For an injured worker in Fort Wayne or elsewhere in Indiana, the useful starting point is a clear account of the electrical contact, any arc or blast, and any fall afterward—not a guess about voltage or a promise about the outcome. This guide explains emergency precautions, Indiana notice and filing rules, and a practical evidence worksheet.
- Put emergency care before claim paperwork.
- Record what you observed and label what you do not know.
- Keep injury notice, medical authorization, and a Board filing as separate tasks.
- Bring payment dates and work restrictions to your consultation.
Electrical shock, arc injuries, and electrocution
NIOSH lists four main electrical-injury types: electrocution (fatal), electric shock, burns or arc blast, and falls from height. It identifies contact with energized parts and exposure to arcing as electrical hazards. NIOSH: Electrical Safety in the Workplace[1].
Practical documentation tip: describe the event in ordinary words. Record whether you touched equipment, saw an arc, were struck by something, or fell. If someone else supplied the explanation, record their name rather than presenting it as something you personally observed.
What should you do immediately after an electrical injury?
MedlinePlus advises calling 911 or the local emergency number when a person has been injured by electricity. Do not touch the person with bare hands while their body remains in contact with the electrical source, and do not attempt a rescue near active high-voltage lines. Shut off the current only if you can do so safely. Minor-looking electrical burns can accompany serious internal damage, and electrical contact can cause cardiac arrest, muscle or nerve damage, burns, and injuries from a fall. MedlinePlus: Electrical injury[2].
Follow emergency personnel’s instructions. This article is not a rescue procedure or a substitute for medical evaluation. Do not delay emergency help while looking for an adjuster, completing a report, or collecting photographs.
| First priority | Practical next step | Keep separate |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency response | Call 911 and avoid contact with live current. | Do not enter the hazard area for evidence. |
| Employer communication | After immediate safety needs, report where, when, and how the event occurred. | Save a copy of your report. |
| Follow-up care | Ask for the employer’s authorized-care instructions. | Keep emergency records and later referral instructions together. |
| Claim preparation | Gather restrictions, missed-work dates, and payment records. | Ask about filing with the Board. |
How Indiana coverage, notice, and medical care fit together
Indiana Code 22-3-2-2[3](a), subject to the Act’s exceptions, covers personal injury or death by accident arising out of and in the course of employment. The employee bears the burden of proving the claim; proving one element does not create a presumption about another. Indiana Code 22-3-2-2(a)[4].
The Indiana Worker’s Compensation Board describes workers’ compensation as an employer-paid accident insurance program that may provide medical, rehabilitation, and income benefits for a job injury, and benefits to dependents for a job-related death. The Board directs workers to report accidents immediately and explains that the employer directs medical care. WCB: Who Is Eligible[5].
For context on the overall system, see our Fort Wayne workers’ compensation guide. For this electrical incident, bring the work assignment, employer information, incident report, and medical records to the consultation. Ask which facts still need to be established.
Under Indiana Code 22-3-3-1[6], written notice must be given as soon as practicable unless the employer or its representative has actual knowledge. If notice or knowledge is absent for 30 days, the statute restricts compensation until notice is given or knowledge obtained. It also says that a notice defect does not bar compensation unless the employer shows prejudice, and then only to the extent of that prejudice. A late report is therefore not automatically a complete forfeiture. Indiana Code 22-3-3-1[7].
Practical tip: report promptly and keep a dated copy. Do not rely on the exceptions as a reason to wait. Our guide to reporting an Indiana work injury addresses that separate issue in more detail.
Indiana Code 22-3-3-4[8](a) requires employer-furnished treatment before adjudication of permanent impairment. Subsection (d) addresses certain care from a different physician during temporary total disability, including emergency circumstances, subject to Board approval of reasonable costs. Subsection (e) prohibits delaying emergency medical care considered necessary in the attending facility physician’s professional judgment. Indiana Code 22-3-3-4(a), (d), and (e), pages 87–88[9].
Keep the employer informed and ask for written follow-up instructions. For nonemergency care questions, read who chooses the workers’ compensation doctor. Ask about payment before arranging nonemergency appointments on your own.
An electrical-event worksheet for your consultation
This original worksheet is an organizing aid for your consultation. Complete it from a safe location using information you already have. Do not test, dismantle, reset, or return to energized equipment to fill a gap. Ask that relevant equipment, incident reports, inspection records, and available video be preserved.
| Record | Useful detail | Uncertainty to flag |
|---|---|---|
| Work and location | Date, shift, assigned task, employer, site address, and equipment identifier | Separate the employer’s office from the actual Fort Wayne or other job-site location. |
| Electrical event | What you touched or saw; a cord, panel, tool, line, flash, or blast | Write “unknown” for voltage or contact duration unless an identified record supplies it. |
| Fall or secondary impact | Starting position, ladder or platform, landing area, and witnesses | Distinguish what you remember from what someone later reported. |
| Medical history | Emergency papers, your written account, affected body parts, and restrictions | Keep your observations separate from the clinician’s conclusions. |
| Notice and care | Who received the report, when, and written appointment instructions | Do not assume a verbal conversation produced a formal claim filing. |
| Work and payments | Missed-work dates, modified-duty offers, pay stubs, and payment statements | Record payment type and the dates it covers, not only the check date. |
Save original photographs or messages without editing them. Keep witness names and contact details, damaged clothing or protective equipment already in your possession, and a copy of your own factual timeline. Do not post medical records, claim numbers, or witness contact details publicly. Our broader work-injury records checklist can help organize the file.
What if the claim is disputed, and when must it be filed?
The Board says disputes unresolved through informal dispute resolution may move forward only if an Application for Adjustment of Claim is filed. The case is then assigned to a Single Hearing Member for determination of unresolved issues. WCB: Disputed Claims[10].
Indiana Code 22-3-3-3[11](a) generally requires a compensation claim within two years after the accident, or within two years after death if death results. Under subsection (b), when temporary total disability compensation under section 7 or temporary partial disability compensation under section 9 is paid after the accident, the two-year period for an Application for Adjustment of Claim begins on the last date for which that compensation was paid. Indiana Code 22-3-3-3(a)–(b)[12].
Reporting to a supervisor is not the same task as filing with the Board. Bring statements showing each payment type and the dates it covers, plus any denial, agreement, or award, to your consultation. Do not assume a medical-bill payment or the date a check arrives starts a new two-year period. Ask a lawyer to apply the rules to your own records.
For a disputed electrical-injury claim, organize the questions you need answered: Was the event reported accurately? Are follow-up appointments authorized? Do the work restrictions match the proposed duties? What documents are missing? These are consultation prompts, not conclusions that a claim has been accepted or denied correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Can a minor-looking electrical burn be serious?
Yes. MedlinePlus explains that minor-looking burns can accompany serious internal damage and advises calling 911 when someone has been injured by electricity.
Does electrocution mean the same thing as electrical shock?
NIOSH identifies electrocution as fatal and lists electric shock, burns or arc blast, and falls from height as other electrical-injury categories.
Is a report after 30 days automatically too late?
Not necessarily. Section 22-3-3-1 includes actual-knowledge and employer-prejudice rules. Report promptly; a late report needs individual review rather than an assumption that all benefits are lost.
Must emergency care wait for the employer’s approval?
Section 22-3-3-4(e) prohibits delaying emergency medical care considered necessary in the attending facility physician’s professional judgment. Follow-up care and payment questions should be addressed separately.
What if I fell after the electrical contact?
NIOSH includes falls from height among electrical-injury types. For your consultation, record both the electrical event and the fall, and tell the treating clinician about each.
Can disability payments affect the filing period?
Yes. Under section 22-3-3-3(b), qualifying temporary-total or temporary-partial disability compensation starts the two-year filing period on the last date for which that compensation was paid. Bring the payment records to an individual deadline review.
Prepare for a private consultation
After an electrical injury at work, Delventhal Law Office can review your incident records, appointment instructions, payment history, and questions about a disputed claim. Bring the worksheet and available documents to a free consultation; an incomplete file is still a starting point.
This article is general information about Indiana law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and neither does contacting us.
Sources reviewed October 16, 2026. Illustrations are not photographs of an actual client incident.
Sources
- NIOSH: Electrical Safety in the Workplace (cdc.gov) ↩
- MedlinePlus: Electrical injury (medlineplus.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-2-2 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-2-2(a) (iga.in.gov) ↩
- WCB: Who Is Eligible (in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-1 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-1 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-4 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-4(a), (d), and (e), pages 87–88 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- WCB: Disputed Claims (in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-3 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-3(a)–(b) (iga.in.gov) ↩
