What to Know About Burn Injury Accidents

There are many types of personal injury. While any injury you sustain can negatively affect your life in many ways, there are some injuries that can be more severe than others. Burn injuries are often some of the most painful and traumatic injuries one can experience. The experienced burn injury lawyers at Portner & Shure understand just how devastating these injuries can be and are here to help you during this difficult time.

According to the American Burn Association (ABA), there were over 480,000 burn or fire-related injuries seen at emergency departments from 2011 to 2015, and in 2016, there were 3,390 deaths from fires; 2,950 resulting from structure fires and 355 from vehicle fires.

Those are alarming numbers. Burn injuries that don’t result in death can have a tremendous impact on the quality of your life and that of your loved ones. That’s why it’s important to have an experienced personal injury attorney on your side when your injury is the result of another’s negligence. We can help you hold the responsible party liable and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.

There can be many causes of a burn injury, including:

• Vehicle accidents: This may include car, truck, motorcycle, or bus accidents caused by a negligent driver
• Defective products: This may include a defective consumer product such as electronics, toys, or vehicles that were improperly manufactured or designed
• Premises liability: If a property had a hazardous environment and the property owner or manager was negligent in keeping the premises safe
• Workplace accident: If you work in a hazardous environment with electricity, chemicals, or fire and coworkers or employers failed to ensure a safe workplace

There are three classifications for burn injuries: first, second, and third degree. First-degree burns are generally minor and only affect the outer layer of the skin while third-degree burns are the most severe and cause damage to all the layers of the skin and the tissue below. Third-degree burns are significant injuries that require immediate medical attention as they can lead to permanent damage and even death. However, we recommend seeing a medical professional after any type of burn to ensure that you get the proper medical care to treat your injury effectively.

The effects of burns can be far-reaching and cause physical and mental anguish. A burn can lead to:

• Physical scaring and disfigurement
• Nerve damage
• Emotional/psychological pain and suffering
• Multiple surgeries for treatment
• Painful skin grafts

As you can see, burn injuries can lead to serious consequences that can last a lifetime, not only physically and mentally, but financially as well. Medical and rehabilitation bills, lost wages, diminished earning capacity if you’re unable to continue to complete your job as successfully as before, can all have devastating effects that impact you and your family’s lives. Our personal injury lawyers are here to help you through this difficult time and get you the compensation you need to pay for the care you need for now and into the future.

If you’ve suffered a burn injury as a result of another’s negligence don’t hesitate, call us at Portner and Shure today at (410) 995-1515 for a free initial consultation. We work on a contingency basis, which means that we don’t get paid unless your case is successful.