Burns can be minor, but a severe burn can have lifelong effects. When a burn requires medical treatment, causes you to miss work, or significantly impacts your quality of life, you may have a case for compensation.
Burns are usually the result of accidents. When someone else’s conduct contributed to the incident that caused your burn, they have a legal responsibility to compensate you.
Contact a Gretna burn injury lawyer as quickly as possible after an accident to explore your legal options. You have only one year after the incident to bring a lawsuit, so do not delay consulting a seasoned catastrophic injury lawyer.
When to Pursue Compensation After a Burn
Burns can occur under many different circumstances. Bikers sometimes suffer burns in motorcycle accidents when their body contacts the hot exhaust pipe. Defective fireworks, malfunctioning boilers, or hot machinery can cause burns. Fires and explosions can result in serious burn injuries.
When another person, business, organization, or government agency does not take reasonable care to prevent an injury to someone else, they are negligent. A negligent party is responsible for paying compensation to the parties they injured through their carelessness or recklessness. Whenever negligence results in a burn injury, the injured person could seek compensation from the responsible party.
For example, when a neighbor sets off fireworks and burns a child, the neighbor could be negligent. The fireworks manufacturer may also be responsible when the product had a defect that contributed to the child’s burns. When a government agency holds a fireworks show and spectators are injured, it might be liable if it did not take adequate measures to protect the public from harm. A Gretna attorney could investigate the incident to identify all the parties whose conduct contributed to a burn injury.
Understanding Burn Injuries
Burns are categorized by degree, based on how deeply they penetrate the body. First-degree burns are superficial and usually heal without medical intervention. Second-degree burns penetrate the top layer of skin and could require medical treatment if they affect a large area of the body.
Third-degree burns penetrate all layers of the skin, a fourth-degree burn penetrates the fat layer under the skin, and a fifth-degree burn reaches muscle. Sixth-degree burns involve bone and are almost always fatal.
When someone experiences a deep burn or even a shallow burn that involves a significant portion of the body, their body reacts by directing blood to the area of damage. This response can deprive vital organs of blood and oxygen, which can lead to organ failure or death.
Outcomes for Serious Burns
When a person survives the initial shock and gets prompt medical care, they have a good chance of surviving a severe burn. However, the healing process is painful and slow. A serious burn might require multiple skin grafts. Amputation of the affected body part could be necessary when the tissue damage is extensive, or an infection takes hold.
A burn can destroy muscles, ligaments, and tendons, which impairs function. Burns often leave significant scarring, which can be disfiguring even after plastic surgery. The emotional impact of severe burns can be devastating, and many people with burn injuries experience mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Process for Seeking Compensation
After an individual sustains a burn injury in an accident, they should contact a lawyer in Gretna as soon as possible. Louisiana Revised Statute § 12:2309 allows an injured person only one year from the accident date to file a lawsuit seeking compensation. That timeframe provides a short window for a legal professional to investigate an accident and identify all the parties who might have partial responsibility.
The process typically begins by filing claims with the responsible parties’ insurance companies. The claims would seek compensation for medical costs, diminished income, and incidental expenses. An injured person also could claim compensation for their pain and suffering.
Negotiations usually result in a reasonable settlement. Sometimes, an insurance company is unwilling to make a fair offer, and the case must go to trial. Our attorneys are prepared to make a persuasive case before a jury to achieve the best possible results for an injured person.
Contact a Gretna Attorney When an Accident Causes a Burn
Burns can lead to devastating consequences. When another party’s unreasonable conduct causes someone else to suffer a burn, the responsible parties must pay.
Reach out to a Gretna burn injury lawyer about pursuing compensation. There is no fee unless we win, so there is no risk in exploring your options. Get started today.
