If you suffered a burn injury due to someone’s negligence, the experienced attorneys at Tiemann Law Firm can help. Burn injuries are one of the most traumatic types of injuries that a person can suffer. In an instant, someone’s life can be irrevocably changed. These types of injuries can be extremely painful and leave both physical and mental scars long after the initial incident.
The American Burn Association estimates that at least 486,000 individuals in the United States are admitted to the hospital every year for burn-related injuries. Burn injuries are so serious that entire wards and medical treatment facilities have been created and set aside just to be able to cater to the devastating wounds that burns can cause.
The attorneys at Tiemann Law Firm know what kind of impact a burn injury can have on someone’s life. We understand that you may be dealing with the painful aftermath of a catastrophic injury. Burn injuries don’t just take a toll on you physically, they take a massive toll on an individual emotionally as well. While you try to cope with these new physical and mental challenges, you may also be bombarded with another painful truth, how will you pay for the overwhelming cost of burn treatments and medical care?
If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident that has led to a serious burn injury, you may be able to recover compensation for your injuries. At Tiemann Law Firm, our experienced Northern California attorneys can help you seek the legal compensation you are entitled to if your burn was the result of a negligent accident. To find out how we can help, contact our office at (916) 999-9000 for a free case consultation.
Why Hire a Burn Injury Lawyer?
Burn injuries can happen in a wide variety of ways. The nature of the accident and who may be held responsible for that accident can vary, and that can make it complicated for individuals seeking compensation for their accident. How do you know who should pay? More importantly, even if you determine who is responsible for the accident, how do you make sure they compensate you for what you deserve?
At Tiemann Law Firm, we have handled a wide variety of burn injury cases and sought compensation from landlords, insurance companies, and companies. We understand what it takes to get to the bottom of a burn injury accident, find fault, and hold that party or their insurance company responsible for paying out what is owed.
We understand that no one wants to take the blame for an accident that results in serious bodily harm to someone, but when negligent actions lead to tragic results, that negligent party needs to be accountable. Our aggressive legal team can negotiate with insurers to make certain you are getting what you deserve, not shortchanged to keep their bottom line in check. In incidents where a settlement can’t be reached in good faith, we are ready and able to take a negligent party or insurance company to court for resolution.
In short, you need an attorney working with you following a serious accident to ensure your rights are being protected, and you get every penny you deserve. Burn injuries require constant and consistent medical attention and follow-up care. Burn scarring may require physical therapy and rehabilitation to maintain mobility in impacted limbs. Will a hastily written check by an insurance company cover all your current and future medical expenses? At Tiemann Law Firm, we’ll make sure you get what you are entitled to.
Burn Injury Cases We Handle
There are numerous ways that an accident may cause a serious burn injury. While we typically think of burn injuries as being caused by fire and flames, a burn injury can also be the result of a chemical reaction. The legal team at Tiemann Law Firm has worked on many different cases and many different scenarios. We understand what makes each case unique and what it takes to help our clients achieve a positive outcome for their situation. These are some of the more common burn injury cases that we handle:
- House/Apartment fire: The American Burn Association estimates that in 2016, 2,745 people died from residential fires, either from the fire itself or smoke inhalation. House fires can result from poor or improperly installed electrical wires, faulty heating equipment, appliance malfunction, or poor maintenance. If a landlord or property owner has been negligent in properly maintaining a property or responding to problems, they may be liable for compensation.
- Car accident fires: The American Burn Association also estimates that in 2016, at least 310 people were killed as a result of vehicle fires. Serious car accidents can lead to spilled fuel or broken fuel lines – just one spark and an accident scene can erupt into flames. Tanker trucks carrying flammable materials or dangerous chemicals can also pose significant health risks to drivers caught in their path.
- Chemical spills: Larger tanker truck accidents aren’t the only accidents that can cause serious burn injuries. Improperly stored chemicals at home, in the workplace, at schools, or even recreational facilities, like pools, can pose a threat. Chlorine, car battery acid, bleach, ammonia, drain cleaners, fertilizers, and industrial solvents can all lead to chemical burn accidents.
- Workplace accidents: Thermal and chemical burn accidents can also happen in an unsafe working environment. Improperly stored chemicals, sparks from heavy machinery, electrical failures, hot steam, UV lights, and hot objects all have the potential to injury a worker if proper safety requirements are not in place.
Every case is unique, and your situation may fall into one or more than one of these categories. Your situation may not even be listed above. At Tiemann Law Firm, we understand this; that’s why we offer a free case consultation. We want to get to know you and the specifics of your case so we can best determine what legal avenue may be right for you.
Different Types of Burn Injuries
Burns injuries can vary, depending on the nature of the accident. The type of burn you have can impact the medical treatment you receive and the prognosis for your injury. The type of burn can also tell investigators a lot about the type of accident you were in. Flames are not the only mechanism that can cause a significant burn injury. In general, these are the different types of burns that may be caused by an accident:
- Thermal Burn: A thermal burn is the type that most people typically think of when they hear the word “burn.” A thermal burn occurs when the body comes into close contact with something extremely hot, such as an open flame. Hot metal, hot liquids, and steam can also lead to a thermal burn. These burns cause damage to the skin and tissue by raising the temperature of the area that came into contact with the hot substance to the point where cells begin to die.
- Electrical Burn: Electrical burns happen when a person comes into contact with an electric current either from a power line, exposed wire, or uncovered outlet. These types of burns can end up charring the skin and surrounding tissue, leading to a blackened or burnt appearance.
- Radiation Burn: Chances are you’ve already suffered an accidental radiation burn. Sunburns are actually a form of radiation burn. Negligent radiation burns can happen as a result of exposure to X-rays or working with or near radioactive materials.
- Chemical Burn: Chemical burns are the result of exposure to an extremely strong acid or base, which means agents with a significantly high or significantly low pH level. Battery acid, bleach, drain cleaner, metal cleaning solvents, pool chemicals, lye, and other improperly stored chemicals can cause chemical burns.
Severity of Burn Injuries
The severity of a burn injury can greatly impact an individual’s health and their ability to get back to a pre-accident way of life. First-degree burns are painful but may be the least traumatic, depending on how much of the body is impacted by the burn. Sunburns are common examples of first-degree burns. These burns only penetrate the top layer of skin and can cause the skin to become red and painful.
Second-degree burns are much more serious and impact both the outer layer of skin as well as the second layer of skin, known as the dermis. Second-degree burns are extremely painful since they can expose raw nerves. These burns can result in red skin and blisters and may lead to some skin loss.
Third-degree burns are the most serious category of burn. A third-degree burn penetrates all layers of the skin and can even destroy underlying tissue, muscle, and nerves. The pain associated with third-degree burns typically comes from surrounding second-degree burns because third-degree burns char and destroy nerve tissue to the point where there is little to no feeling left.
Unfortunately, the burn itself is not the only medical concern for victims of burn accidents. The sensitive and exposed tissue of a burn injury makes it very susceptible to infection. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that up to 10,000 burn victims die every year in the U.S. as a result of serious burn-related infections.
Contact an Experienced Burn Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a burn-related accident, you have legal options for recovering the valuable compensation you need to cover your present and future medical bills, as well as the time you’ve missed from work. At Tiemann Law Firm, our attorneys will aggressively represent you and help you secure the money you deserve, while treating you and your family with the utmost respect and compassion.
Contact the experienced burn injury attorneys at Tiemann Law Firm to review your legal options. Call (916) 999-9000 to schedule a free legal consultation.
