Helping Burn Injury Victims Obtain the Compensation to Which They Are Entitled

Burn injuries are extremely painful and can often result in long-lasting issues from which it is difficult to recover. Further, accidents that lead to burn injuries are often terrifying. Burn injuries are closely associated with personal injury accidents, including truck, car, motorcycle, bike, and pedestrian accidents. While personal injury claims are always difficult, burn injuries are among the most painful, dangerous, and emotionally devastating to sustain. If you’ve suffered a burn injury in an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you need an experienced Duluth Burn Injury Attorney from Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC on your side.

Your Burn Injury

Burn injuries can range from extremely mild to life-threatening, but even a mild burn can be quite painful. It’s important to note that burn injuries often have a significant emotional component that’s related to the terrifying nature of the fire itself. If you’ve suffered a burn injury of any magnitude, you need immediate medical attention. Early treatment will ensure that the burns you’ve suffered have the best chance of healing as quickly as possible and as healthily as possible. The recovery process for these injuries is often protracted, and the damage will vary depending upon the severity of the burn:

  • First-degree burns. With a first-degree burn, your skin’s outer layer, or dermis, will be damaged. You will probably experience some swelling, pain, and reddened skin. First-degree burns are the mildest of all the burns, and they don’t usually lead to permanent damage. They can nonetheless be extremely painful, and this is especially true if the burn covers a large part of your body.
  • Second-degree burns. Second-degree burns damage both your dermis and your inner layer of skin, or epidermis. These more serious burns usually result in seriously reddened skin, swelling, blisters, and significant pain.
  • Third-degree burns. Third-degree burns are extremely serious, and they damage both your dermis and epidermis along with the tissue underlying your skin. Third-degree burns can also damage your bones, nerves, and muscles. These injuries naturally cause the most significant physical damage and pain, and they necessitate extensive medical treatment.

If someone else’s negligence has left you suffering from a burn injury, you need experienced legal counsel. These injuries are serious, painful, and slow to heal, and your rights and your rightful compensation matter. At Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC in Gwinnett County, Georgia, our dedicated legal team understands how devastating burn injuries can be, and we have the experience and the compassion to guide your claim toward the compensation to which you’re entitled. Although no amount of money can ever return you to your pre-accident self, just compensation can allow you to better navigate the path toward physical and emotional recovery.

Traffic Accidents and Burn Injuries

Car accidents and other types of traffic accidents are always difficult, including truck, car, motorcyclebike, and pedestrian accidents. Unfortunately, however, fires aren’t uncommon to such accidents, which can make them that much more devastating. During the impact of an accident, a vehicle’s fuel tank can be damaged in such a way that it gushes or leaks gasoline, which can explode or catch fire when it hits a hot surface—such as the vehicle’s engine. When traffic accidents involve fire, that fire can trap a car’s occupants within the vehicle and can also burn victims as they rush to escape the burning vehicle. It’s difficult to overstate how terrifying such an accident can be.

The Accident’s Aftermath

The terrifying nature of fires makes these accidents especially difficult to recover from emotionally. Many victims experience serious PTSD and other mental health consequences such as major depression and heightened anxiety. Further, burn injuries are exceedingly slow to heal, are immensely painful, and often result in extremely dangerous secondary complications—such as infections. Finally—and not surprisingly—many victims of traffic accidents that involve fire find it very difficult to get back behind the wheel of a car.

Disfigurement can also be a significant component of burn injuries. If the burn is near a victim’s face, it can make an already devastating injury that much more so. Our personal appearance is so closely connected with our sense of self that facial disfigurement can be irreparably life-altering. Burn injuries are among the most serious injuries that accident victims suffer.

Treatment for Burn Injuries

If an accident has caused you to suffer burn injuries, you need immediate medical attention and emergency medical transportation from the scene of the accident. If your burns aren’t large and are only first-degree, you may hold the burn under cool—not cold—running water for about 10 to 15 minutes to help alleviate the pain and to cool the hot area. In such instances, topical antibiotic cream can also help. It’s important to know, however, that if any foreign matter is lodged in your burn, you should never attempt to dislodge it yourself. Doing so can lead to further health complications; you need medical attention.

Evidence at the Scene

The evidence gathered at the scene of the traffic accident is an important element of your claim. If you can’t collect evidence yourself, enlist someone at the scene to do it for you. The most important components of this evidence include photos and videos that carefully capture the scene of the accident from every angle (wide-angle and close-ups), eyewitness testimony, and eyewitness contact information. As soon as you can after the accident, write down your recollections of exactly how the accident happened in your own words and include as many details as you can. This contemporaneous document can help preserve your memories, which can become blurred in the tumultuous aftermath of an accident, and help strengthen your claim.

Duluth Burn Injury FAQ

A burn is a painful injury to your skin from heat, cold, chemicals, radiation, or electricity. They can damage your skin, lungs, and body. Regardless of the size of your burns, they can have a serious effect on your appearance, your ability to move, and even your outlook on life.

When burn victims come to us for help, they often have many questions. Below are answers to some of the most common. For more information or to discuss the specifics of your case with a Duluth burn injury attorney, call our office today to schedule a free consultation with a lawyer.

Burn injuries can occur anywhere, but, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), they take place most often in the home or workplace.

Burn injuries can occur in a wide variety of ways, including:

  • Fire: Contact with fire or flames can cause serious burns.
  • Flash: Flash burns are typically associated with explosions.
  • Scalds: Scalding occurs when the skin makes contact with hot liquids or steam.
  • Chemical: Chemical burns can occur after physical contact with acid, alkalis, and other chemicals.
  • Electrical: When contact with high voltage electricity occurs, the electricity can pass through the body and burn the skin and underlying tissues.
  • Contact: Burns can occur anytime there is extended contact with a hot object.

No matter the severity of a burn, from mild to intense, a burn can cause pain ranging from tolerable to agonizing. What’s more, victims experience even more pain when cleaning the wound or changing the bandage dressing. Burn doctors typically treat acute pain through the use of methadone or morphine IV injections and treat tolerable pain through oral medications.

The costs associated with medical treatment and rehabilitation for burns can be quite high. On top of that, a burn victim may lose wages due to the necessary recovery time away from work. Burn victims should seek legal representation from a firm that understands the financial strains they face.

Contact Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC to speak with experienced burn injury attorneys who can help you recover financial compensation for your injury and related damages.

Physicians use four different degrees of burn injuries to indicate the severity of a burn.

  • First-degree burns. First-degree burns are superficial and are the mildest degree of burn. A first-degree burn only damages the first layer of the skin—the epidermis. First-degree burns are the most common type of burn and are relatively minor. They typically do not get infected or leave a scar and heal within a few days.
  • Second-degree burns. Sometimes referred to as partial-thickness burns, second-degree burns harm the first and second layers of skin, the epidermis, and dermis, respectively. Although the burn can cause swelling and blisters, the skin usually grows back quickly, unless there is an infection.
  • Third-degree burns. These burns are also called full-thickness burns. They penetrate the epidermis and dermis and impact deeper tissues as well. The underlying tissues may also be very damaged. The injured part of a third-degree burn can be either red, black, or white. Usually, the area becomes numb to even the lightest touch. What’s different about third-degree burns is that they often don’t heal themselves. As such, doctors may recommend skin grafts to repair the damaged area.
  • Fourth-degree burns. These are the most serious burns, which extend deep and can destroy the skin and fat, muscle, and even bone.

Burn injuries are among the most difficult and expensive injuries to treat. Even a minor burn can become infected and require more serious treatment. Victims of severe burns often need to receive treatment at specialized burn centers.

If you’ve experienced a burn, you know how painful it can be. That pain derives from nerve endings that are damaged by the burn. The medical community generally agrees that serious burns are among the most painful injuries a person can experience.

The American Burn Association reports 1.1 million people require medical attention for burn injuries each year. When a burn harms the skin’s protective layer, it often leads to an infection. Sadly, roughly 10,000 Americans die every year due to burn-related infections.

Medical professionals often treat serious burns by surgically removing the dead tissue. In many cases, the tissue is damaged beyond repair, necessitating a skin graft. A skin graft is when a surgeon removes a piece of healthy skin from an unharmed area of the body and uses it to replace injured skin.

Additionally, burn victims may need physical therapy to help reduce scarring and to prevent the skin from losing its flexibility. Children who receive skin grafts may need to replace them as they grow because the grafts do not expand.

Unfortunately, there is no concrete answer to this question. Generally speaking, the more severe the burn is, the more likely a scar will remain.

Along those lines, first-degree burns heal rather quickly and usually leave no scars. On the other hand, second-degree burns can take up to three weeks to heal, and the skin has a higher chance of scarring. Third-degree burns are more serious and take longer than three weeks to heal, increasing the likelihood of scarring, particularly if skin grafting is involved.

Burn scars typically develop within the first 90 days, peak at around 90 days, and resolve within 18 months. As time passes, scars fade and flatten and become less tender.

If you’ve experienced a burn and have permanent skin damage or disfigurement, you may be eligible for financial compensation. To discuss your eligibility, contact Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC for a free case evaluation now.

A burn can do more than just damage your skin. More than likely, you’ll also experience financial strain as medical bills mount and lost time at work reduces your income. You may even need ongoing rehabilitation, which is both time-consuming and costly.

Depending on the circumstances related to your burn injury, you may seek financial compensation through a lawsuit. If your burn happened due to another party’s negligence, you might have options for seeking compensation. If you’re unsure as to whether or not you are eligible for financial compensation for your injuries, speak with the experienced attorneys at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC. We can answer all of your questions and review your case for free.

It’s not always easy to identify the defendants in a burn injury lawsuit. As your attorney reviews your case and investigates the events surrounding your injury, there may not be a single negligent action or reckless behavior that caused your injury.

Sometimes, it’s a defective product or faulty equipment that initiated the accident. For example, in some car accident cases, it may be the other driver that caused the crash, but there may have been an issue with the vehicle that caused a fire.

Simply put, multiple defendants may have caused your burn injury, so have our attorneys review your case.

Victims of burn injuries can file a lawsuit for compensation to recover damages for physical injuries and financial losses.

Depending on where and how your injury occurred and who is at fault, you could pursue compensation or benefits through:

Keep in mind there may be a time limit for filing a claim, so it’s a good idea to contact a lawyer promptly. Seek legal counsel early so your attorney can get started investigating the accident and gathering evidence to support your case.

Your lawyer may reenact the accident scene or try to acquire photographic and video evidence if available. They could also interview witnesses to obtain evidentiary testimony. The longer a victim waits to hire an attorney, the more likely it becomes that witness memories fade and evidence is lost or destroyed.

Get help now from the skilled attorneys at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC by filling out our contact form.

The compensation to which burn injury victims are entitled can vary significantly as each case is different and has its own set of circumstances. Financial compensation can range from a few thousand to millions of dollars, depending on a plethora of potential factors. Of course, we’ve all seen media coverage of cases involving high settlement amounts.

Here are a few of the most publicized injury settlement cases:

  • One of the most famous burn injury cases resulted in a verdict of a $640,000 award against McDonald’s after a woman suffered third-degree burns from scalding hot coffee.
  • An attorney representing a woman who suffered third-degree burns near her waist due to a flammable skirt settled with the manufacturer for nearly $4 million.
  • A hospital patient suffered burns when his bed caught fire due to a design defect in the bed. The manufacturer of the bed settled the case for $1 million.
  • A disabled plaintiff suffered second-degree burns as he attempted to enter his hotel bathtub as the water was scalding hot. The plaintiff and the hotel agreed to a settlement for $275,000.

The amount you may receive in a settlement depends on the damages that you can claim. Your attorney will account for economic and non-economic damages as he or she negotiates on your behalf.

Economic claims may include physical and property damages, including:

  • Past, current, and future costs for medical treatment and rehabilitation.
  • Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
  • Physical damages incurred in the accident that resulted in your injuries

Non-economic claims may include mental and emotional damages, including:

  • Past, current, and future pain and suffering
  • Disfigurement
  • Emotional trauma
  • Psychological, mental, and emotional effects of dealing with life-altering changes related to the accident

In a word—yes! If you’ve suffered a serious burn injury, your future physical and emotional well-being is at stake.

Your attorney from Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC will help you identify the liable parties whose negligence led to the accident causing your injury. Conversely, we’ll help minimize your liability or eliminate it should anyone try to blame you for the incident.

You deserve compensation for the economic and non-economic damages you have suffered. Burn injuries have a way of wreaking financial havoc on its victims. Don’t face these obstacles on your own.

Get a skilled attorney from Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC with experience building a case and fighting for full and fair compensation to help you financially recover so you can focus completely on your physical recovery.

If you want to get the compensation to which the law entitles you, you should retain an attorney. Insurance companies regularly engage in tactics designed to get injury victims to settle for less than their cases are worth. A lawyer can protect your rights and make the insurance company treat you fairly.

If you’ve suffered a burn injury, you may be speaking with an adjuster or representative from the responsible party’s insurer. In most cases, these people are very friendly and seem like they earnestly want to help you.

That’s because that’s their job. The primary goal of the insurance company is to resolve cases with as little cash outlay as possible. If they can make your case go away with a smaller settlement, they consider that a win.

These adjusters know you are likely facing medical bills and could be losing income from work. With this in mind, the first offer they extend to you is sure to be a low-ball offer. In some cases, they may not give you an offer at all.

When you hire legal counsel, your attorney will tabulate all the damages you are entitled to. They will consider your past, current, and future needs. They’ll account for your economic and non-economic damages, including pain and suffering.

In short, your attorney knows the fair value of your case. At Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC, we’ll pursue the full compensation you deserve.

If You Suffered a Burn Injury, Consult an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC Today

If someone else’s negligence has caused you to suffer a burn injury, you need a dedicated personal injury attorney. David Brauns at Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC, injury law firm in Gwinnett County, Georgia, is here to help. He has the skill, commitment, and compassion to fight aggressively for your just compensation. Your claim matters and you’re not alone—so please contact or call us at 404-418-8244 for a free consultation today.