Most of us have accidentally burned ourselves at least once as children. Touching a hot stove or spilling boiling water on our hand probably led to a minor injury—one that was entirely our own fault.
Sadly, these life lessons we learn as children can lead us to believe that if we get burned, it’s because of something we did, and therefore we cannot file a lawsuit. However, regardless of how or where your burn occurred, it’s very possible that another individual or corporation is responsible.
This is why it’s critical to seek the assistance of an experienced burn injury attorney as soon as possible and before signing any documents.
When Is It Possible to Sue for a Burn Injury?
We cannot stress this enough—do not ever assume that you cannot receive compensation for a burn injury without consulting a burn injury settlement attorney. There are an infinite number of scenarios involving burn injuries where it was initially blamed on the victim, then later discovered it was the fault of a negligent party.
Anyone old enough to remember the 1990s can tell you about the famous burn injury case involving a McDonald’s coffee. It’s famous because many people had no idea of the extent of the victim’s burns and thought the amount she won—nearly $3,000,000—was an irresponsible amount for the court to award. This couldn’t be further from the truth
In the beginning, it was believed that the victim was responsible for spilling coffee on herself. After an investigation, however, it came to light that McDonald’s was intentionally selling their coffee at completely unsafe temperatures so that customers would take longer to drink their coffee and therefore not ask for the free refill offered at the time.
The above example is just one of the thousands of cases of negligence on the part of a third party where it was initially believed to be entirely the victim’s fault. This negligence doesn’t even have to involve malice—simply failing to have adequate signage present when there is a risk of burns is enough to form the basis of a negligence burn injury case.
What Can a Burn Injury Attorney Do for Me?
Burn injury attorneys have seen every scenario imaginable—industrial accident burns, drunk driving crashes resulting in burns, and burns resulting from defective products that a manufacturer negligently sent out to consumers.
Not only have attorneys seen all these scenarios, they’ve also dealt with the insurance companies. Insurance companies are quick to offer low payouts in the hopes that you’ll sign on the dotted line–but what they never tell you is that signing these offers usually means you cannot seek further compensation related to the accident.
Involving a burn injury settlement attorney can significantly increase settlement amounts–this is because most insurance companies know they are liable and that if the case went to court, they would lose.
For those cases where a burn injury settlement cannot be reached, burn injury attorneys understand the ins and outs of the legal system and will fight for you in court to make sure that whether its a trial by judge or jury, you will receive the maximum possible compensation to cover not only your medical bills, but also your pain and suffering.
Tragically, burn injuries can be life-altering events. They can and often do involve extensive surgeries that require skin to be transplanted from another part of the body. This leaves scarring not only where the burn occurred, but where the healthy skin was removed.
Complex scarring like this can be repaired through reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries, but these surgeries are not cheap. Because these surgeries may occur over a period of months or years, the bills may keep coming long after your initial recovery has finished. By working with an experienced burn injury attorney at Strom Law, you can help to maximize your compensation so you can return to normal life.
