Burn Injury Attorney in Charlotte

Burn injuries are usually caused by:

Fires

Fires are among the most common causes of burn injuries. The American Burn Association reports that one civilian dies from fires every two hours.

Electrical Faults

Fires caused by electrical faults can cause both bodily and property damage. Electrical fires can cause damage to nerves, muscles, and internal body organs. Depending on the nature of the incident, these burns can also release toxic substances into the blood, putting the victim at risk of organ damage and failure, especially the kidney.

Chemical Burns

These kinds of burns are quite common, especially in industries. For example, in the automotive industry, sulphuric acid is used to remove rust from vehicles. But the results can be devastating when it comes in contact with human skin or a mucus membrane.

Most people who suffer serious acid burns are never the same after the accident. Some may require reconstructive surgery to feel half they used to before the exposure to acid.

Thermal

Thermal burns occur when someone gets in contact with a hot surface or boiling liquid. It can also occur due to exposure to steam, which destroys skin tissues. These accidents are common in manufacturing, particularly where large boilers are used.

Severe burns can lead to devastating injuries, both physical and emotional. Some of the most common physical effects of burn injuries include:

• Loss of certain physical activities, such as walking and talking
• Loss of certain body parts, such as arms and legs
• Permanent disfigurement leading to low self-esteem
• Complete loss of mobility leading to complete or partial disability
• Permanent scarring, also causing low self-esteem
• Recurring infections due to the skin’s inability to fight infections
• Muscle and tissue damage

Physical injuries aside, burns can also lead to serious emotional problems. For example, the burn victim might suffer from depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), long-term grief due to the loss of a loved one, and so on.

Then there’s also the financial aspect of it all. Burn victims usually require expensive treatment. The worst part of it is that these injuries may require routine treatment. They are not the kind of injuries that can be treated by one visit to the hospital.

In fact, burn victims might need to spend weeks or even months in the hospital, depending on the severity of the burns. They may also need to see their doctor regularly even after being discharged from the hospital.

Some burn victims need specialized treatment and rehabilitation. For example, victims who suffer temporary paralysis or loss of certain bodily functions, such as movement, might require physical therapy for several weeks. These medical procedures are expensive.

If you or your loved one has suffered burn injuries, consider speaking with a seasoned burn injury attorney. Here’s how such an attorney can help:

Case Assessment

Burn victims are usually eligible for compensation if the incident occurred due to another party’s negligence. However, what counts as negligence in the real world might not be considered as such by the law. This explains why it is important to work with an attorney familiar with these kinds of cases.

The attorney will help determine whether you have a valid case against the other party. Factors such as how the accident occurred, why it occurred, and the victim’s conduct before the accident could help determine whether the burn victim has a valid case against the other party.

Collecting Evidence

When you suffer burn injuries or any other injuries for that matter, you will need evidence to even stand a chance at compensation. The truth is that the other party will not write you a check just because you got injured, even if everything indicates that you suffered these injuries on their property or they owed you a duty of care.

Typically, when people get injured, they take pictures of the injuries and the accident scene. Then, they collect witness information. This information comes in handy when they decide to file a claim.

But when it comes to burn injuries, it is unlikely that you will even have a chance to take a picture or collect witness information. This is understandable because burn injuries are excruciatingly painful. For this reason, your attorney can help collect crucial evidence and use it to build a strong case against the other party.

Solving Liability Issues

After determining that your case is valid, the attorney will also identify the party responsible for the injury. Depending on the circumstances of your case, more than one party might be responsible for your injuries. A skilled attorney will examine every detail of the case and identify the liable party.

One of the reasons it is advisable to hire an attorney in these situations is because they always dig deeper into the facts of the case. For example, if you suffered injuries due to a home fire, you may be quick to blame yourself. In fact, you may be convinced that the insurance company will not compensate you because of your own mistakes.

That is not necessarily true. What if we told you that you might not be responsible for the fire in the first place? For instance, if a propane tank caused the fire, this could be a case of product liability, not a fault of your own.

The same applies if you suffered burns in a car accident. While your initial reaction would be to blame yourself for the accident, what if we told you that some car parts are known to cause fires because they are defective?

The bottom line is that before you even begin to blame yourself, consider speaking with an experienced attorney. The attorney will review the specifics of your case and identify the party at fault for your injuries.

Evaluating Damages

Most burn victims suffer both economic and non-economic damages. In this context, economic damages refer to the kind of damages that involve money. Examples of economic damages suffered by burn victims include medical expenses, loss of wages, loss of earning potential, cost of medical equipment, etc.

On the other hand, noneconomic damages are the kind of damages that don’t involve money. Examples of these damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and mental distress.

The attorney will review the damages you suffered due to the injury and then calculate the amount of compensation you may be eligible for.

Creating a Legal Strategy

Once the attorney has gathered all the facts of the case, they will create a legal strategy to help you win. This is one of the main benefits of working with an attorney instead of filing a claim without legal assistance.  

For example, depending on the circumstances of your case and the nature of your injuries, it may be necessary to delay filing a claim as you continue to receive treatment. Your attorney will recommend this to ensure that the compensation you receive reflects the true value of your injuries.

Insurance companies will want to settle as soon as possible to avoid paying for your medical expenses. But there should be no room for compromise when it comes to matters concerning your health. In fact, the insurer might raise concerns over the treatment process, claiming that you don’t need ongoing treatment.

This just shows you how far insurance companies can go to deny burn victims, and other accident victims in general, the kind of compensation they need to recover from their injuries.

Filing a Claim

The insurer will file a claim on your behalf when the time is right. The claim will encompass the damages you have suffered due to the other party’s negligence.

When they file the claim, the other party or their insurer will respond by either agreeing or denying the damages being claimed. If they agree to settle, your attorney will walk you through the next steps.

If they refuse to settle, the attorney will explore other options, including filing a lawsuit against the negligent party.

It is also worth noting that if the other party is clearly at fault, it is highly unlikely that the insurance company will want the case to go to court. This is because when the case goes to court and the defendant loses, they might be ordered to settle the court fees and other expenses related to pursuing the case in court on top of the initial claim.

If you or your loved one has suffered burn injuries, the most important thing is to ensure that you or your loved one receive the medical attention you need after such an injury. Then, contact an attorney right away. The attorney should be able to investigate the case even as you or your loved one continues to receive medical attention.

The reason for contacting an attorney right away is because the more you delay, the more difficult it becomes to build a strong case against the other party. The last thing you want is to have a valid claim dismissed or undervalued because of insufficient evidence.

Burn injuries caused by negligence fall under general personal injury. North Carolina has a three-year statute of limitations for these kinds of claims. While this deadline might seem quite flexible on paper—it is not. In fact, depending on the nature of your injury, it could take years to build a strong case against the other party. This explains why it is always advisable to contact an attorney as soon as possible.

The amount of compensation you may be able to recover depends on the specifics of your case. After speaking with an experienced burn injury attorney, you will be able to find out the true value of your case.

Since burn injury cases are complicated, you need an attorney with experience handling these kinds of cases. You also need a lawyer with a proven track record of winning. Lastly, you need an attorney with powerful legal resources to fight for you in and out of court.

If that is what you are looking for in a Charlotte, NC, burn injury attorney, Morgan and Morgan attorneys can help. All you have to do is fill out our free case evaluation form. Then, one of our legal representatives will get in touch to discuss your case.