Lexington Burn Injury Lawyer

Burn injuries are often among the most painful and devastating injuries a person can suffer from. According to the American Burn Association, burns are one of the leading causes of unintentional, serious injuries, and deaths. On average, 3,400 people die every year as a result of burn-related injuries.

If you’ve sustained serious burns after an accident, it’s likely recovery will be a difficult and long process. You may be worried about the financial burdens you’ll experience as a result of medical expenses and lost wages. At the Law Office of Todd W. Burris, our Lexington burn injury lawyer is prepared to help you navigate this difficult time in your life and help you hold the negligent party accountable for the actions that led up to your injuries.

In order to begin to understand how the legal process will work regarding your injuries, let’s step back and take a look at the accidents that cause burn injuries, the severity of burns, the treatment and recovery process, and how you can benefit from hiring a Kentucky burn injury attorney.

What Type of Accidents Result in Burn Injuries in Lexington?

While a variety of accidents and incidents can result in burn injuries, there are some accidents that leave victims more susceptible. Burn injuries are often caused by fire and flames, contact with hot objects, electrical wires, and chemicals. Your injury lawyer may have handled cases in the past that involve the following:

• Car Accidents.Whether your car accident happens in town, on a rural road, or on the interstate, there’s a chance you could sustain burn injuries. While rare, burn injuries from car accidents often result from fire, hot metal, scalding liquids, or steam.
• Chemical Accidents. As opposed to a burn that results from fire, chemical burn injuries develop when the skin has been exposed to irritating and destructive chemicals or fumes. These types of burns can occur in the home as a result of exposure to ordinary household cleaners, at school or work, or as a result of another accident.
• Contact Accidents. Many people injure themselves through accidental contact burns. This is when someone touches a hot object. This could be someone grabbing the wrong end of the curling iron while doing their hair, touching a pan that is too hot, or coming into contact with a hot radiator or stove.
• Scalding Accidents. There may be situations where someone comes into contact with hot liquid. The severity of a scald is determined by how long the skin is in contact with the liquid and the thickness of the liquid.
• Electrical Accidents. When electricity passes through the body rapidly via lightning, stun guns, or contact with household currents, burns can develop. These burns typically develop on the inside of the body and can be more difficult to treat than surface burns.
• Motorcycle Accidents.Friction burns are common after motorcycle accidents. These injuries are also referred to as road rash. When the skin comes into contact with pavement at high speeds, serious burns are common.
• Truck Accidents.Truck accidents, whether involving a commercial vehicle or an 18-wheeler, are often devastating and preventable, and can result in fires when a truck overtakes a smaller car and causes wires and dangerous liquids to be exposed.

Many of the accidents above are often preventable. When you’re the victim of a burn accident, it’s best to hire a burn injury lawyer to guide you through the claim process, so you can get the means necessary to focus on your recovery comfortably.

How Severe Are Burn Injuries?

Burn victims typically experience blisters, pain, red, peeling skin, physical shock, swelling, and white or charred skin. The severity of a burn depends greatly on the accident and cause of the burn. In order to understand how the skin reacts to different levels of burns, there are three four classifications.

First-degree burns are superficial. They only affect the outer layer of skin—the epidermis. The burn site is typically painful, red, and dry. Blisters will not form. Long-term issues are rare with a first-degree burn. The most common type of first-degree burn is a sunburn.

Second-degree burns penetrate the epidermis and part of the dermis. They are considered partial thickness burns. Just like first-degree burns, the area will be red and painful; however, the area is also likely to swell and blister.

Third-degree burns are considered full thickness burns. The injury site may appear white or charred, and it’s likely the epidermis and dermis are destroyed. Depending on the burn, the victim may or may not feel pain.

Fourth-degree burns are the most severe. Victims suffering from fourth-degree burns have no sensations of pain because the nerve endings have been destroyed. It can take years to recover from injuries this devastating. Multiple surgeries and skin grafts are often necessary. Skin grafts allow healthy skin to be transplanted onto the burn area.

Your burn injury lawyer can bring in expert witnesses to help your case. They will be able to identify what kind of injury you went through and the severity of it. You won’t have to worry about your injuries being brushed aside or told that they aren’t that bad because your injury lawyer will be fiercely advocating for your rights to full compensation.

How Are Burn Injuries Treated?

In the event of a severe burn injury, the initial treatment process will involve removing the damaged and dead skin, cleansing the area, wrapping the area, and providing pain relief.

Depending on the severity of the injury after the initial treatment, typical recovery involves over-the-counter and prescription-strength pain relievers, baths to wash away dead skills cells and prevent infection, hydrotherapy to make contact with water more bearable, pressure bandages to soften scarring, a protein-rich diet to encourage the rebuilding of tissue, and skin grafts in cases where the burns are too deep for traditional treatment.

Because of the nature of burn injuries, victims are susceptible to early and late complications during treatment. Those complications may include infection, low blood volume, blood clots, hypothermia, respiratory problems, scarring, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Your burn injury lawyer will take careful account of what you went through during your injury and your recovery. These injuries are painful and take a long time to heal. When they were caused because another person acted negligently, they should be held accountable for their actions.

Burn Injuries Can Be Catastrophic

While a first-degree burn injury may not seem like a big deal, the remaining degrees are all serious and can affect your life in many ways. One of the major concerns with a burn is if it’s a catastrophic injury.

A catastrophic injury means that the effects of it will prevent the person from being able to do gainful work. The permanent consequences can be devastating and overwhelming for anyone. You won’t be able to return to your job and may have to make major lifestyle changes because of the injury. It’s possible that everyday tasks may become more difficult because of your injury and you’re going to experience an adjustment period where you have to learn your new normal. You may have to adapt to living with medical equipment and assistance, which can be expensive.

With all this on your shoulders, your mental health may suffer as well. Psychological issues and treatment may become something you have to deal with. Typically, professional help is required, which means seeing someone and possibly taking medication. This can increase the financial cost of your injuries. But prioritizing your health and wellbeing is crucial. You should be able to get the care you deserve so you can make your recovery.

Your Lexington burn injury lawyer will do everything we can to make sure that your compensation is fair, so you don’t have to worry about finances. Our expertise in investigating, gathering evidence, and forming and presenting a case will allow us to find the negligent party, determine how they acted in a way that unfairly caused your injuries, and calculate what you’ve suffered because of it. It’s likely that you’ve dealt with economic and non-economic damages. We’ll make sure that your compensation reflects the pain and suffering you’ve been through.

Your Burn Injury Lawyer Will Help You with Your Claim

When you have sustained a serious injury, you need a Lexington attorney who is going to fight for your rights no matter what. They’ve seen cases like yours before and know what it takes to get a successful settlement in your state. One of the primary items to keep in mind when coming forward with a claim is that you are working within the state’s statute of limitations.

In Kentucky, people have about two years from the date of their injury to have their attorney file their claim. Failing to meet this deadline means your case could be dismissed without review. You won’t be able to move forward in the legal process or receive compensation. This is a devastating mistake to make because you will need that compensation to cover your various damages from the accident.

A skilled injury lawyer at your side will ensure that you don’t miss vital dates. They’ll also assemble all the necessary records and documents that you will need for your case. You won’t have to worry about missing out on details or important developments with your case.

How Can the Law Office of Todd W. Burris Aid in Your Recovery?

The Law Office of Todd W. Burris is here for the citizens of Lexington and the state of Kentucky. You deserve an injury lawyer who will represent your best interests. We take pride in protecting the rights of those who were wrongfully injured. We will give you a voice and help you show the negligent party that their actions were unacceptable, and you will hold them accountable.

The burn recovery process is often long, painful, and incredibly expensive. Those additional medical bills can weigh heavily on any family. Our skilled Lexington burn injury lawyer will be able to help you investigate your accidents, determine who is at fault, and fight for justice. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation where you can discuss your accident with a compassionate and experienced injury lawyer.