Burns are complicated injuries, ranging in severity from minor to lethal. Severe burns require extensive medical treatment and can significantly impact quality of life. These burns are often connected to negligence, which is when someone does something they should not be doing or fail to take proper care when they do something. When negligence causes a burn, the person responsible should pay for the injuries. Our skilled catastrophic injury attorneys know how to help.
Holding another party responsible is vital because burns can be costly and may require lifelong medical care. Treatment and recovery could also lead to time away from work and a potential loss of earning ability. An Aurora burn injury lawyer could help you ensure that the person who caused the injuries pays for your recovery.
Types of Burns
Almost anything can lead to a burn. Medical professionals recognize a few primary types of burns, like thermal, radiation, chemical, and electrical.
Radiation burns can come from excessive sun but also from malpractice involving x-rays or CT scans.
Heat and hot items causes thermal burns, with common sources being fire, scalding liquids, and hot surfaces. Almost everyone experiences a heat burn at some point in their life. Cooking or drinking a too-hot cup of coffee are familiar sources of these injuries.
Chemical Burns
Chemical burns are not unusual in industrial environments. However, they also occur in homes or non-industrial business environments like swimming pool chemicals, ammonia, battery acid, lime, bleach, and household cleaners can all cause them.
Electric Burns
Electrical burns can come from natural sources, like lightning, but are usually the result of an issue with human-controlled electricity. Downed power lines, electricity and water, faults, shorts, and other issues can lead to electrical burns. These burns may not show up as superficial skin damage even when they are severe. A burn injury lawyer in Aurora may consult with you to determine if you can file a suit against someone on the grounds of failing to keep their premises safe.
Fault, Liability, and Damages
Exposure to anything that causes one of the four types of burns can lead to a burn injury. However, some inciting incidents are more common than others. Building fires, auto accidents, hot liquids, construction accidents, explosions, defective products, chemicals, and electrical malfunctions can all lead to a painful injury.
Determining whether a person can recover damages for their burn begins by looking at responsibility. Who was responsible for the conditions that led to the burn? Did they owe a duty to the victim? Did they breach that duty? If so, they may be responsible.
In some instances, there may be multiple responsible parties. If you experienced a burn in the workplace due to a coworker’s negligence, you may have a claim against both the coworker and the employer. It is important to identify the defendants and speak with a professional about how you could secure compensation.
What Damages Could I Get?
The specifics of the case will also help an Aurora attorney estimate the value of your burn injury damages. Economic damages refer to the monetary costs you incurred due to the accident, such as medical bills, lost wages, and loss-in-earning potential. Non-economic injuries are the justice system’s way of trying to pay back non-economic harm, such as pain and suffering, or psychological harm.
Talk to a Burn Injury Attorney in Aurora Today
Healing after a burn is more complex than many people realize. You may be at risk for secondary infections and other complications for an extended time, and any reconstructive surgeries and skin grafts may take years to complete.
The psychological damage from burn injuries can be long-term, as well, especially if you experienced disfigurement or the loss of body movement. An Aurora burn injury lawyer understands that you need someone with decades of experience to handle your claim. Call for a free consultation with the Law Offices of R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd.