the case of a 15-year-old who was shocked while walking without shoes through a puddle on the street. An investigation revealed that active electricity wires in the street emitted an electrical current, resulting in the incident. These wires should have undergone inspection, as is required. The firm secured a confidential multi-million result for the family in that case.
Other settlements related to wrongful death via electrical injury handled by Leesfield & Partners resulted in a combined $7,150,000 award for grieving families. For more information or to donate, visit the GoFundMe page for the couple in the June 11 incident: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-jorge-and-lizzettes-family-in-crisis
