Shocking Lawsuit Filed Over Faulty Electrical Socket
A local mother sues for $20,045 after her six-year-old son was paralyzed by an electrical jolt from a home light fixture.
For injuries sustained by her son, Raymond, when he received a 2,000-volt shock from an ordinary house incandescent socket on October 12, 1905, Mrs. Atherton, 2541 Tacoma Avenue, yesterday commenced suit to recover $20,045 damages. The boy, who was six years old when the accident occurred, was paralyzed by the shock and did not recover the use of his limbs for some time. It is alleged that his nervous system has been completely shattered.
“The boy, who was six years old when the accident occurred, was paralyzed by the shock and did not recover the use of his limbs for some time.”
This lawsuit highlights the dangers of the early, unregulated electrification of Tacoma's residential housing, where shoddy wiring posed a literal threat to life. It serves as a stark reminder of the safety standards now taken for granted in modern construction.
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