Houston Burn Injury Lawyers
Millions Recovered for Injured Houstonians
People scald themselves all the time, and minor burns are easy to treat. Unfortunately, roughly 50,000 people receive severe burns every year, requiring medical attention. While fire-related incidents are a common source of injuries, some of the most traumatic injuries come from chemicals and electrocution, with severe cases resulting in disfigurement from scarring and mobility issues. A skilled Houston burn injury lawyer can help victims hold negligent, careless parties accountable.
If you’ve suffered a burn, the aftermath can overwhelm you emotionally, physically, and financially. Universal Law Group has a team of lawyers ready to get you the justice and compensation you deserve. The recovery process can be challenging, but you don’t have to go through it alone.
Our personal injury firm represents clients throughout Houston, Texas. Get answers to your questions at a free case review with our burn lawyers. Give us a call at 832-767-0339 to start the process.
Burn Injury Attorneys Houston
Relies On
Per city records, the Houston Fire Department responds to thousands of fires each year. Oftentimes, these incidents involve minor accidents or even false alarms. However, serious fires occur from the carelessness of someone, often leading to severe burns.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that burns result from numerous incidents. From electrical burns to chemical burns, these injuries tend to carry life-changing consequences.
In many cases, the law provides legal recourse for victims of another person’s negligence. With a personal injury lawyer, you have the opportunity to recover compensation for the harm you faced and the trauma of the event.
This process begins when you call the experienced Houston burn injury lawyers at Universal Law Group. As a full-service law firm, we dedicate ourselves to helping Houstonians solve problems. When you suffer a burn injury, let us help you explore your options and pursue the compensation you deserve.
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Common Causes of Burn Injuries in Texas
By far, fires are the most common cause of burn injuries. In some instances, they stem from negligent behavior or unsafe conditions.
- A lack of smoke detectors
- The building doesn’t comply with fire codes
- Poor electrical wiring
- Fuel-fed fires from car accidents
These are common examples of negligence that increase the risk of injury when a fire occurs.
Still, burns have a variety of causes. They occur as the result of fires, hazardous chemicals, motor vehicle accidents, exposure to electricity, explosions, and workplace accidents.
Moreover, burns are a leading cause of death and unintentional injury across the United States. In 2016 alone, there were 3,390 civilian deaths that resulted from fires.
Burn Injury Victims: Types of Burn Injuries
There are two layers that compose the skin:
- The epidermis, or outer layer
- The dermis, or inner layer
When you sustain a first-degree burn, it only damages the epidermis. A Second-degree burn damages both layers of skin, the epidermis and dermis.
Third-degree burns run deeper and damage the underlying tissue and muscle. In some cases, they even damage bone. Oftentimes, recovery from third-degree burns requires skin grafts. Still, they often leave serious scarring behind.
Medical treatment for severe burns results in mounting medical bills. Generally speaking, they lead to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars across short-term and long-term medical care.
As Houston burn injury lawyers, we help injured Texans pursue the money they need to cover the cost of their recovery. When another’s negligence leads to your injury, you have rights. Let us help you fight for your future. Schedule a free case evaluation today.
Monetary Damages in Burn Injury Claims
Oftentimes, personal injury cases pursue only compensatory damages. These damages include economic damages, such as your medical expenses and lost wages, as well as non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are less tangible, including factors such as your trauma or pain and suffering.
The extensive medical costs you may incur include:
- Hospitalization for burn treatment
- Nursing care
- Plastic surgery
- Physical therapy
- Medication
- Psychological counseling
- Loss of wages
- Lost ability to work
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship
When we have evidence of malice or gross negligence, punitive damages are also an option. Additionally, when a victim dies, their family has the ability to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This allows them to pursue compensation for the loss they suffer as a result of the death of their loved one.
In Texas, spouses, parents, and children have the ability to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. However, survival actions are available to compensate the estate of a family member for expenses and suffering prior to their death.
Houston Burn Injury Lawyers and Settlements
Burns carry a common association with both trauma and punishment. As experienced personal injury lawyers, we understand how impactful these cases are for juries. Jury verdict research shows how seriously they take severe burn injury cases.
Oftentimes, this results in higher compensation for cases with severe injuries and clear liability. Because we, as people, associate so much trauma with burns, these cases often have a higher verdict potential at trial. When a burn injury case involves extensive, severe injuries, studies show that settlements reach above economic damages not seen in many other personal injury claims.
However, juries don’t value minor, first-degree burns the same way they do more severe cases. In fact, one study showed that first-degree burns tend to result in lower settlements than expected compared to second and third-degree burns, which brought substantially more than expected.
The Houston burn injury lawyers at Universal Law Group have experience with a broad spectrum of personal injury claims. We understand how impactful these cases are. Whether an apartment fire, a fire from an auto accident, or an explosion, it’s important to understand your rights.
Damages and settlements vary with the details of your case. Moreover, the calculation requires a thorough understanding of liability and the extent of your injuries and treatment. When you work with our Houston burn injury attorneys, you have an advocate to guide you through the process and protect your future.
Houston Burn Injury Lawyers FAQ
When do burn injuries require treatment at a burn center?
Oftentimes, minor burns require little to no professional medical attention. However, second-and third-degree burns tend to require extensive treatment or even hospitalization.
In these cases, it’s important for a Burn Center to evaluate your injuries, especially in the following circumstances.
- Cover more than 10% of your body
- Burns on the hands, face, or genitalia
- Burns that impact major joints
- Electrical or chemical burns
- Burns that affect children, elderly, or at-risk patients
On average, hospital stays for burn injuries last roughly one day per percent of body coverage. However, the specific treatment and stay depend on a wide variety of factors.
What are the challenges of burn injury claims?
When you want to determine the exact amount of damages in a burn injury lawsuit, it’s not always easy. This is because treatment often requires long-term or lifelong medical care in severe cases.
After burn injuries, patients often have trouble with exposure to the sun or heat. Sometimes, they even have trouble showering. Additionally, Houston burn injury lawyers have to account for the impact on your ability to work.
In some cases, we work with a life care planner to produce testimony in court. They help us map out the extent of your economic damages. These damages often sustain over the course of your life, especially with severe burns and third-degree burns.
As your personal injury attorneys, we work to ensure you have the compensation you need to cover future medical expenses. We base this on expert medical testimony to project expenses. This holds great potential for the outcome of a burn accident claim.
What are common causes of burns?
Burns involving negligence can occur from many sources:
- Fires in the home that may result from arson, smoking in bed, poor wiring, etc.
- Automobile accidents that may cause fire to engulf the car
- Scalding water in hotels, rental units, and public accommodations
- Burns from explosions in vehicles and buildings
- Electrical burns from faulty equipment
- Thermal burns from direct exposure to heat or very hot objects
- Chemical burns of caustic materials in homes and industrial settings
Do all severe burns leave scars?
Whether a burn scars depends on the severity of the burn itself. Additionally, initial treatment has an impact as well as the long-term treatment to handle disfigurement or scarring.
One technique many medical professionals use is skin grafting. This helps with disfigurement after a severe burn. The doctor transfers healthy skin from part of your body to the burn site.
Additionally, surgery helps restore function after a burn causes nerve or muscle damage. Because all cases are different, it’s important to explore your options with your doctor. Ask to speak with a specialist whenever you have specific concerns.
When another’s negligence leads to your burn injury, you have the right to hold them accountable. With our Houston burn injury lawyers, you have advocates on your side to guide you through this process.
More importantly, you have a team to bear the weight of your case. This allows you the space you need to focus on recovery. Schedule a free consultation with our team today!
Free Case Review With the Burn Injury Lawyers Houston Trusts
After a burn injury, you are in no condition to fight for your rights. You need an advocate on your side to hold the weight of your case as you focus on healing. When they work with our burn injury lawyers, Houston victims have experts to fight on their behalf.
Even when you have burns that are “only” second-degree, we fight to establish ties between your injuries and the negligence of others. Then, we fight for compensation so that you have access to the high-quality medical care you deserve.
Schedule a free case evaluation today and see why we are the advocates for you.