Electrical Injuries:Engineering, Medical

The most complete summary of electrical injury issues for the electrical injury litigator and investigator. Electric currents and electromagnetic radiation, both ionizing and nonionizing, can produce harmful biological effects in humans; these effects are the subject of an ever growing number of lawsuits. This book provides an introduction to the biological effects of electric currents and EMFs and the state of engineering and medical knowledge.

Part I explains what forensic electrical ....

engineers do and how they can assist attorneys in handling electrical injury cases. It also covers electrical codes and standards, basic electrical systems, and reconstructing the electrical accident.

Part II covers the medical aspects of electrical injuries, including the consequences of electrical injury on the body, EKGs and pacemakers, accident reconstruction in electrical injury cases, common sources of electrical injury, and relevant medical literature. This section also explains how electrical impulses control and influence muscle cells throughout the body as well as the pumping of blood throughout the heart.

Part III is a survey of appellate decisions in cases involving electrical injuries. It gives the attorney, engineer and accident reconstructionist a valuable resource for investigating, evaluating and settling or litigating claims arising from electrical injuries.

TOPICS INCLUDE

The forensic electrical engineer
Standards and the law
Electrical codes and standards
Introduction to basic electrical systems
Electrical energy effects on humans
Electrical product failure
Fires of electrical origin
Illumination
Lightning
Case studies
Basic concepts in electrical injury
The heart
Electrical stimulation of the heart
Patient monitoring and measurements
The respiratory system
Glossary: Bioengineering and medicine
Understanding the information in medical records
Researching the medical literature
Determining whether an electrical accident is the etiology of a medical condition
Accident reconstruction in electrical injury cases
The skin and musculo-skeletal systems
The nervous system and sensory organs
The cardiovascular system
Digestive and urinary systems
Electroconvulsive therapy
Fetal injury
Psychological effects
Atmospheric phenomena
Fences
Microwave oven injury
Overhead power line contact
Stun guns, TASERs and related devices
Suicide and homicide
Compliance with codes, regulations, statutes, and ordinances
Product liability and strict liability
Power line accidents
More power line accidents and miscellaneous cases
Trespassing adults and minors
Liability for power surges, outages, and fires
Power lines and cancer litigation: Is it junk science?
Recent settlements and verdicts

Reviews

Review By: Derrick J. Pounder, Science & Justice 2000 - May 13, 2000

[This book] is a mighty tome . . . but it is an easy read . . . It contains an enormous amount of factual information encompassing electrical engineering, medicine and law . . . Within the 40 chapters just about everything imaginable related to electrical injuries can be found . . . A rich source of useful information.

Reviews

Review By: Kenneth R. Foster, IEEE Spectrum - July 1, 2000

[This book] will appeal most directly to forensic engineers, and surely deserves a place on their shelves. It may also be useful as a reference in courses in the subject.

Reviews

Review Sci Tech, Book News - June 1, 2000

Summarizes electrical injury issues for the electrical injury litigator and technical investigator. The first section introduces electrical engineers to forensic engineering, legal terminology, voluntary standards, electrical code and regulations, and attorneys to a few basic concepts of electrical engineering. Part two addresses the medical aspects of electrical injuries, particularly the detailed effects on various body parts caused by electricity. The legal aspects of electrical injuries are emphasized in the final section, with actual case studies illustrating the legal principles involved with electricity.

Reviews

Review SciTech Book News Vol. 28 No. 2 - May 26, 2004

Electrical engineer Nabours; Raymond Fish, who moved from electrical engineering to biomedical engineering and is now a practitioner of emergency medicine; and Paul F.Hill, a retired law school librarian and attorney in Nebraska, explore the whole gamut of interaction between their three fields regarding electrical injuries. They cover forensic electrical engineering, medical evidence of electrical injuries, and legal aspects of electrical injuries. The third (edition) incorporates recent US Supreme Court rulings on expert testimony and new information on arc-fault circuit interrupters, utility protective relaying, static discharge hazard during gasoline refueling, and other aspects. It also includes new case studies.

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