An electrical shock takes a fraction of a second and can leave you with deep burns, nerve damage, or an injured heart. When exposed wiring, a missing ground, or an ignored code violation caused it, more than one party may owe you money. We find every one of them.
As a Fort Lauderdale electrocution injury lawyer, Robert DiStefano helps people who were shocked or burned by electricity that should never have reached them. A live wire someone forgot to cap. A breaker that did not trip. A pool light wired without a ground. These are not freak accidents. Most of them trace back to a specific person who cut a corner — and that person can be held responsible.
Electrical injuries are deceptive. The burn you can see on your hand may be the smallest part of it. Current travels through the body and can stop your heart, scar muscle and nerves along its path, and leave problems that show up days later. People walk away from a shock feeling lucky, then end up in the hospital with an irregular heartbeat or numbness that will not go away. Get checked, and keep every record.
Fault here is rarely one-sided. A general contractor, an electrical subcontractor, a property owner who let a building rot, an equipment maker, even the power company — any of them may share the blame. Sorting out who owed you a safe condition, and who broke that duty, is the heart of the case. That is the work we do.
A few Florida rules decide most electrocution claims — who owed you a safe property, how much time you have, and how shared fault is split. Here is the plain version.
Common-law duty by visitor status
Florida sets the property owner's duty by why you were on the land. If you were an invited guest or there for business — a worker, a customer, a tenant — the owner owes the highest duty: keep the place reasonably safe and warn of hidden electrical dangers. That standard is what most electrocution cases turn on.
Fla. Stat. § 768.0706 enacted 2023
For multifamily buildings, Florida now spells out specific safety steps an owner can take. Meeting them creates a presumption in the owner's favor on certain claims — but failing the basics, like ignored wiring hazards in common areas, cuts the other way and helps prove neglect.
Fla. Stat. § 768.81 amended 2023
Florida reduces your recovery by your share of the blame. Since the 2023 change, if you are found more than 50% at fault you recover nothing. Insurers push this hard in shock cases — claiming you ignored a warning. Honest, careful fault analysis protects your claim.
Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(a) amended 2023
Most Florida negligence claims now have a two-year deadline from the date of injury. Miss it and the court can throw the case out no matter how strong it is. Electrical cases need fast evidence work, so the real clock is shorter than two years. Call early.
This page provides general information about Florida law and is not legal advice. Statutes and case law change; your specific case requires a consultation.
Electrocution risk in Broward is not abstract. It lives in three places we see again and again.
Wherever it happened, the question is the same: who controlled that electrical system, and what did they ignore?
Many of these matters overlap with our other premises work. A shock on a job site is often also a construction accident, and a hazard left in a walkway can pair with a slip and fall claim. We look at the whole picture. You can see how all of these fit together on our premises liability page.
When you call this office, you reach Robert DiStefano — not a screener, not a case manager who hands you off. Robert has practiced Florida personal injury law for more than 40 years, and he handles your matter himself. Electrical cases turn on details: the code in effect when the work was done, the inspection records, the testimony of the electrician who wired it. Those details get missed when a file is passed around. Here they do not.
You pay nothing up front. We take electrocution and premises cases on contingency, which means no fee unless we recover for you. We front the cost of the electrical engineers and code experts a strong case needs, and we only get paid out of a settlement or verdict. Your first case review is free, confidential, and we respond the same day.
We move fast to preserve the wiring, the equipment, and the maintenance records before they are repaired, replaced, or lost.
Our electrical and code experts pin down what rule was broken and connect that failure directly to your injury.
Owner, contractor, equipment maker, utility — we hold each responsible party accountable for their share of your harm.
See related case results → Or read more about Robert DiStefano and how he works a case.
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“The best lawyer in South Florida. Thank you DiStefano for all the hard work that you and your team have done to get me amazing results.”
Taravia Google
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“I had a wonderful experience with Robert! He fought hard for me and kept me in the loop the whole time. The whole office is just great!”
Paulavia Google
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“Mr. DiStefano is the best! Kept me up to date with everything, and his paralegal Michelle also kept us informed. Happy with my settlement — I highly recommend him.”
Stacy Leevia Google
Your case review is free, confidential, and answered the same day. No fee unless we recover for you. Reach the office here.
(954) 572-8000