Suffering a high-degree burn is very often a life-changing experience, especially if that burn is severe enough to cause permanent disability and/or disfigurement. Even if the injury will heal completely over time, you may still have to deal with unexpected medical bills, lost work income, and a host of other losses while you recover. Both scenarios can make for uniquely complex civil claims, which is why it is especially important to get help from a skilled catastrophic injury attorney after being hurt in this way through another person’s negligence. Once retained, a Crown Point burn injury lawyer from the Law Offices of David W. Holub can make sure your lawsuit or settlement proposal is tailored to your specific needs and strong enough to get you paid fairly for your damages.
Suing Over a Burn Injury Caused by Negligence
Burn injuries may result from auto accidents, hazardous property conditions, defective consumer products, or explosions involving improperly handled materials, among other dangerous circumstances. In pursuing a civil claim for a burn injury, the focus lies not on the specific cause but on whether the injury occurred as a direct result of someone’s negligence.
State law treats a person as negligent—and potentially liable for resulting damages—when they breach a duty of care owed under specific circumstances and that breach directly causes an otherwise preventable injury. For instance, drivers have a duty to follow traffic laws; a person who runs a red light and causes a collision leading to a burn injury would likely bear fault for the harm.
That said, the duty of care one person owes to another can change dramatically depending on the situation, and there are also scenarios where someone may hold strict liability for a burn injury. Our burn accident attorneys in Crown Point could help determine exactly who is to blame for a particular incident, who subsequently holds civil liability for that incident, and how best to go about demanding compensation from them.
How Burn Degree Can Affect a Civil Claim
So long as a burn injury is serious enough to require some form of professional medical care, anyone found legally liable for that injury can be made to pay financially for every negative effect that injury will ever have on the person who suffered it. However, the nature and financial value of those losses will depend on how bad the burn injury is—something which medical professionals generally measure through degrees.
First-degree burns only cause surface-level damage and may only require basic first aid to address, while second-degree burns damage multiple skin layers but do not always cause permanent scarring or disability. Third-degree burns, on the other hand, are very often life-threatening injuries, so it may be necessary to recover for years’ worth of lost working ability, long-term medical bills, lost enjoyment of life, and more. Once again, a burn accident lawyer in Crown Point could provide vital guidance about what options are available to a particular person and how they should structure their unique case.
Get Help from a Crown Point Burn Accident Injury Attorney Today
Burn injuries caused by heat, ultraviolet light, chemical exposure, or radiation often result in severe pain and long-term physical consequences. When such harm stems from a preventable incident, it may form a strong basis for civil litigation, provided the injured party understands and effectively asserts their rights under state law.
You have help available in that regard and in many others from a dedicated Crown Point burn injury lawyer. Contact us at the Law Offices of David W. Holub today for a free initial consultation.