Treatment of burn injuries
It is true – the road to physical and mental recovery from a burn injury is fraught with difficulties. Whether it is the initial healing period in a hospital under professional care, the long months of physical therapy, or even the process of reintegrating into their old routine, burn injury victims are undoubtedly facing an uphill battle.
Often times, the pain and suffering of victims is compounded by the financial pressures involved in treating burn injuries. As mentioned above, recovery from such severe personal injury is a multi-step process. Professional medical care is required at every step for treatment to be effective.
Serious injuries may first require specialized surgical intervention (e.g. skin grafts). This is followed by intensive sessions with physical therapists, the aim of which is to help the patient reverse the loss of strength and dexterity that results from inactivity. Finally, patients may need the assistance of a psychologist to process how the injuries have affected their lives and how to maintain a positive attitude despite their injuries.
All of this medical treatment can be overwhelmingly expensive. It is not uncommon for a burnt victim to be greeted by a hospital bill for tens of thousands of dollars on their return from hospital. Health insurance can cover some of this, but not all victims are lucky enough to have health insurance. Even fewer have the ability to pay for policies that cover such substantial medical bills.
To say that burn victims find themselves in an unfair situation is an understatement. But the civil justice system gives these people the opportunity to fight for the compensation they deserve. In a burn injury lawsuit, victims can seek to hold accountable those whose negligence resulted in personal injury.
Should I hire a personal injury attorney for burn injuries?
Shortly after learning that a lawsuit can provide an option to redress, fire victims often wonder if finding a burn injury attorney is the right step.
While the decision to hire (or not hire) a personal injury attorney after a fire is a personal decision, it is highly recommended that you seek legal advice after a fire has resulted in personal injury or property damage. This is because filing an arson lawsuit is a complex legal process.
Depending on the cause of the fire, an official claim can be made against one or more parties. As a rule, tenants who rent or lease a property have the option of negligently claiming damages from their landlord. We examined this particular type of case at the beginning of this page.
Types of compensation after a fire
The circumstances in which a fire victim can file a lawsuit are determined by laws, which vary from state to state. Indeed, the situations can be as diverse as the cause of a fire itself, whether the fire was in a house, apartment, apartment, townhouse, or any other house.
However, the types of compensation that can be requested fall into broad categories. They include:
- Pain and suffering
- First medical bills
- Current medication costs
- Recurring visits to the doctor
- physical therapy
- Loss of income during treatment
- Loss of wages due to disability or disfigurement
- Loss of the consortium
- Loss of joie de vivre
These are just a few of the most common types of burn injury compensation. The truth is, the only way to know what you are entitled to after a burn injury is to seek the advice of experienced injury attorneys.
Most injury law firms are happy to offer free advice. If you’d like to learn more about your options, or aren’t sure whose recklessness could have led to your burns, contact us today and we can put you in touch with the appropriate lawyers.
Should I hire a personal injury attorney for burn injuries?
Shortly after learning that a lawsuit can provide an option to redress, fire victims often wonder if finding a burn injury attorney is the right step.
While the decision to hire (or not hire) a personal injury attorney after a fire is a personal decision, it is highly recommended that you seek legal advice after a fire has resulted in personal injury or property damage. This is because filing an arson lawsuit is a complex legal process.
Depending on the cause of the fire, an official claim can be made against one or more parties. As a rule, tenants who rent or lease a property have the option of negligently claiming damages from their landlord. We examined this particular type of case at the beginning of this page.
Types of compensation after a fire
The circumstances in which a fire victim can file a lawsuit are determined by laws, which vary from state to state. Indeed, the situations can be as diverse as the cause of a fire itself, whether the fire was in a house, apartment, apartment, townhouse, or any other house.
However, the types of compensation that can be requested fall into broad categories. They include:
- Pain and suffering
- First medical bills
- Current medication costs
- Recurring visits to the doctor
- physical therapy
- Loss of income during treatment
- Loss of wages due to disability or disfigurement
- Loss of the consortium
- Loss of joie de vivre
These are just a few of the most common types of burn injury compensation. The truth is, the only way to know what you are entitled to after a burn injury is to seek the advice of experienced injury attorneys.
Most injury law firms are happy to offer free advice. If you’d like to learn more about your options, or aren’t sure whose recklessness could have led to your burns, contact us today and we can put you in touch with the appropriate lawyers.
Types of burns
Skin burns are graded according to their severity, starting with the first and ending with fourth degree burns, the most serious condition.
1 degree
First degree burns are the most common and least serious. The damage is limited to the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis, which can be regenerated very easily. If you’ve ever had sunburn, you’ve experienced first-degree burns caused by the strong rays of the sun.
2 degrees
Second-degree burns occur when the second layer of skin called the dermis is injured. This type often leads to red skin that is painful to touch. Scars are unlikely to form.
3 degrees
This type of burn is one of the most serious. It is characterized by skin that turns black, brown, yellow, or white. The area probably won’t feel painful because the nerves found in this layer of skin are completely damaged.
4 degrees
Fourth degree burns are a potentially life-threatening condition in which all layers of skin, muscles and bones are burned.
Smoke inhalation
Burns to the skin aren’t the only injuries caused by fire. Inhaling smoke can also cause permanent damage to the delicate tissues in our lungs.
In high concentrations, the toxic chemicals contained in the smoke can destroy the alveoli (“air sacs”) in the lungs. These delicate respiratory tissues are easily injured and do not always fully repair themselves after an injury.
The lungs lose their innate ability to draw oxygen from the air, making it very difficult for an injured patient to breathe normally. This means that just a few minutes of inhaling smoke can cause permanent breathing problems.
Burn injuries at work
Burns sustained at work are different from those of a tenant who has rented from a landlord, as a lawsuit may not be possible. An employee’s Comp entitlement is often the most effective way for a burned employee to receive benefits.
The most common types of burns are frictional, chemical, thermal, cold, electrical, and radiation burns.
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