If you have been the victim of a burn, the circumstances surrounding your injury may allow you to pursue legal action for compensation from the responsible parties. By filing a personal injury claim, you are seeking restitution for damages sustained in the aftermath of your injury. Our top-rated Fresno law firm is happy to represent you in your claim; the legal process can be long, draining, and confusing, and we recommend leaving crucial cases to experts like us while you take your time recovering and healing from your burns. An attorney with expertise in burn injury lawsuits is available to help you earn a sizeable settlement. Burns, after all, can be severe injuries that lead to months of required recovery time, and you may never feel 100% again. Our clients have many questions about the legal system and personal injury cases dealing with burns, and we take the time to answer each and every one of them. Some of these types of questions include:
- Where can I find a good lawyer for burn bodily injury in Fresno?
- I need a burn injury attorney in Fresno. Who should I hire?
- Can I sue my landlord for second-degree burns?
- My child was burned while at school. Who is responsible? Who can I sue?
- If my burns prevent me from working, how do I get my medical expenses covered?
- Should I hire an attorney for my burn personal injury lawsuit?
Burn Information and Location
What causes burns? The default answer people present is almost always simply “fire.” While this is true, and fires and flame exposure is the leading cause of burn injuries, there are many other sources of burns, and they can happen in almost any location.
Have you ever run the water too hot while preparing a bath or while washing dishes and plunged your hand in, only to withdraw it immediately, yelping in pain? Or perhaps sizzling grease or popping oil has shot from a pan of food and landed on your wrist, causing you to wring your arm and cool it down? These are examples of scalding injuries, and come about from wet or moist substances that are extremely hot. Brief exposure to scalding water or liquid can yield a first-degree burn, but if longer exposure to hotter water can cause a second-degree burn or worse.
Electrical burns and chemical burns are also possible injuries, but these wounds generally do not happen to people who do not come into contact with electrical equipment and corrosive substances on a daily basis. Electricians and chemical engineers are the likeliest victims of these burns. The higher the voltage of a shock or the more toxic a substance is, the higher the chance of a third degree burn.
Other places burns might occur include:
- Hospitals and Healthcare Service Centers: Improper medical care, mishandling equipment, surgical errors, and other problems at a hospital may cause burns to a victim. If you sue the doctor or sue the hospital, you may be looking at a medical malpractice suit settlement.
- Construction Site: If you pass by a construction site that has little to no safety precautions, your risk of sustaining a burn is increased. Between malfunctioning equipment, lack of supervision, and an unfinished building or structure, a fire may break out at any time. You may be able to sue the company for negligence if you suffer burn injuries at a construction site.
- School / Daycare / Child Care Center: Schools are dangerous places simply because there are dozens of children running around who are clumsier and less experienced than adults. They are more likely to cause accidents and be injured by scalding water or school materials. If your child is subjected to burn injuries while at school, a personal injury lawsuit may be the best route forward. You can sue the school or sue the daycare if the burn came about due to the fault of another.
- Workplace: Depending on the circumstances of your burn at work, you may be able to hire a burn injury attorney to represent you in a personal injury lawsuit as well as in a worker’s compensation claim. Gross negligence may enable you to sue your employer for various damages.
- Home / Apartment Building: Fires resulting in burns in the home are the leading cause of burn injury. When a fire breaks out at home, there is usually a cause, such as a faulty burner on a stove leading to a gas leak or a faulty wire behind an outlet that can cause an electrical fire. Fires in the home can lead to trapped victims and fast spreading flames; firefighters and emergency personnel may discover people who have sustained fourth-degree burns or worse. If the cause of the fire was out of your control, you may have good evidence for a personal injury claim.
- Defective Products: If you suffer burn injuries caused by defective products, you are likely able to sue the manufacturer for damages. Any piece of equipment, household item, engine part, or electronic device is subject to malfunctioning and can cause an explosion or a fire.
No matter what the source of your burn, an accomplished attorney who has experience in burn injury cases can help you receive compensation.
Medical Information on Burns
The further down a burn damages your skin and tissue, the higher the degree. First and second-degree burns do not yield long-lasting damage, but third and fourth-degree burns often feature heavy scarring and loss of function to the affected area. Fifth and sixth-degree burns also exist, but these burns are very often fatal and most commonly only seen after a victim has passed away. Further, the severity of the burn increases with the amount of the body that is affected; minor and moderate burns can cover up to 25% of the body, while major burns cover more and include the hands, head, and face.
Medical treatment varies depending on the extent of the burns. Minor to moderate burns will heal in a few weeks and can be soothed with ointments and other medicines; you may be prescribed anti-inflammatory medication to keep the swelling down, and you may be instructed to dress the wounds yourself. Third-degree burns may require extensive surgery, including tissue removal and skin grafts. These processes are not swift, and because of how sensitive the area is, healing can be extremely painful. Nerves may be initially damaged, but if the nerves have the ability to regenerate, then the slightest touch will cause suffering.
If you sustain a burn that is partial thickness or worse, you should immediately seek medical treatment from a doctor or a burn center to treat the wound. Burns leave deep layers of skin open and exposed to the air, and all sorts of airborne particles can fall into the wound; further, bacteria and such can infect the wound, making the injury that much more severe. You can be recommended to a sufficient doctor with the assistance of one of our qualified attorneys who have experience handling burn injury claims.
How Our Fresno Firm Helps You
If you have been burned and would like to file a personal injury lawsuit against a responsible party, contact one of our Fresno attorneys today, and we will help you start the litigation process. If a burn has left you with scarring, disfigurement, outstanding medical bills and hospital expenses, lost wages from days missed at work, pain and suffering, lost property, or has brought about the death of a family member, you are entitled to restitution for these damages. Our skilled Fresno lawyers are compassionate and attentive, and we have presided over burn cases for many years; we know what cases have yielded large settlements and we know what you deserve. We are willing to help you file a personal injury or wrongful death claim in the Fresno area, and our firm will aggressively seek your restitution from the responsible parties. After all, if you have been burned, you should not be spending time handling papers, traveling to court, and having meetings and negotiations with insurance agencies. Your priority should be your own health and wellness, and we are proud to stand in and represent you. An expert lawyer experienced in burn injury cases can help you earn a settlement for your damages.
Call our top Fresno law firm today and you will be quickly connected with one of our many accomplished attorneys with experience in burn injury cases. We offer free legal consultations on all prospective and ongoing lawsuits and claims, including legal information, background information, legal advice, and potential benefits in the event of a won case. We feel that our clients should not be kept in the dark about any aspect of their claims, and they should be educated in all relevant areas. Transparency is important to us, and so is earning your trust. An experienced attorney will always be available to keep you up to date on your claim.
To cement your trust and faith in us, and to continue to keep you as our priority, our law firm operates under a zero fee guarantee with all cases we take on. This means that you do not pay any out of pocket expenses when you use our services and hire us to represent you: the entire process, from consultation to litigation to resolution, is free. You only owe us any fees when we win your case and get you a settlement and compensation for your injury. To do otherwise would be unethical, as we believe it is wrong to take money from those in need of our assistance, especially in the event that we cannot get you the restitution you deserve. You come first when you work with our Fresno law firm.
Contact one of our experienced lawyers today to start the legal process.
