Broken bones and soft-tissue injuries can certainly be debilitating in the short term, but if you get professional medical treatment quickly after sustaining them, you should be able to recover fully with time. High-degree burns, on the other hand, often result in permanent disfigurement or disability in addition to being excruciating in the short term. This detail makes these injuries severe and are often sustained due to another person’s negligence.
When you believe someone else is to blame for causing an accident that left you with a serious burn, you should strongly consider speaking with a Marshall County burn injury lawyer about the possibility of a civil lawsuit. You should not have to incur medical bills, lost work wages, or physical and psychological pain due to an injury that was not your fault. A skilled catastrophic injury attorney from Reaves Law Firm, PLLC, could help ensure the person who is at fault for your accident is the one who pays for its consequences.
While burns tend to be painful injuries, they are not always severe enough to warrant a civil lawsuit, even when they stem directly from another person’s misconduct. Depending on severity, there are different categories of burns.
Most first-degree burns—which only affect the outermost skin layer and typically only cause temporary redness and pain as symptoms—will clear up independently with basic first aid. This burn would generally not be severe enough to serve as grounds for civil litigation. There may be exceptions in some situations for first-degree burns affecting large or sensitive areas of the body, and a Marshall County burn injury attorney could further explain the nuances.
Second-degree burns virtually always need professional medical attention because they affect multiple skin layers, are characterized by blistering and severe pain, and may cause permanent scarring when not properly and promptly treated.
Third-degree burns are more severe as they penetrate the skin layers to fat layers, muscle tissue, and bones underneath. Emergency skin graft surgeries may be necessary to minimize long-term damage from this type of burn, and there is a severe risk of life-threatening infections and other complications.
Beyond proving that they sustained an injury serious enough to require professional medical care, someone intending to file a lawsuit over a burn injury in Marshall County must also prove with a lawyer’s help that their injury stemmed directly from the irresponsible or wrongful actions of the person or people they intend to sue. As any seasoned lawyer could affirm, this action typically means proving that a person was negligent by showing that they violated a duty of care requiring them to act reasonably under specific circumstances.
For example, motor vehicle drivers must follow traffic laws, and landowners must keep their property reasonably safe for lawful visitors. Accordingly, someone who causes an auto wreck or a house fire through their misconduct may be legally liable for damages caused by an ensuing burn.
Burn injuries may be challenging to recover from in both physical and financial terms, especially when your burn leaves you unable to work due to a long-term disability. Fortunately, you have help available from our dedicated Marshall County burn injury lawyers who have experience handling these claims.
Money alone cannot completely erase the harm you have sustained, but it could do a lot to mitigate the adverse effects your injury has already had on your life. Call Reaves Law Firm, PLLC, today to discuss a potential claim with a diligent legal professional.