Burns can be among the most devastating injuries a person could experience. They are excruciatingly painful, slow to heal, and often leave permanent physical and psychological scars.
If you or someone you love has suffered a burn injury due to someone else’s careless or reckless conduct, the negligent person has a legal obligation to pay monetary damages. A Jackson burn injury lawyer could investigate the accident, identify the potentially responsible parties, and hold them accountable. With the help of an experienced catastrophic injury attorney at the Reaves Law Firm, PLLC, you could obtain the compensation you need to recover.
Burns affect the skin, which is the largest organ in the body. Skin plays a crucial role in regulating body temperature, protecting the body from infection, absorbing vitamin D, and providing the sense of touch. Skin is also a flexible covering for the skeleton and muscles. When the skin suffers damage, it could become rigid and limit a person’s range of motion.
Medical professionals classify the severity of burns based on how deeply they penetrate and damage the body. First and second-degree burns affect only the outermost layers of the epidermis and usually heal without medical intervention. Third-degree burns penetrate all layers of skin and could cause severe medical complications if they affect a large area. Fourth-degree burns penetrate the muscle under the skin, while fifth-degree burns cause damage bone-deep. Both fourth and fifth-degree burns are often fatal.
Third-degree burns require skin grafts, and fourth and fifth-degree burns often lead to amputation of the affected body part. A person with third, fourth, or fifth-degree burns risks catastrophic shock, causing strain on other body systems, which could lead to fatal events like a heart attack or stroke. If an individual survives, they likely will suffer:
When someone else’s misconduct causes a person to suffer such significant and devastating harm, the victim has a right to take legal action with the help of a committed burn injury lawyer in Jackson.
Many types of accidents could cause severe burns; those commonly resulting from negligence include:
In some cases, the injured person (plaintiff) might have negligently contributed to their injury. According to Mississippi Code Annotated §11-7-15, a negligent plaintiff may collect damages from other negligent parties; however, a court could reduce a negligent plaintiff’s damages in proportion to their degree of responsibility. A diligent Jackson burn injury attorney could dispute allegations of plaintiff fault and hold the defendant accountable for all losses an injured person suffered.
A plaintiff who proves another party’s negligence caused their injury could seek compensatory damages. There are two types of compensatory damages available to personal injury plaintiffs in the state of Mississippi: Economic and non-economic.
Economic damages reimburse a plaintiff for expenses they incurred due to their injury. Medical expenses, including the costs of procedures a plaintiff is likely to need in the future, are economic damages. Lost time at work and the value of sick or vacation time the plaintiff used while recovering is also a part of their economic damages. If the plaintiff’s injuries prevent them from returning to their job, the difference between the income they earn and the income they might have earned if they were not injured may be another component of an economic damage award.
Non-economic damages compensate the plaintiff for their subjective losses that do not have a price tag. Burns cause a sufferer physical pain, disfigurement, mental anguish, and could leave them disabled. Severe burns might diminish a person’s quality of life temporarily or permanently. Non-economic damages compensate for the subjective impact of an injury, though state law limits non-economic damages to $1,000,000.
A person who suffers severe burns is likely to require intensive medical intervention. Some people with severe burns are hospitalized for weeks or even months, and likely lack the physical capacity and emotional bandwidth to sue responsible parties on their own.
Engaging a Jackson burn injury lawyer soon after an accident serves two purposes. First, it puts the responsible parties on notice that the injured person intends to pursue damages, and gets negotiations started. Second, it frees the burn patient from worrying about liability or compensation and allows them to focus on recovering from both physical and emotional trauma.
Contact the Reaves Law Firm, PLLC as soon as possible after an accident that results in severe burns.
