Over the course of an individual’s life, he or she might be responsible for any number of different jobs. Most individuals’ jobs do not put them at any inherent risk of serious injury; however, there are certain industries where injury is far from uncommon. Individuals who work in the field for electric companies sometimes find themselves on the receiving end of a very large shock. A recent injured worker in California received an even bigger jolt from Mother Nature.
A man was recently injured after lightning struck a power pole that was close by. The incident occurred in Hanford in early July during a thunderstorm. The lightning hit the pole close to where the individual was standing. According to an eyewitness, the strike threw the man into the middle of the road.
The eyewitness went on further to say that the strike caused some serious damage to the power pole, as wood and debris was blown out into the surrounding area and the pole ignited in flames, which caused power to go out in the area. The eyewitness was going out to check on the man and to tell him that he should get out of the area, but it was too late. The employee was transported to a local medical center.
Luckily, the injured worker survived. Although the extent of his injuries is unknown, it is likely that he will be out of work for a certain period of time. During this time, he may accrue medical bills and may lose pay while he recovers. As he was at work when the incident happened, he may file a workers’ compensation claim to recover some of these damages he incurred. An experienced personal injury attorney in California is often consulted to aid in navigating the sometimes complex process of filing for workers’ compensation.
Source: Hanford Sentinel, “Man injured during lightning strike“, Joseph Luiz, July 9, 2015