Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed On Behalf Of Man Who Received Burns Over 95% of Body

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An August electrical accident at a Wal-Mart Supercenter left Indiana man Scott Shelton with burns covering 95 percent of his body. Shelton was in an induced coma until his death October 13th. Now representatives for Shelton have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the LaSalle Group, Inc. and Duke Energy of Indiana.

The lawsuit alleges that Wal-Mart is subject to liability for any carelessness that may have contributed to the electrical accident, specifically because the company had assigned an on-site construction supervisor to monitor the construction project's day-to-day operations.

Shelton, an employee of Electromation, Inc. of Muncie, was injured Aug. 26 while running electrical lines through the main breaker box, with two other men, the lawsuit says. During this task, a piece of metal fell and charged the electrical panels inside the room with up to 12,000 volts of electricity. The resulting electrical arc -- which extended six to eight feet and contained 480 volts of electricity -- sparked a fire in the service room, lighting all three workers on fire. The Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in October.

The suit does not name an amount for damages but seeks to cover lost earnings as well as medical and funeral expenses while providing for Shelton's nine-month-old daughter.