Severe burn personal injury lawsuits

Victims of a severe burn injury are left with permanent damage, both physical as well as psychological. In addition to the intense pain that comes with the accident, the scarring and disfigurement can lead to life-long emotional pain and suffering for the victim.

Victims going through the treatment and healing process will incur costly hospital and medical bills, rehab expenses, loss of income, and emotional trauma from the extreme pain associated with their injuries. If the injury was the result of negligence on the part of another party or entity, the victim may be able to bring a legal claim for compensation.

Severe burns caused by negligence come under that category of personal injury lawsuits. They are considered to be catastrophic injuries if they are fatal or if the victim suffers permanent disability and/or disfigurement.

Here are some potential sources of serious burn injuries:

  • Electrical
  • Thermal
  • Chemical
  • Radiation
  • Scalding hot liquids
  • Inhalation of particulate pollution, gas, extreme heat

The severity of a burn injury varies, in part, based on which part of the body is burned as well as the type of burn that the victim has suffered. Burn classifications are first-, second-, third-, and fourth-degree, depending on how deep and grievously they penetrate the surface of the skin.

Common causes of severe burn injuries

Some common causes of severe burns injuries that are the result of negligence include:

  • Defective products
  • Truck and auto accidents
  • Fires in public places such as a movie theater or nightclub
  • Fires in apartment buildings
  • Unsafe premises

If injured while on the job, you may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim to recover compensation for your injuries. If injured on someone else’s property due to negligence, you may file a premises liability claim in order to recover compensation.

With premises liability cases, the owner, manager, and/or employee of the property can be held liable for your damages if you can prove that the accident wouldn’t have happened if safety hazards had been removed from the property in question.

How to file a lawsuit

Premises liability lawsuits tend to be complicated because you have to be able to prove the following elements of negligence:

  • The defendant owed you a duty of care
  • The duty of care was breached due to negligence
  • The breach causes your injuries
  • The injuries resulted in economic and/or non-economic losses

The other factor that complicates these types of personal injury cases is who to sue. 

If you are suffering from a serious burn that was caused by the negligence of another and want to file a lawsuit for a severe burn injury, you should schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney.