Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Five people, including three children and two adults, are recovering at a local hospital after electrocution at an Indiana swimming pool, according to reporting from national news outlets.
The incident happened over the weekend at a home in Logansport, Indiana, an almost two-hour drive from Indianapolis, when the swimmers “felt a vibration in the water.” That was when a father at the home called for the submersible pump to be shut off. At least two of the five people injured were unresponsive by the time emergency responders were called out to the home.
Officials told reporters that a pump wire near the pool’s ladder was pinched, allowing a protective cover to break that left the wire exposed. When it touched the water, it shocked whoever was in the pool at the time. One of the people who was injured, a 15-year-old boy, was able to jump out of the pool once the power was shut off and “save his dad and his sister and his sister’s friends’ lives.”
“If it wasn’t for the heroic acts of a 16-year old, …. It may have turned out a lot different,” authorities told People Magazine.
As of Wednesday, at least one minor was still at the hospital. The four others who were injured are “expected to recover.”
Despite submersible pump designs including safety features such as durability and insulation, it is advised that they never be used in swimming pools or ponds used for swimming to avoid electrocution. If maintenance needs to be done in a body of water with a submersible pump, officials highly recommend shutting off the power to the pump before entering the water. Other hazards associated with submersible pumps include the possibility of clothing, jewelry and hair being caught in the machine’s powerful suction.
Leesfield & Partners
Electrocution injuries account for approximately 1,000 deaths every year in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health. High-voltage electrical injuries are responsible for about 400 of the annual death toll while lightning causes anywhere between 50 and 300 deaths per year. At least 30,000 shock incidents result in non-fatal injuries and are responsible for approximately 5% of all burn victims reported in hospitals. Children make up about 20% of all electrical injuries with toddlers and adolescents making up the bulk of this percentage. Most adults injured and killed via electrocution incidents are injured while at work while the majority of electrocution cases involving children take place at home, according to the data.
As a law firm operating out of a state known for its lightning and year-round summers that yield to long days spent by the swimming pool, Leesfield & Partners has seen numerous cases of electrocution incidents. A woman in the Florida Keys where Leesfield & Partners has one of three Florida offices, a woman was recently injured via electrocution after leaning on an electrified lamp post at a park. She was rushed to the hospital and suffered through muscle spasms and had a burn mark on her knee, according to previous reporting from local news outlets.
Many others who have been previously represented by Leesfield & Partners were not so lucky. This can be seen in the tragic death of a little girl playing mini-golf at a Florida resort. The girl was there for a birthday celebration and, after she reached into a pond with an electric fountain to retrieve her wayward ball, the child was electrocuted. Her screams caught the attention of a nearby adult who grabbed her arm to pull her out of the water. That adult was also injured from the electric jolt.
An investigation revealed that a ground fault interrupter was missing from the pond’s electrical fountain. GFI is a fast-acting circuit breaker required by law that shuts off power when the electrical flow is interrupted to prevent electrocution injuries. The absence of this device allowed the water to become electrified.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to secure a $10 million settlement for the family’s agonizing loss within nine months.
Another Leesfield & Partners case involving an electrocution death with a minor was that of a 15-year-old boy walking barefoot who was shocked when he stepped into a puddle on the street. The puddle became electrified due to live wires in the street. A lack of inspections by the proper entities paved the way for the dangerous wires to go unnoticed, resulting in the young boy’s tragic death.
Attorneys with the firm secured a confidential, multi-million settlement for the boy’s family.
Ira Leesfield, the firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, secured a $5,250,000 settlement on behalf of a family whose father tragically lost his life in an electrocution incident. In that instance, the man was electrocuted after coming into contact with an energized light fixture at his home.
Mr. Leesfield and attorneys with the firm also handled the case of a man electrocuted after exiting a jacuzzi. The man came into contact with a live wire when he got out of the jacuzzi. The firm obtained a $5.2 million settlement for jacuzzi electrical negligence.
The firm also secured a confidential, seven-figure settlement for a repairman who was injured while working at a customer’s home. An inspection revealed that an AC unit’s damaged wires were the cause of the incident, allowing a part of the home to become electrified.
If you or a loved one was injured in an electrical incident, call 800-836-6400 today for a free consultation to see if you have a claim.
