If you or a loved one has suffered serious burns in an accident, it is important to understand your legal rights and options for compensation. A burn injury attorney can help guide you through the complex process of pursuing a personal injury claim. This article will discuss why retaining an experienced burn lawyer is so important after a significant burn accident.
The trauma of severe burns is difficult enough to deal with without also having to navigate the legal system alone. A burn requires extensive medical treatment that can result in massive bills even with health insurance. You also likely suffered terrible pain as well as disfigurement or loss of function that impact your quality of life. However, through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to compensation. This is where a burn injury attorney can help.
A burn injury lawyer understands the complex medical and legal issues involved in burn cases. They know how to build a strong claim by thoroughly investigating the cause of the accident and gathering all necessary evidence, medical records, and witness statements. Furthermore, burn injuries frequently involve multiple parties who may be at fault, such as negligent property owners, product manufacturers, or employers. An attorney will pursue compensation from all potentially liable parties through litigation if an insurance claim is denied.
What Compensation Can a Burn Injury Attorney Help You Pursue?
There are several types of damages a burn injury attorney can try to recover through a personal injury lawsuit or insurance claim negotiation. This includes compensation for:
- Past and future medical bills - Burn treatment requires extensive hospitalizations, surgeries, therapies, and specialist care that racks up enormous costs even with insurance.
- Lost wages - Serious burn injuries usually involve lengthy recovery times that prevent patients from working, resulting in lost income and employment opportunities.
- Pain and suffering - The disfigurement, scarring, and loss of function from burns causes immense physical and emotional suffering that is difficult to quantify financially but can be pursued in court.
- Disability or loss of mobility - For some victims, severe burns lead to permanent impairment that restricts activities of daily living and employment abilities.
Without a burn injury attorney fighting on your side, insurance companies and potential defendants have little incentive to offer a fair settlement for all damages. An experienced personal injury lawyer understands how to value different types of claims and negotiate on your behalf for the maximum possible compensation you deserve.
How an Attorney Can Help Determine Fault for the Burn Accident
Establishing who was legally responsible, or at fault, for causing the burns is a crucial part of any burn injury claim. However, an accident investigation can be complex, particularly in workplace or product liability cases. A burn injury attorney brings expertise in personally conducting an thorough accident reconstruction to determine the sequence of events and locate responsible parties.
For example, they may investigate safety protocols, inspect injury sites, review maintenance records, analyze dangerous equipment design flaws, or consult burn injury experts. Through depositions and written discovery, an attorney can also compel parties and witnesses to disclose information. If the cause was questionable, some cases even require burn simulation testing and expert testimony at trial. By proving fault, the attorney ensures compensation is pursued from the proper source.
How Will a Lawyer Handle Insurance Companies and Defensive Litigation Tactics?
Obtaining fair settlements for severe burn injuries without litigation is often difficult because insurance providers and potential defendants want to minimize payouts. They may try delaying negotiations, requesting unnecessary medical exams, disputing liability or damages owed, or making lowball settlement offers. However, an experienced burn injury attorney is well-versed in aggressively overcoming these hurdles.
The attorney can file a personal injury lawsuit within the statute of limitations if a settlement cannot be reached. This puts pressure on opposing parties to take the claim more seriously. They are also prepared for intensive pre-trial discovery, depositions, motion practice, and seeing the case through to a jury trial if needed to achieve the best possible resolution for the burn victim.
How Soon After an Injury Should You Contact a Burn Injury Lawyer?
It is crucial to contact a qualified burn injury attorney as soon as possible after suffering severe burns. The sooner an experienced personal injury lawyer is retained, the more timely and thorough their accident investigation can be while evidence, witnesses, and defendants are still available. Early legal representation also helps ensure any legal deadlines are met to preserve all potential claims and rights.
Many states have statutes of limitation as short as one to three years for filing a burn injury lawsuit. Consultation with an attorney within weeks of the incident allows time to carefully build a strong case before that point. Burn accidents also commonly involve complex insurance claims and negotiations where delay can negatively impact ultimate outcomes. For all these reasons, burn victims should seek legal guidance at the initial burn treatment stages, not wait until recovery has finished.
Key Qualities to Look For in a Burn Injury Attorney
When selecting legal representation, focus on an attorney who has substantial experience specifically handling serious burn injury cases. Make sure they are knowledgeable about all aspects of burn treatment, reconstruction methods, long-term effects, and evaluating different types of damages. It is also important that the lawyer is willing to take cases all the way through aggressive litigation and has a proven track record of success.
Ask for references from former burn injury clients as well as board certification or affiliation with relevant legal organizations like the American Association for Justice. Look for an attorney passionate about justice for catastrophic injury victims who will communicate regularly and keep clients informed every step of the way. A caring, trustworthy lawyer makes the already difficult process more manageable.
Don't Delay Justice - Consult an Experienced Burn Injury Attorney Today
The emotional and physical recovery from severe burns is challenging enough without also facing obstacles to fair compensation. An experienced burn injury attorney dedicates their legal career to helping injured clients receive the care, support and justice they deserve. Do not hesitate to request a free initial consultation so that the specialized advice, investigation, and advocacy of counsel can commence as soon as possible on your behalf. Together, we can pursue maximum victims' rights under the law after your suffering.
Our burn injury law firm handles cases throughout [your state/region]. Please contact us any time by calling [phone number] or completing our online form to arrange an appointment. We are here to give you honest answers about potential claims while assisting with the legal process every step of the way until full resolution is achieved. No fees are owed unless we successfully recover damages on your behalf.