High voltage electrocution injury – A case report

Abstract

High voltage electrical injuries are comparatively unusual but show a high rate of mortality. A dead body of a truck driver who died while his truck trapped in overhead high-voltage cables was brought for post-mortem examination. The autopsy revealed typical electrocution injuries with first and second-degree burns, peeled off epidermis and flash burns around the body at different areas. The severity of electric shock varies between simple harmless shock to death. The passage of electric current through the body produces wide range of effects, varying from insignificant localized spasm, little or no contact burns, fatality with little or no burns or extreme severe burning. This case report discusses the injuries sustained by a young adult drive while driving a truck, due to accidental contact of vehicle with overhead hightension wire.

Electric injury: a case series

“…10 Tyagi et al reported electric marks and joule burns are often seen only with low or medium voltage current and also both entry and exit marks are seen together only in 20% of cases. 7 In present series first case showed both entry and exit marks of electrocution but second case showed only entry wound of electrocution. Third case had a suspected electrocution wound.…”

“…give less resistance than skin. 7 The effect of passage of an electrical current through the tissue can cause merely cause skin lesions to death. 1 For death occur due to electrocution, the human body must become a part of an active electrical circuit.…”

An unusual case of high‐voltage electrocution of a truck driver due to inadvertent contact of the truck with an overhead wire

“…In India, electricity is divided into four types: Low voltage—up to 250 V, medium voltage—250 V to 650 V, high voltage—650 V to 33 kV, and extra high voltage—exceeding 33 kV [6]. In urban areas of India, the usual high‐voltage electric line carries around 7000–8000 V of electricity [7]. Electrocution with these high‐voltage wires is possible when these lines either break or fall to the ground, are touched, or come in contact with tall metallic objects such as a pole, ladder, or, as present in the reported case, a truck, with which an individual is in contact with [7].…”

“…In urban areas of India, the usual high‐voltage electric line carries around 7000–8000 V of electricity [7]. Electrocution with these high‐voltage wires is possible when these lines either break or fall to the ground, are touched, or come in contact with tall metallic objects such as a pole, ladder, or, as present in the reported case, a truck, with which an individual is in contact with [7]. If the electrical injury occurs to the individual due to close contact with such high‐voltage lines, it will result in superficial to deep burns involving a large surface area of the body.…”

“…However, if the electrical force is passing through some intermediary object, such as a truck in the reported case, then the type of electrical injury will depend on the duration of contact between the object and the high-voltage wire and the parts of the individual touching the parts of the intermediate object. Tyagi et al reported a similar case; because the contact duration between the truck and the overhead wire was longer in that case, although the decedent showed numerous electrical burns surrounding the contact points of the body to the truck, the entry point was rendered unrecognizable [7]. In contrast, the present case showed a pair of distinctly recognizable oval-shaped electrical entry wounds on the sole of the right foot because the contact between the truck and the high-voltage wire was momentary.…”