It can be a horrible experience being severely burned or scalded in an accident which was not your fault. You will almost definitely need immediate hospital treatment and may not be able to return to work for weeks or even months. You may need plastic surgery or skin grafts to replace badly burned skin tissue.
Who is going to pay for all this unwanted surgery? You should not have to suffer financially if someone else was responsible for your injuries.
It is enough to cope with the physical and emotional side of being burned without having to think of the financial burden it may cause you.
It is strongly advised that you consider making a personal injury claim if you think that you can identify and prove who or what was to blame for the accident that caused your burns.
All significant personal injury claims are more likely to succeed if you get professional legal help as soon as your injuries allow you to do so.
Burn and Scald Injuries are Painful and Potentially Disfiguring
Burn accidents can happen in many different ways. You can be burned if you are in a building when a fire occurs. You could be burned electrically or by chemicals. You could be involved in a car accident in which your car or another car bursts into flame.
Whatever the cause of the accident, burns and scalds are usually very painful. Severe and extensive burns can be potentially disfiguring and some burn victims may have to consider having a series of operations to repair badly damaged features.
Poorly maintained electrical wiring or appliances are common causes of burn injuries. If poor maintenance can be proven, then a personal injury lawsuit may be filed against the owner of the building or appliance which caused the burning incident.
Get Compensated for Your Medical Expenses
If negligence or poor maintenance has caused your burns, then you should be able to file a personal injury claim against whoever you think was at fault. It is important to be sure who was at fault.
It could be an individual, such as a speeding truck driver. It may be a business owner, a manager or an employee. There must be sufficient evidence to link the person or people at fault with the incident that caused your burn injuries.
This is not always easy and defendants in personal injury lawsuits often try to claim that you were not careful enough.
Many states, although not all, allow a claim to be filed, even if you are partly to blame for the accident.
Take a scalding accident, for instance. If hot coffee from a fast food outlet has spilled on you, it may be the restaurant worker’s fault for not providing a lid for the cup, but it may be decided that you would be expected to take care when handling fresh coffee.
Trust an Experienced Attorney
There is too much at stake if you have been badly burned to rely on sympathy an understanding from whoever was at fault. You will inevitably have expenses which you may not be able to afford.
Settling a fair and adequate compensation claim is more likely to succeed if you seek the help of an experienced personal injury attorney to help start your claim.
It will be better for you to find an attorney who has had specific experience with helping burn victims.
