Burn injuries can cause immense pain and life-changing adjustments. The costs of treatment, rehabilitation, and lost wages can add up quickly. You have the right to take legal action if another person’s negligence caused your severe burns.
At Hite Law Firm Trial Lawyers, you can connect with a local, skilled and committed burn injury lawyer. Our catastrophic injury lawyers in Abbeville will exhaust every available resource to work towards the compensation you deserve.
What Causes Burn Injuries?
A burn injury can happen in a variety of ways, which will determine how it impacts you as well as the type of treatment you receive. For example, friction and electricity can cause burns, as can chemicals. Exposure to extreme heat or cold can also create painful burns. However, hot liquids and fire are generally the most common causes of burns.
Deep burns and scalding injuries
Deep tissue burns often follow contact with extremely hot liquid or solids such as grease. Scalding injuries could occur because of steam, for example. These injuries might appear superficial at first.
Electrical and thermal injuries
Electrical burns can cause dangerous deep-tissue injuries but often do less damage to your skin. Thermal injuries from extreme cold result in frostbite, which can lead to permanent disfigurement if not treated immediately.
Colliquative necrosis
Alkaline chemicals will create a response in your body called colliquative necrosis. Burns from hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, for example, will transform your tissue into a liquid mass.
Coagulation necrosis
Acidic burns, such as those from battery acid, will trigger coagulation necrosis, which causes dead tissue. Sometimes, through careful treatment, doctors can preserve portions of the dead tissue.
What Are the Different Degrees of Burn Injuries?
Most burns require immediate treatment and careful monitoring to preserve as much tissue as possible. A burn injury lawyer will assess the degree of your injury when preparing your case. The higher the number of your injury, the more severe it is.
First degree
A first-degree burn could happen when you accidentally touch a hot surface, such as an exposed radiator. While painful, such burns do not blister, and you will not experience any scarring.
Second degree
A second-degree burn causes more noticeable surface-level wounds. There is greater pain than a first-degree burn, and you will notice blistering and weeping. Depending on the size of the wound, you might need surgery. Scarring is more common and will require careful treatment to prevent it.
Third degree
The deeper a burn is, the higher the risks of infection and scarring. Third-degree burns will be dry, and you may lack sensitivity to touch on the affected area. Skin grafting is often the only way to protect and preserve the burned area.
Fourth degree
Fourth-degree burns impact bone and muscle tissue. It is rare that doctors find a treatment that works to preserve such intense burns, and they often end up resorting to amputation or removal of the affected area.
FAQs About Burn Injuries
What are the biggest risks of burns?
One of the biggest risks of any burn injury is infection. This risk increases because of immunosuppression, which occurs when the burn triggers your body’s systemic inflammatory response. Losing the ever-critical skin barrier is another reason your risk of infection increases.
How long do burns take to heal?
The time it takes for a burn to heal will vary depending on how your burn happened, how quickly you received emergency treatment, underlying health conditions, and the way your body responds to trauma and subsequent treatment.
While minor burns could heal in one to three weeks, major deep-tissue burns could take several years to heal completely. This process could last longer if skin grafting does not work right away or if you require ongoing rehabilitative treatment. A burn injury lawyer will assess all the factors of your situation when determining which damages to include in your claim.
What Damages May Be Available in a Burn Injury Case?
The costs associated with burn injuries can have a detrimental impact on your financial stability. Our attorneys will gather all evidence in your case. This will aid in putting together a detailed description of the financial impact you have experienced because of your injuries.
Some of the monetary damages you can seek include the following:
- Emergency medical treatment costs
- Long-term care costs
- Rehabilitation costs
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
You may also receive monetary damages for lost wages if your injuries prevent you from working. Long-term, permanent changes to your life might make you eligible for disability benefits, which could count as additional monetary damage.
Can a Burn Injury Lawyer Sue on Your Behalf?
Hite Law Firm can provide instrumental support if you choose to sue someone because of your burn injury. We can handle the logistics of your case, from gathering evidence to negotiating for the full value of your damages. Having someone to advocate on your behalf will allow you more time to focus on your recovery and healing.
How Long Do You Have to File a Burn Injury Claim?
In most cases, State laws in South Carolina allow you three years from the time of your injury to file a claim. This gives you ample time to accumulate evidence and determine the best strategy for handling your case. However, please contact our attorneys because a different statute of limitations may apply in certain situations.
If possible, you will want to move quickly to file your case. Allowing too much time to pass could interfere with your memory of the events that led to your injury. It could also compromise the integrity of evidence that would otherwise provide support.
How Can Hite Law Firm Help You?
Handling the life changes that accompany a burn injury can take a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional health. You may lose independence, have to learn to manage chronic pain, and need to rely on the help of others to do simple tasks. The challenges of long-term rehabilitation could cause uncertainty and distress.
At Hite Law Firm Trial Lawyers, you can rely on an Abbeville burn injury lawyer at our firm to manage your case from start to finish. Being able to take legal action without having to personally oversee the complex details of your case can provide hope and comfort to you and your family during an unprecedented time. Contact us at 864-664-2252 or use our website’s form to set up a free consultation.
