Filing a Personal Injury Claim for Burn Injuries
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
Did you know that more than 200,000 burn cases end up in a hospital visit while more than 6,000 of them resulted in death? People can experience burn injuries for a number of reasons, including through heat, radiation, electricity, and chemicals. The damage can be severe to both the skin and internal organs.Degree of Burn
Burns are classified in degrees. A second-degree burn is more serious and happens when the burn causes damage to the skin's first two layers. These kind of burns often result in blisters. They can leave the skin red and swollen. However, when healed, they leave little to no scarring.
Third-degree burns are even more serious. The burns go beyond the skin's layers and can also go as far as damaging fat, muscle, and even bone tissue. The skin is charred, but the pain may still be minimal because several nerves are also destroyed.
Over time, these burns can cause significant pain, and recovery is often an excruciating and long process. If you have third-degree burns, it is advised that you seek medical attention immediately because of the severity. Burns are considered a major injury and can result in the need for reconstructive surgery, skin grafting, and lengthy hospitalizations.
Common Causes of Burns
Burns are a common injury in many workplaces and often happen as the result of a fire or explosion on a job site. A car accident, defective products, and chemicals can all cause serious burns as well.
Chemical burns occur when more caustic materials like solvents or acids come into contact with the skin. These burns can damage tissue and burn the eyes.
An electrical burn is also a common hazard in the workplace or the home, especially if you are working around power lines or wiring. These burns happen underneath the skin and can also affect your internal organs.
Filing a Claim for Burn Injuries
If you have suffered a burn injury as the result of another person's negligence, then you may be able to recover some of the costs associated with that injury. A minor burn is something you can treat on your own, but a more serious burn can find you buried under a mountain of medical bills and lost income.
Establishing Negligence
The first step when filing a claim is establishing negligence. To do this, you must prove that a person or entity owed the plaintiff a duty of care, that duty was breached, the breach caused the injury, and the injury caused financial loss.
Duty of Care
When you hear duty of care, it is simply the obligation one has to avoid causing any kind of harm to another person, whether it is by action or inaction. Duty of care can exist between strangers as well as between people you may know.
Finding an Attorney
The best way to proceed with any personal injury claim is to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney regarding your case. They will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you prove the other party's negligence so you can receive fair compensation.
A burn injury can end up costing you money, whether it was severe or minor, and you deserve to cover all these costs. If you were injured while working, then you can file a workers' compensation claim with the company to recover the damages from the injury.