What You Need To Know About Burn Injury Lawsuits
If you have sustained severe burns due to another person's negligence, you can seek compensation for your injuries. The amount of the damages you get will depend on the extent of your burns. To get a fair ruling for your burn injury lawsuit, make sure you consult a personal injury lawyer. Here are some facts you need to know when filing a burn injury lawsuit.
Different Types of Burn Injuries
Burn injuries are classified as first-degree, second-degree, or third-degree burns. First-degree burns are mild burns that don't require treatment. You may experience reddening of the skin, but you can use an over-the-counter medicine to relieve your pain. These burns heal after several days.
Second-degree burns affect your skin's second layer. These burns cause blisters. You'll need to seek medical attention if you experience these burns. Lastly, third-degree burns damage all the layers of your skin. With these burns, white patches develop on your skin.
These burns can result in infections and damage your skin. For these injuries, victims may require skin grafts. With this procedure, patches of skin are removed from one part of the body and placed over the burned parts of the skin.
Where and How the Accident Happened
When making a claim for burn injuries, your personal injury lawyer will first establish where and how the accident happened. This will affect the defendant's liability and how much the court may be willing to award you.
Burns can happen in different ways, including faulty consumer products, arson, and workplace injuries. For example, suppose you were burned in a workplace incident that may or may not have been avoided. In that case, the value of damages will be lower than an accident arising from your employer's failure to observe safety regulations. Burns caused by faulty consumer products and arson will result in higher damage awards.
Compensation for Burn Injuries
Like any personal injury claim, to recover from a burn injury lawsuit, you have to satisfy the three elements of negligence. You need to show that the accused owed you a duty of care, they breached that duty of care, and the violation of their duty of care was the primary cause of your injuries.
Normally, for burn injuries, you will recover damages for medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, and loss of income. Your personal injury lawyer can claim temporary or permanent disability, loss of consortium, and punitive damages for serious cases.
