Do I Need a Personal Injury Attorney For A Burn Injury?

Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran

If you or a loved one has suffered a burn, either due to negligence or failure to comply with safety protocol, you may be due compensation to help with medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Burns can be serious and inflict long-lasting injuries. To get the compensation you deserve, you need an experienced burn injury lawyer at our law firm to help you navigate injury claims and the ensuing injury case.

Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. can help you file a claim according to what type of burn injury you have. Your personal injury attorney can also take care of the claim before the statute of limitations runs out.

Here are more details about the types of burn injuries, the severity of wounds, and the oversights that can lead to these life-threatening injuries.

Types of Burns

There are four main types of injuries or burns – light burns, thermal burns, chemical burns, and radiation burns.

Light Burns

This type of burn is caused by UV light or the sun, otherwise known as a sunburn.

Thermal Burns

Injuries caused by extreme heat like steam, fire, hot liquids, or other super-heated elements.

Chemical Burns

These injuries are caused by burns from chemicals, acids, alkali, or chemical explosions.

Radiation Burns

These injuries are caused by exposure to nuclear radiation.

Severity of Burns

There are three different categories of burns, and the classification of your injury largely depends on how many layers of skin the injury reaches. In the most severe cases, you may require a skin graft or equally acute treatment.

To gain the compensation you are due, you need to understand the severity of your burn.

First-degree Burns

In this type of injury, also called a superficial burn, only the top layer of your skin is burned. These burns are characterized by red, inflamed skin and are the least severe types of burns; sunburns are first-degree burns.

You may be burned over a large area, and first-degree injuries are often painful. In some instances, you should visit your doctor to address a first-degree burn.

Second-degree Burns

In this type of burn, the first and second layers of your skin, the epidermis and dermis, respectively, are burned.

A second-degree wound often appears moist, sometimes results in blistering, and causes severe pain. Medical attention is almost always necessary for this type of injury.

Third-degree Burns

These types of burns are also referred to as full-thickness burns and extend through all of the layers of skin, sometimes even affecting bones and organs. In a full-thickness burn, hair follicles and the epidermis have been destroyed, so new skin will not grow.

Some symptoms of a third-degree burn include leathery, black, brown, or yellow skin. Because all of the nerve endings have been destroyed, you may not feel any pain. These burns are often severe and may require skin grafts.

If you have been injured on the job or due to another’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. How you sustained the injury will also play into how much compensation your legal team can help you win.

How Did the Burn Happen?

If you suffered the burn at work, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should pay for medical bills, lost wages, and your pain and suffering. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you may be entitled to additional compensation.

If you were injured in your own home, you might not be due any compensation. The exceptions to this are if your burns result from a defective product, or if you’re a renter and the injury is a result of noncompliance to safety protocol in the rental property.

If the burn happened in a car accident, Michigan’s no-fault personal injury protection should provide all the protection you need. If your injuries are more severe, or if the compensation does not cover the life changes you’ve experienced as a result of the accident, you may want to consult a personal injury lawyer about your case.

Statute of Limitations

There are different time frames for particular types of burns. In most cases, you have three years from the date of the injury to file a suit. This changes in the case of medical malpractice or negligence, in which the plaintiff has only two years to file.

Children can pursue a case anytime until their 19th birthday, even if the injuries happened much earlier in their lives.

A Final Word

If you’re a burn injury victim who needs legal advice about compensation for your injury in the United States, you need lawyers who are experienced with these types of cases.

At Cochran, Kroll, & Associates, P.C. we know what you need if you’ve been burned in a car accident or workplace mishap. Call today for a free consultation at 866-MICH-LAW. Our legal experts are ready to advise you about the compensation you may be entitled to and the steps you need to take to receive those benefits.

Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.