Burns are one of the most serious effects of a personal injury that you can suffer. These are painful injuries that will require extensive care, both today and in the future. In addition, there will be pronounced impacts on your life going forward.
If someone else was responsible for your burn injury, you may be eligible for substantial financial compensation. Contact Steve Morris Law to learn more about your legal rights and to get your case started.
Causes of Accidental Burns
You can suffer a burn in any type of accident where there is heat or a chemical substance involved. These are some of the causes of burn injuries:
- Thermal burns are when the skin comes into contact with hot surfaces or intense heat. These are the most common types of burn. Thermal burns can cause charring and can kill tissue.
- Chemical burns result from exposure to acids and other harmful substances. These burns can result from a spill or other contact with a dangerous chemical.
- Electrical burns happen when you are exposed to a strong current.
You can suffer a serious burn in many types of accidents. For example, you can be burned in a truck accident when there is a fiery crash, or your body comes into contact with a scalding hot substance, such as oil or gasoline. In a premises liability case, you could be burned by a fire when the property owner failed to provide reasonably safe premises. You may suffer an electrocution burn if the property owner did not properly cover wires or utilities.
Regardless of the cause of your burn injury, you will need a settlement check that is large enough to pay for all of your damages, which may include scarring and disfigurement. To qualify for financial compensation, you would need to prove that someone else was to blame for your injuries because they acted negligently.
Degrees of Burn Injuries
Burn injuries can be quite severe. The degrees of burn injuries are:
- First-degree burns are superficial and affect only the outer layer of the skin. If you need any medical treatment, it would be minor.
- Second-degree burns involve the outer layer of the skin, plus the dermis. Your skin would appear red and blistered.
- Third-degree burns are the most serious. They can damage the underlying tendons, muscle and bone. The burn can destroy nerve endings and leave you with no feeling in the area.
The Importance of Medical Treatment for Burn Injuries
It is crucial that you get immediate medical treatment after a serious burn. What may not seem like a serious burn can become severe in the hours afterward. The long-term damage can grow worse without prompt burn care.
In the immediate aftermath, you may be prone to infection. Depending on the location and severity of the burn, you may need treatment at a specialized burn center to stabilize your condition. In the short term, you will need intensive wound care.
Your burn injury treatment may last for years. Once your condition stabilizes, you may need multiple surgical procedures for the burn site. One of the most common types of treatment is skin grafts. You would likely need multiple procedures over a several-year period.
Skin grafts can be painful. In the meantime, you would also need extensive rehabilitation, as you relearn to use the affected area.
Burn treatment requires a multidisciplinary team, working over the course of years. Serious burns can have medical costs alone that exceed $1 million. This amount is before you are even compensated for your own damages, such as lost wages and permanent disfigurement.
Compensation for a Burn Injury at Work
The usual rule when you are injured on the job is that you cannot sue your employer in a personal injury case. There are some limited instances in which you can file a personal injury lawsuit for a burn at work:
- You can sue a manufacturer in a product liability lawsuit if a defective product caused the burn.
- You can file a third-party lawsuit if someone other than an employer was to blame.
- Co-workers and supervisors can be responsible if they acted willfully.
- Your employer can be sued if they intentionally sent you into danger.
- You can sue an employer who does not have workers’ compensation insurance.
How Our Burn Injury Lawyers Can Help You
When you hire Steve Morris Law, our team can do the following in your case:
- Investigate your accident to gather proof of someone else’s negligence
- Estimate your damages, so you know how much to seek in a claim or lawsuit
- File the insurance claim or lawsuit on your behalf
- Negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement with the insurance company
- Litigate your case if you cannot reach a settlement agreement
Contact an Alabama Burn Injury Lawyer
When you have suffered a burn injury, getting enough financial compensation is critical for your long-term care. Steve Morris Law will work to get you everything that you both need and deserve through our tenacious legal work. To speak with a burn injury attorney in a free initial consultation, you can call us today at 256-357-9211 or send us a message online. You owe us nothing unless you win your burn injury case.
