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Baltimore Burn Injury Lawyer
Asserting Your Legal Rights After a Burn Injury
You should take a few steps to protect your rights, whether you are the victim of a minor scalding or a severe thermal burn. Understanding how to respond after a burn injury lays a strong foundation for proper treatment, recovery, and your pursuit of compensation.
Here are crucial steps to take after a burn injury:
Seek Medical Attention
Your priority after a burn injury is seeking immediate medical attention. Always seek prompt medical attention even if you feel okay after a thermal burn. The adrenaline rush after an accident can mask your ability to feel pain or notice a burn injury.
An examination from a healthcare provider will reveal any hidden issues. More importantly, a healthcare provider will generate medical records you can rely on to file a burn injury claim or lawsuit.
Report the Incident
Report the incident to your employer or property manager to create a formal record of the injury. The incident report should include important details such as the date and time of the accident, what caused the accident, and activity at the time of the accident.
Document the Incident
You’ll require proof of the accident to obtain compensation from the at-fault party. Create a record of accident-related information such as date, time, location, and cause of the injury. Take photographs of the accident scene and, if possible, the burn injury.
Note down the names and contact details of the bystanders at the time of the accident. An eyewitness statement may supplement other sources of evidence.
Understanding Burn Injuries
A burn is tissue damage due to heat, overexposure to the sun, radiation, or chemical or electrical contact. Burns can anywhere from cause minor injuries to life-threatening emergencies or fatalities. Hundreds of thousands of people require medical treatment for burns each year in the U.S.
Although accidental burns can happen to anyone, children, teenagers, and seniors are primarily at risk.
Types of Burn Injuries
A healthcare provider classifies a burn injury by their degree of severity. Burn symptoms also vary depending on the extent of the skin damage.
Here are the primary burn degrees:
- First-degree Burn: A first-degree burn is a minor burn that only affects the outer layer of the skin. Typical symptoms of first-degree burns include redness and pain.
- Second-degree Burn: A second-degree burn affects the top and lower layers and causes symptoms such as pain, redness, blistering, and swelling.
- Third-degree Burns: A third-degree is a severe burn that affects all three layers: fat, dermis, and epidermis. It also destroys sweat glands and hair follicles. Third-degree burns cause damage to nerve endings, so you may not feel pain at the point of burn but the surrounding region. Third-degree burns also cause numbness. These injuries require extensive medical care.
Common Causes of Burns
- Fire
- Vehicle accidents
- Abuse
- Electrical current
- Hot glass, metal, or other objects
- Radiation, including X-ray
- Hot steam or liquid
- Exposure to chemicals, including lye, strong acids, gasoline, or paint thinner
Complications of Burns
A severe and widespread burn can come with the following:
- Breathing problems due to intake of smoke or hot air
- Bacterial infection likely to cause bloodstream infection
- Fluid loss, including low blood volume
- Ridged areas or scars because of overgrowth of scar tissue
- Hypothermia—excessive low body temperature
Assessment Of Burns In Children & Infants
Burn injuries in children are common, and many of them are due to the negligence of others. While many parents might hesitate to take a child to the emergency room for a burn, you should always seek emergency medical attention for:
- Burns that cover feet, hands, face, groin, buttocks, or any significant part of the body
- Burns that make the skin look leathery
- Burns caused by electricity or chemicals
- Burns that appear charred or with patches of brown, black, or white
- Deep burns that affect all layers of the skin, including deeper tissues
- Burns to the airways or difficulty breathing
Children are still developing, so burn injuries can cause serious complications and impairments. Getting prompt medical attention for your child is the best way to minimize the long-term effects and scarring of their burns. Then, discuss your legal options with a Baltimore burn injury attorney.
What Compensation Can Burn Victims Receive for Burn Injuries in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Baltimore?
You have a right to compensation if you or a loved one sustained a burn injury due to negligence caused by someone else’s fault. Since nothing can turn back time and erase the burn injury, the role of compensation is to make you “whole” again following the injuries and losses caused by the defendant’s negligence.
In a burn injury lawsuit, you can seek three types of damages: economic, non-economic, and punitive. Here’s a brief overview of the three types of damages:
Economic Damages
These damages compensate burn injury victims for the financial loss they suffer as a result of the accident. There is a direct dollar value for monetary damages and an easy calculation method.
Examples of economic damages include:
- Medication expenses
- Lost income
- Travel expenses to and from medical appointments
- Future medical expenses if the burn injury requires ongoing treatment
Non-economic Damages
These damages compensate for the intangible losses the injured victim endures because of the accident. For instance, you may be entitled to compensation for psychological loss if the event leading to the burn injury was traumatic.
Payment for non-economic damages in a burn injury can include payment for:
- Permanent disfigurement
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Punitive Damages
If there is evidence that the defendant displayed gross negligence, your injury compensation can include punitive damages. The role of punitive damages is not to reinstate your loss after an accident.
Instead, punitive damages punish the defendant for harming you due to gross misconduct. They also serve as a deterrent to prevent the defendant and others from engaging in similar conduct that led to the injury.
Establishing Negligence in Burn Injury Cases
Winning a case that involves negligence involves establishing the following four elements of negligence:
- Duty of care
- Breach of duty of care
- A direct relationship between breach of care and injury
- The injured party suffered damages and losses as a result of the defendant’s negligence
When pursuing a personal injury claim or lawsuit, you’ll need solid evidence to prove the other party’s negligence.
The most common type of evidence applicable in burn injury cases include:
- Incident reports
- Photographs and videos
- Medical records
- Eye witness statements
- Expert witness
- Medical bills
Why Hire Bob Katz Law For Your Burn Injury Claim
- We have successfully represented injured clients for more than 40 years
- We’ve collected over $500 million, delivering justice to our clients
- We have over 30 dedicated staff members working nonstop for you
- We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and have more than 240 five-star reviews amassed from prior satisfied clients.
- Our staff is available to you 24/7 to help
- We serve clients from Baltimore to Northern Virginia
- Multilingual support: Spanish, Korean, or Chinese
Attorneys Representing Burn Victims Throughout Maryland
Working with a burn injury attorney increases your chances of receiving a settlement value matching your injury-related losses. An attorney will help you understand your rights and provide support throughout the claim process.
Legal services you can expect from a burn injury attorney include:
- Gathering vital documents to prove your claim
- Filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the negligent party
- Negotiating with the insurer of the at-fault party
- Litigating your matter in court, if necessary
Contact a Baltimore, MD, Burn Injury Lawyer
Recovering from a burn injury requires a comprehensive treatment plan. In addition, burn injuries may trigger mental health problems, pain, and long-term complications. You want representation from an experienced attorney who will demonstrate the extent of your injury and negotiate a fair settlement value for your losses.
Bob Katz Law is a team of Baltimore personal injury attorneys with experience representing burn victims. Contact us online or at 410-576-4287 for a free consultation.
A Burn Injury Lawyer Near Me
Burn Injury in Baltimore? You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. An experienced Burn Injury attorney near you can guide you through the legal process and fight for the justice you deserve. Contact Bob Katz Law today to schedule a consultation and get the trusted support you need to move forward with confidence.
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