Smyrna Burn Injury Lawyer

Some of the most painful injuries you can suffer are burn injuries. Even minor burns are very painful. Most people don’t think of burn injuries when they think of personal injury lawyers. However, burns are more common than you may think. More than 450,000 people are hurt every year in a burn injury. Almost 3.500 people die every year from burn injuries. Most of the burn deaths are the result of house fires. Others are the result of car accidents, scalding, explosions and electrical burns.  If you or a loved one have suffered an injury, you need to contact a Smyrna burn injury lawyer.

The good news about burn injuries is that most people recover from them. Approximately 96% of burn victims survive. Many require extensive medical treatment and long recovery period. Burn injuries can lead to permanent disability and life-altering medical issues. An experienced catastrophic injury attorney will make sure you get compensation for these injuries.

Burn Injury Lawyers Handle All Types of Burn Cases

Burn injuries come from all sorts of accidents.

There are three main causes of burn injuries:

• Coming into contact with actual fire or flames
• Scalding yourself with hot liquids
• Burning yourself from touching something very hot

All of these can be very painful. Depending on the severity of the burn, you may or may not require medical treatment. As a precaution, burn injuries lawyers always recommend you seek medical treatment, even for minor burns. There is no way to know just how serious a burn is. You can’t tell by looking at it. And, since even minor burns are painful, there is no way to gauge how bad the burn is.

There are different types of burns. Your Smyrna burn injury lawyer has experience handling all types of burns.

The most common types are:

• Chemical Burns – You can suffer a chemical burn if your eyes or skin come into contact with certain chemicals. This can happen at work, at school, or even going about your day to day business. The following chemicals commonly cause burns:
  • Chlorine
  • Bleach
  • Battery acid
  • Ammonia
  • Strong cleaners
• Electrical Burns – Our bodies simply should never come into contact with electricity. Even the smallest electric charge can cause significant harm. Most electrical burns are from extension cords. If you accidentally touch an extension cord, you can get a serious electrical burn. The voltage from the wires runs through your body. You may see burns on your skin or they may be internal. You should always seek medical treatment for an electrical burn.
• Friction Burns – This is just what is sounds like. When your body is dragged or scraped against an abrasive surface, you can suffer a burn injury. This is very common in bicycle and motorcycle accidents. They can also happen due to construction site accidents.
• Radiation burns – Although you can certainly be exposed to radiation in many ways, the most common way is through cancer treatment. If you are a cancer patient and your doctor exposes you to a high level of radiation, you can get burnt. Likewise, if you work in the health field, you could get work while using this type of equipment.

If you or a loved one have suffered any of these burns, you need to contact a burn injuries lawyer. He will review your case and make sure the people who caused your injuries are held accountable.

Your Smyrna Burn Injury Lawyer Will Get You Compensated for Your Burn Injuries

Any Smyrna burn injury lawyer is going to tell you to seek medical treatment after sustaining a burn injury. Even if the doctor sends you home or offers minor treatment, it’s important that you go. There are a couple reasons for this. First and foremost, you need to make sure you’re physically okay. Second, you need to document your injuries. If you don’t seek medical treatment, there is no way to prove that you were actually hurt. Your burn injury lawyer will need all the documentation to prove that you sustained injuries.

There are several different degrees of burns. The higher the degree, the more severe the burn. Each type of burn requires different types of medical treatment.

The basic breakdown of burns by degree are as follows:

• First-Degree Burns – These burns affect the outer layer of your skin. These burns usually heal themselves within a week or so. A common type of first-degree burn would be what you get from a tanning bed. Keep in mind, if you use a commercial tanning bed and are severely burned, you should seek a Smyrna burn injury attorney immediately. Take pictures of your burns so that you can preserve this evidence for later.
• Second-Degree Burns – This type of burn affects both the outer layer of skin and the layer right beneath it. Usually, if you suffer a second-degree burn, you will require a skin graft. A skin graft is a medical procedure where a surgeon takes skin from one place on your body and puts it on the burned area.
• Third-Degree – This type of burn is much more serious than the other two. These burns don’t just burn your skin. They actually burn your tissues and muscles beneath your skin. They require several skin graft procedures. It can take months to heal from a third-degree burn. This is the type of burn suffered in a house fire or car accident. Most people who do pass away from burn injuries have third-degree burns.

Your Smyrna Burn Injury Lawyer Will Fight to Get Your Damages

Just as with any other personal injury case, your burn injuries lawyer will seek damages. If you’ve suffered a minor burn, you may not have experienced more than a day or two off from work and minimal medical bills. If suffering a serious burn, however, you may have entitlement to significant damages. Your Smyrna burn injury lawyer will argue to get you the most money possible.

Damages from a burn injury include:

• Medical bills – You will be entitled to compensation for all medical bills related to your burn injuries. This includes future medical bills. You may need skin grafts and other care for months or years after the accident. The defendant should be held responsible for these damages.
• Lost wages – Whether you missed a few days from work or a few months, your burn injuries lawyer will demand that you be compensated. It’s important that you provide your burn injury lawyer with copies of pay stubs and time sheets to prove that you missed the time alleged.
• Pain and suffering – Georgia allows pain and suffering. We’ve already stated that burn injuries can be more painful than any other type of injury. Juries and judges know this. They will be quite generous when it comes to pain and suffering for serious burn injuries. Remember, if you only suffered first or second-degree burns, you shouldn’t expect a ton in pain and suffering.
• Permanent disability – If your burns are serious enough, you may never return to work. Depending on what sort of work you did prior to the accident, you may not be able to return to work. If you are unable to work because of your injuries, your burn injuries lawyer will fight to get you compensated for future lost earnings.
• Facial disfigurement – If you suffer burns to your face, you may need skin grafts and cosmetic surgery. This could lead to facial disfigurement. Regardless of vain it may sound, our faces are important to us. They are a large part of our identity. They also affect how we interact socially. If your burn injuries cause facial disfigurement, you can expect your Smyrna burn injury attorney to demand compensation.

Your burn injury lawyer knows how to prove your damages. He will present your medical records and proof of damages to the insurance company. If they are unwilling to settle your claim, your burn injuries lawyer will file a lawsuit on your behalf.

If Your Child Suffers a Burn Injury, You Need to Contact a Smyrna Burn Injury Lawyer

Sadly, a large number of children suffer burn injuries every year. About 100,000 kids are brought into emergency rooms with burns every year. A lot of these are the result of scalding accidents. Children are curious. Sometimes they climb up onto the stove and end up burning themselves. Or, a pot of hot soup or coffee can spill on a child during an accident. Children’s skin is sensitive to burns. If your child has suffered a burn injury, it is critical that you take him or her to the hospital.

Nobody ever wants to think of their child as getting hurt. We certainly don’t want to think of our babies getting burned in any way. Unfortunately, accidents happen.

Some of the most important statistics regarding child burn injuries include:

• Burns and fires are the 5^th leading cause of death in children in the United States
• 75% of all child scalding accidents are preventable
• Children and toddlers are most often burned by scalding and flames
• Hot tap water causes more injuries and deaths than any other hot liquid
• 85% of children under 4 who are hospitalized for burns were hurt in a scalding or contact burn

If your child was burned while in the care of another, you need to call a Smyrna burn injury lawyer. If your child was at daycare or school when he got hurt, your burn injuries lawyer is going to file a negligence claim on behalf of your child. Obviously, at a time like this, you need to focus on getting your child well. Let your burn injury lawyer deal with the legal side of things.

Your Burn Injury Lawyer Must Prove Negligence for your Burn Injury Case

Just because you or your child were burned doesn’t mean you can file a lawsuit. You only have a legal claim if your burns are caused by someone else.

Your burn injury lawyer will have to prove the same elements of negligence as with all other personal injury cases, which are:

• Somebody owed you or your child a certain duty of care
• The breached this duty
• You or your child has injuries
• Your injuries were from the breach

In burn cases, it’s not very hard to prove that your injuries were from the accident. It may be a bit harder for your burn injury lawyer to prove that the accident was the defendant’s fault. Your Smyrna burn injury attorney is going to have to prove that the defendant was negligent.

Here are some situations where your Smyrna burn injury lawyer can show that the defendant was negligent:

• The babysitter or daycare worker left a pot of boiling water on a child’s desk
• A school or daycare used a stove too close to children
• A babysitter gave your child a bath in water that was way too hot
• A child minder had electrical work done with children present

Your burn injuries lawyer is going to work hard to get your family justice. He will negotiate with the defendant’s lawyer or insurance company to get a fair settlement of your claim.

Contact a Smyrna Burn Injury Lawyer Today

If you or a loved one have suffered a burn injury, contact a Smyrna burn injury lawyer today. You are going to need to focus on recovering from your injuries. Let your burn injury lawyer deal with the insurance company. He will work with them to try to settle your claim so there is no need for a lawsuit. However, if they refuse to cooperate, he may have no choice.

If your Smyrna burn injury attorney has to file suit, you will only have two years to do so. The Georgia statute of limitations for personal injury cases is two years from the date of the accident. Contact a burn injury lawyer today and schedule your free initial consultation. You can meet with an attorney and discuss your case. You pay nothing until you settle your case.