Burn injuries are among the most painful and permanently scarring injuries a person can sustain. They can occur for a wide variety of reasons, but when they happen because of another person’s negligence, victims and their families may be able to recover.
While burn injuries are most often associated with fires, people can sustain burns in other ways as well.
The medical complications associated with burns can persist for years and result in a lot of medical expenses, not to mention the psychological and emotional distress associated with a serious injury.
As a result, it is extremely important for burn injury victims to contact a Clearwater burn injuries lawyer as soon as possible after an accident.
Burn Injuries Caused by Negligent
Fire and burn victims are often left with physical, psychological, and financial scars that cause extensive medical treatment costs, lost wages, and life-altering pain and suffering.
Insurance companies, employers, and other at-fault parties may work hard to minimize their payout to burn injury victims. That’s why if you or a loved one suffered from severe burn injuries, it’s vital for you to talk to an experienced burn injury lawyer as soon as possible following your accident.
A burn injury lawyer can help you hold a liable party responsible for their actions and potentially get fair compensation for pain and suffering. Our law firm advocates for an accident victim that has been injured by negligent property owners or employers, sometimes securing millions in compensation.
Our legal team has extensive experience to help you navigate your way through this complicated legal process. Feel free to call or write to us for a free consultation. Here you’ll learn if you can recover financial compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, physical pain, and other damages.
Burn Injury Causes
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, burns and fires are the fifth most common cause of accidental death in children and adults, accounting for an estimated 3,500 deaths per year.
Burn injuries vary in severity, and mild burns can require little to no treatment or specialized medical care. However, other burns may cause long-term damage and require extensive medical care. These often impact the victim physically and psychologically, leaving them with lost wages, severe pain, and crushing medical bills.
While a burn accident is typically associated with flames from a fire, people can also sustain catastrophic burn injuries in other ways:
- Chemical burns: These are caused by strong acids, detergents, or solvents that come into contact with the skin. They may also result from a chemical explosion.
- Thermal burns: Thermal burns are caused by steam, scalding liquid, fire, or touching hot objects like irons or ovens. Thermal burns can also occur if your vehicle’s airbag deploys during an accident. Your skin may be injured by direct contact with the airbag surface or exposure to the hot gas that escapes from the airbag’s deflation vents.
- Electrical burns: Electrical burns can cause severe injuries when you come into contact with an electrical current.
- Friction burns: Friction burns may result when a rigid object or surface like the road’s asphalt scrapes off some of your skin. They are common in motorcycle and bike accidents.
- Radiation burns: Radiation burns are your skin’s reaction to ultraviolet rays, sunlight, or exposure to nuclear radiation, including x-rays or cancer-treating radiation therapy.
Clearwater Burn Injury Lawyer Near Me 833-552-7274
Burn Injury Severity
Classification of burns is generally organized into four categories based on how deep the damage goes and how much of your skin’s surface is affected. The higher the degree, the more severe the burn is. The degrees are defined as follows:
- First-degree: These are the least damaging burns. First-degree burns affect only the outermost layer of skin and cause temporary pain, swelling, and redness. Medical attention is typically not required for 1st-degree burns, and they usually heal on their own within one week.
- Second-degree: A second-degree burn penetrates through the outer layer of skin (epidermis) into the second layer (dermis). This often results in blisters, significant pain, and swelling. These injuries may take several weeks to heal, and they often leave behind permanent scars or changes to the skin color in that area.
- Third-degree: Sometimes called “full-thickness burns,” this type of injury destroys two entire skin layers. Rather than turning red, these burns can take on a white or charred appearance. These extensive burns do not typically cause pain since they also damage the nerve endings beneath the skin. Doctors sometimes use skin grafts to treat third-degree burns.
- Fourth-degree: These are the deepest and worst type of burns. Fourth-degree burns can be life-threatening since they destroy all skin layers as well as tendons, muscles, bones, and even internal organs.
A burn’s degree can also change if the damage spreads over a larger area of skin or if the injury penetrates more deeply in the dermal layers.
Burns can lead to severe health complications, including bone issues, joint problems, and infections.
For a free legal consultation with a burn injury lawyer serving Clearwater, call 833-552-7274
Types of Fire and Burn Injury Lawsuits
There are many different kinds of burn and fire injury claims that Dolman Law Group can help you pursue, including:
- Apartment complex fires
- Chemical spills
- Airbag deployments
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Tanker truck accidents and explosions
- Industrial accidents
- Electrical accidents and power cord fires
- Thermal burns– caused by contact with fire, steam, hot liquids, or other sources of extreme heat
- Cooking accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Defective products, including computers and other electrical devices
- Faulty fire-safety equipment
- A locked or blocked escape route or fire exit
- Scalding pipes and water
- Propane tank explosion
- Industrial accident
After sustaining a burn injury, victims of burn injuries should record as much information about the accident as they can. Additionally, those with severe burns should be sure to seek appropriate medical treatment as soon as possible.
The attorneys of the Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, are dedicated to helping burn victims recover from their injuries. We will help you file a burn injury lawsuit to recover the highest possible settlement or award for each client we represent.
Potential Damages for Catastrophic Burn Injuries
If you or a loved one suffered severe burn injuries due to the wrongful actions or negligence of someone else, depending on your case, you may be able to recover partial or complete damages, including:
- Physical pain and suffering: If you are experiencing ongoing physical issues or are experiencing additional injuries, this may increase your settlement or award.
- Medical expenses: These damages will help cover your emergency care, ongoing medical care, and physical therapy to recover.
- Loss of companionship: Family members may retrieve damages if the patient’s injuries interfered with them continuing their everyday household obligations and roles.
- Lost wages: Burn victims need to undergo lengthy recovery programs and complex surgeries which takes away their ability to work, temporarily or permanently.
- Mental suffering: Patients may recover financial compensation for the mental distress or anxiety stemming from the burn injuries.
Contact a Clearwater Burn Injury Lawyer to Schedule Your Free Consultation
If you’ve experienced burn injuries, you may be able to file a burn injury claim and gain the maximum compensation for your economic and non-economic losses. The most effective way to ensure you’ll get the compensation you deserve after a burn injury is to talk to an experienced Clearwater personal injury attorney right away.
The experienced burn injury attorneys of the Dolman Law Group are committed to helping people who have sustained devastating injuries. Call our office today or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
Call or text 833-552-7274 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form