Practice Areas

• Car & Motorcycle Accidents
• Crashes Caused by Trucks
• Medical Malpractice/ Doctor Mistakes
• Railroad Injury/ FELA
• Brain Damage/ Head Injuries
• Wrongful Death
• Slips, Trips & Falls
• Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)
• Dangerous Drugs/ Product Recalls
• All Serious Injuries

HSInjury Blog

All Serious Injuries

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Norfolk-Portsmouth Personal Injury Lawyer

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• Johnson & Johnson Internal Documents Reveal Unsavory and Potentially Illegal Marketing of Risperdal

Northeast NC Personal Injury Lawyer

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Firm News

• Attorney Examines Number of Pedestrian Deaths in Various States
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• Attorney Talks Foreign Manufacturers and Dangerous Product Recalls
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• Attorney Talks About Role Trial Lawyers Play in Keeping Consumers Safe
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• Attorney Takes on Misleading Chamber of Commerce Advertisements
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Library

All Serious Injuries

• Researching whether an injury lawyer violated Virginia State Bar rules is important. You need an ethical and respected attorney. That's why you should call our office right away. Our firm enjoys a Martindale Hubbell rating of AV which means we have a reputation for the highest ethical standards and have over 100 years of combined legal experience.
• Suffered scarring or disfigurement from an accident? You've come to the right place. Our attorneys are here to help you. Check out our FREE consumer reports and view our video library.
• Many States Adopting Voluntary Mediation in Injury Cases

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Virginia, West Virginia, North/South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers-Discussions about Electrical Shock/Burns, Explosions, Industrial Explosions & Accidents

Electrical Shock, Explosions, Industrial Explosions & Accidents

Virginia, West Virginia, North/South Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers

Factory/Industrial Accidents-

Personal injuries and wrongful death in factory and industrial accidents can arise from a wide variety of circumstances, including sudden movement or falling equipment, toxic fumes, explosions, electrical shock just to name a few. Under workers compensation laws in most states, an employee is not permitted to bring a personal injury or wrongful death suit against their own employer (some states have very limited exceptions which are not discussed here). However, our law firm has 100 years of combined lawyer experience in knowing how to determine whether a person or company besides a worker's own employer can be held legally responsible/liable for causing a worker's personal injury.

In other words, lawyers refer to a claim against a party besides one’s own employer, as a “third-party” action, with the third-party being a different company besides your own employer. This is an exception to the normal rule that you cannot sue over an on the job (workers compensation) injury. For example you cannot sue your own employer if you hurt your back lifting a box-this is strictly a claim under workers compensation law. However, if there is an explosion in your place of business and the explosion occurs because of a third party's defective product or malfunctioning piece of equipment-that is not something built or controlled by your own employer. Such circumstances that would be an example of a possible third-party action for negligence against a third-party- separate from your own employer. Our law firm has successfully pursued third party actions arising from workplace accidents.

Under most state laws, if you do receive workers compensation wage or medical benefits, these benefits must be paid back out of any third-party action against a negligent or careless third party but this is not a major obstacle. Some of these complexities can be explained by our personal injury lawyers if you contact us for a free confidential consultation about your factory or industrial accident claim.

Electrical shock, burns and electrocution accidents-

When construction, electrical work or renovation activities are ongoing, unfortunate accidents such as electrocution, electrical shock, electrical fires, explosions and burn injuries can occur and many times these accidents are caused by a third party's negligence, carelessness or violation of a regulation. Again, workers compensation laws prohibit lawsuits against one's own employer, but if a third party that is not directly part of a construction project or renovation, is responsible for a defective product, a negligent action, or some other regulatory violation, our personal injury lawyers know how to investigate and bring such third-party claims on behalf of injured clients or family members killed in industrial settings.

Despite building contractors' responsibility to keep workers safe, unfortunate accidents such as electrocutions, explosions, and burn injuries occur from time to time. Hot materials, heavy equipment, and a pressure to finish construction projects on schedule all contribute to injuries and deaths caused by contact with electrical cables, extension cords, and wires.

For one example of many, our firm handled an electrical shock case involving a pilot showering in a hotel.

If you, a family member or friend have been injured due to an electrical, explosion, or industrial setting accident caused by careless or negligent conduct, check our case results section on this site, and we can provide specific legal advice to you during a free legal consultation. E-mail us today with our contact form or call us at Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton’s toll free number.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

How should you locate the best, top injury lawyer for your case?

Our Injury Lawyers Have Been Selected For Many Achievements Outlined Below:

Several  Injury Attorneys With Our Firm have been included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition (Lewis-Injury Law, Shapiro-Railroad Injury Law) and been Named As Virginia "Super Lawyers" For Personal Injury Law  (Lewis, Shapiro - 2009 Ed.)(Less than 5% of Outstanding Lawyers are Chosen); also selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (Lewis, Shapiro - 2009); named among the Top 100 Lawyers in Virginia by ATLA (Shapiro - 2009), and our law firm was the first Injury Law Firm in Virginia Invited to Join Primerus, a select group of Highly Ethical, Respected Law Firms .

In October, 2000 our law firm and co-counsel obtained, what was then, the largest record verdict in Virginia's history for an injured person (46 Million Dollar Verdict, with Interest, 60 Million Dollars, Settled confidentially during appeal).  Click on icons for more details.

Geographical Areas:

Our personal injury lawyers handle personal injury cases throughout the eastern USA, and work closely with lawyers in other states on signficant injury cases.

As to Virginia (VA), this includes: Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk, Richmond (entire area), Petersburg, Roanoke/Salem, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, all areas of the Eastern Shore, including Accomack, Onancock, Chincoteauge, Wachapreague, and Cape Charles, Bloxom, Eastville, Exmore, Greenbackville, Machipongo, Mappsville, Melfa, Nassawadox, Onley, Tangier, Temperanceville, Wachapreague, and Wallops Island, Ashland, Big Stone Gap and any other city/ounty.

As to West Virginia (WV) personal injury claims: Bluefield, Beckley, Bridgeport, Charles Town, Charleston, Fairmont, Huntington, Lewisburg, Madison, Martinsburg, Morgantown, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ripley, Sutton, Weirton, Wheeling, and any other town or county.

Injury Lawyers licensed in VA, WV, NC, SC, KY & Wash., DC.

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Case Results

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE THAT EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT, AND THE VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS MENTIONED ON THIS WEBSITE, WHILE ACCURATE, DO NOT REPRESENT WHAT WE MAY OBTAIN FOR YOU IN YOUR CASE.

All Serious Injuries

• Personal Injury/Partial Loss of Eyesight-Bar/Restaurant/Nightclub Lack of Security- $500,000.00 VA Settlement

Awarded: $500,000

• Pilot Suffers Electrical Shock Injury At Hotel Ending Commercial Pilot’s Career--Settlement Soon Before Federal Court Jury Trial

Awarded: 1.5 Million Settlement For Electrical Shock Injury to Hotel Guest/Pilot

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All Serious Injuries

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InjuryBoard Resources

• Our Virginia Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
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• All About Tort Reform
• Our Northeast North Carolina (NC) Personal Injury Lawyer Blog