Exposed outlet where children can suffer from serious injuries.The burn injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm have covered different types of burn injuries that children can experience while in the care of a daycare, but a shocking one is an electrical burn from an electric shock incident. These burns occur when a child is exposed to an electrical current at a daycare, such as an electrical outlet in a classroom or a high voltage electrical current from a live wire, or even a lightning strike. While electrical burns may seem rare, they still happen at daycare centers across Texas. In fact, electrical burns constitute up to 5% of all pediatric burn injuries, according to 2022 medical study published in the National Library of Medicine.

In this article, our experienced Texas daycare injury lawyers are educating parents and caregivers about the potential dangers of electrical burn injuries, including how to prevent them in Texas daycare centers and how to hold a daycare accountable if a child suffers from these potentially life-threatening burns.  

How Do Children Get Electrical Burns at Texas Daycare Centers?

The world we live in is heavily dependent upon electricity—even in daycares, where bottle warmers, educational tools, and computers are necessities. Thus, electrical outlets are plentiful throughout daycare centers in Texas. However, the connectivity can pose a serious threat to a child’s safety from an electrical shock of a strong electrical current passing through their little body.

Common ways that child electrical shock and burn incidents occur at Texas daycare centers include:

  • Biting an electrical cord
  • Exposure to frayed or damaged chords on a power strip or extension cord
  • Exposure to malfunctioning electrical equipment in a daycare classroom such as a movie projector or rotating lamp
  • Lightning strikes on a playground when children are allowed to play in the rain
  • Playing around electrical wires or equipment
  • Sticking little fingers or a toy into an electrical outlet in the wall or a power strip
  • Unmarked, downed powerlines or live wires on the daycare’s premises
  • Water spilled on a computer, tablet, or other item that is plugged in

What Damages Can Be Collected If My Child Experiences an Electrical Burn at a Texas Daycare?

Electric shock incidents and the resulting burns can cause extremely serious injuries throughout a child’s body. As you can imagine, an electrical current running throughout a child’s small body for any amount of time can result in:

  • Body deformities
  • Burns to the skin
  • Cardiac arrest
  • Internal organ damage

In addition to physical injuries, electrical burns can have long-term phycological impacts on young survivors, according to a medical study that concluded in January 2022.

Your family may be able to file a lawsuit that would hold the daycare accountable for your child’s injuries and help you receive compensation to cover:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Therapy and other resources to help your child with mental anguish
  • Your child’s current medical and long-term care expenses

While childhood deaths from electrocution are rare, they are most likely to occur when children at a daycare center are unsupervised and playing around electrical wires and equipment. When a child is wrongfully killed at a Texas daycare by a preventable electrocution or suffers from health complications caused by an electrical burn, the family has a right to seek legal action to hold the daycare and relevant caregivers accountable.

The child injury lawyers at The Button Law Firm will be ready to listen and advise your family on the best approach to hold the daycare in Texas accountable and get justice for your child’s electrical burn injuries. However, there is a two-year time limit for filing a personal injury claim in Texas, so reach out to our team as soon as possible. Call us at 214-699-4409 or fill out a contact form for a free consultation.

How Can Texas Daycares Prevent Electrical Burn and Shock Injuries?

Texas daycare centers can easily prevent electrical shock incidents and electrical burn injuries by properly supervising the children in their care.

In addition, directors, caregivers, and other daycare workers should take the following steps to ensure that their facilities—inside and outside—are safe:

  1. Regularly inspect the facility for uncovered or exposed electrical outlets, power strips, or any broken or exposed wires. Following the inspection, any issues should be addressed immediately. 
  2. Repair or replace any broken or malfunctioning electrical equipment or chords such as chargers, lamps, projectors, and computers.
  3. Teach little ones about electrical safety, including telling a teacher if any electrical equipment isn’t working properly and learning not to stick fingers or toys into an outlet or drink liquids near computers or tablets that are plugged in.
  4. Train workers on how to identify and address electrical hazards at the facility. This could be reporting downed powerlines or any live wires on the premises to the proper city office, eclectic company, and the daycare.
  5. Ensure all workers at the daycare center know how to respond quickly if a child were to get injured from an electrical shock.

By following the steps above and complying with regulations dictated by the state of Texas, children will be protected from preventable electrical burn injuries.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Texas Daycare Injury Lawyers

Our team of experienced and compassionate daycare injury attorneys at The Button Law Firm is dedicated to advocating for you and your family if your child experiences an electrical burn at a daycare center in Texas. With attorneys in Dallas, Houston, and Midland, we are ready to listen, fight for your family, and help your family move forward. Our attorneys at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we can help guide you after a traumatizing incident involving your child. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409 or fill out a contact form for a free consultation.

Russell Button
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Dallas, Houston, and Midland Texas trial and personal injury lawyer dedicated to securing justice for clients.