Being burned in an accident can be not only painful, but life-altering. Treating burn injuries is not only challenging but extremely expensive, and depending on the size and severity of the burn, multiple surgeries may be needed. Cosmetic surgery is also often necessary for those burned because burns almost always cause significant scarring.
After a burn injury, you may be pressed into accepting an insurance settlement, but what’s often hidden in the fine print is a clause that protects those responsible from any further liability or financial responsibility related to the injury. This means that you can’t ask for more money if you discover the amount offered is not enough to cover your expenses.
In situations like this, the best thing you can do is to seek the assistance of a qualified South Carolina burn injury lawyer.
How Can a Burn Injury Attorney Help Me?
Anyone who’s ever had to visit the ER or had an emergency surgery knows how frustrating it is to receive surprise bills you thought were already paid for. Between calling insurance companies, keeping track of how much is owed to whom, and who will pay for each item, the process can be extremely frustrating.
A qualified burn injury attorney has extensive experience dealing with every variety of medical bills and insurance documents. They understand all the tricks of the trade and know when to call insurance companies out on their responsibility for payment. Furthermore, a burn injury attorney can assist by investigating the accident and putting together the pieces to discover who is liable for your injuries.
Sadly, many people may believe they themselves are at fault for a burn injury and may be unsure if they can sue for a burn injury. Even if you were injured in your own home, you might not be the only one responsible—manufacturers of a defective product may share in the blame.
A burn injury attorney also has the power to make the billing phone calls stop. An attorney’s job is to represent you and part of that is dealing with insurance corporations and medical billing companies.
The bottom line is that a qualified burn injury attorney will take the pressure off and ensure that the people who are responsible for your injuries pay the maximum compensation possible.
What Can I Do to Help the Success of My Case?
We cannot stress this enough—document everything. If you were injured on the job and your boss calls you to discuss the accident, make a record of that call and what was said. If you receive a police report, make copies of it and provide one to your attorney as soon as possible–the same goes for medical bills. It’s also important that you don’t sign any documentation for reimbursement without speaking with an attorney first.
Lastly, inform your attorney of any potential witnesses to your accident and tell them exactly where and when it happened. This way, your attorney can seek out witness testimonies and potentially find video or CCTV recordings of the event, all of which can help bolster your case immensely.
At the end of the day, an insurance corporation is a for-profit business and paying out lower settlements to you means higher profits for them. Working with a burn injury settlement attorney at Strom Law can help to maximize your insurance settlements and make sure you get every penny you deserve.
How Much Are Burn Injury Settlements?
Burn injury settlements can easily reach into the six figure range when accounting for the extreme cost of healthcare in the United States. Many burn injury victims have ongoing treatment and surgeries that must be performed over a period of months to years.
Medical bills are just a fraction of the story, though—pain and suffering can be devastating consequences of a burn injury. While pain and suffering can never have a true dollar amount attached to them, there is precedent for large pain and suffering awards in burn injury cases. This is especially true in cases where gross negligence on the part of a building owner or employer led to the injury.
