Texas Burn Injury Lawyers
Burns can be some of the most painful and scariest injuries to suffer in an accident. Burn injuries result from more than just fires. They can be caused by electric shock from faulty equipment or wiring, defective home products, exposure to toxic chemicals, and molten liquids, among other dangers. Burn injuries are disturbingly common occurrences: Each year, nearly half a million burn injuries are treated at medical centers across the country, including around 40,000 hospitalizations. Severe burns can be disfiguring, can damage nerve tissue and limit functionality, lead to loss of limb and can even be fatal.
The Texas personal injury lawyers at the Gilbert Adams Law Offices understand burn injuries and are prepared to fight on your behalf if you or a family member have been injured or killed by burns resulting from someone else’s negligence. Our burn injury lawyers will work to ensure that your medical bills and lost wages are covered and that the responsible parties are held accountable and compensate you and your family for the damages caused.
Degrees of Burn Injury
The medical community categorizes the severity of burns by degree. Higher-degree burns carry more severe, debilitating, and long-lasting effects. The degree types are as follows:
First degree burns damage only the outer layer of skin, involve some pain and reddening, and typically heal with fewer complications than second or third-degree burns.
Second-degree or “partial thickness” burns affect the outer and lower layer of skin. They cause pain, redness, swelling, and blistering, and often result from brief exposure to fire. Second-degree burns may heal without scarring but can change the pigment of the skin. The worse the blisters, the longer they take to heal.
Third-degree burns are medical emergencies and. destroy the deeper layer of skin and the tissues underneath. Burned areas can become black and white as well as cracked or leathery. They may involve nerve damage which can eliminate sensory feeling. Healing typically does not occur on its own, scarring is common, and skin grafting or amputation may be medically necessary.
Fourth-degree burns damage all lawyers of the skin and extend into the muscle, tendons, and bone. These are serious injuries that will generally require amputation, among other serious consequences. Treatments such as excision of dead and damaged skin can be extremely painful. Some doctors refer to further degrees of burn based on the extent of the subdermal injury.
Common Causes of Burn Injury
Burn injuries can result from a variety of accidents at home, in commercial buildings, in the workplace, at factories or construction sites, or while on the road. The most common causes of serious, negligence-based burn injuries include the following:
Structure fires. One of the most common causes of burn injury in the country is structure fires. Fires can be started because of defective or negligently-ignored home devices, such as cooking equipment, portable heaters, or other faulty electrical equipment or wiring. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 80% of fire deaths and 74% of fire injuries were caused by home fires. Fires also commonly cause inner tissue damage as a result of inhalation. Inhalation burns can lead to upper airway swelling, lung tissue damage, breathing difficulties, and carbon monoxide poisoning. In 2016, 3,275 people in the U.S. died from smoke inhalation.
Car accidents. Traumatic injuries like bone fractures, whiplash, and brain damage are not the only things to worry about in a traffic accident. Gasoline, electrical equipment, and the plastic and foam rubber in cars catching fire can convert a serious accident into a fatal one.
Chemical burns. Industrial acids, corrosive liquids, or other hazardous substances can severely damage the body in an instant. Workers at petrochemical factories, neighbors to chemical plants where a leak or explosion occurs, or people otherwise inadvertently exposed to harmful chemicals can seek compensation for the serious damage which can be caused by chemical exposure. Chemical fume exposure can also lead to inhalation burns, leading to severe and often permanent lung damage.
Electrical burns. Electric shocks from defective equipment or exposed wires can quickly char the skin or, if exposure is prolonged, affect internal organs and cause other problems not readily apparent at the time of injury. Anyone exposed to a serious electrical shock should seek medical attention immediately to identify any potential latent injuries.
Scalding. Scalding occurs when the skin is exposed to hot liquids. Exposure can occur in kitchens, near steam release valves at factories, or by contact with other hot chemicals at worksites or in the home.
Damages Recoverable After Burn Injuries
Burn injuries can often lead to extensive monetary damages, between the economic and non-economic harms involved with severe burns. We can help clients recover damages for:
- Medical bills
- Loss of income or wages
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and disability
The negligent or reckless parties responsible for causing burn injuries should be held accountable for more than mere economic damages such as medical costs and bills and lost wages. Burn victims should be compensated for any loss of function, including nerve damage or loss of limb, for the severe pain associated with burns, and for any disfigurement or scarring caused by burn injuries. Our Texas burn injury lawyers can help you recover fully and get the damages you are owed.
Help for the Most Serious Burn Injuries from Skilled and Knowledgeable Texas Personal Injury Attorneys
If you or someone you love has suffered a burn injury, find out about your right to compensation for those injuries by contacting the dedicated, skilled, and effective Beaumont personal injury lawyers at the Gilbert Adams Law Offices for a no-cost evaluation of your case at 409-835-3000.
