More than just being painful, burn injuries can be debilitating physically and financially. If you have suffered a burn injury in San Diego, the following provides an overview of what you need to know about recovering compensation:
Types of Accidents that Lead to Burn Injuries
While not the most common injury type, burn injuries are certainly one of the most devastating. There are four main types of burn injuries: thermal, chemical, electrical, and radiological. Some causes of burn injuries include accident types involving or caused by:
- Defective products;
- Chemical substances or explosions;
- Flammable materials;
- Gas explosions;
- Hot liquid burns;
- Industrial accidents;
- Building/house fires;
- Car accident fires/car explosions; and
- Construction site or work accidents.
Who will be held liable for a burn injury is dependent entirely upon how the burn injury was caused. For example, the victim of a burn injury that is caused by a defective product – like an exploding e-cigarette – will likely file a lawsuit against the product’s manufacturer.
Damages to Burn Injury Victims
Treatment for burn injury victims is intensive, can be years’ long, and is very expensive. When burn injuries are severe, they may cause permanent disfigurement and scarring, loss of limb, or permanent bodily harm or loss of function. Burn injuries are extremely painful, and may prevent a person from being able to return to their normal way of living, including preventing them from being able to work. A burn injury victim may also suffer from psychological harm as well; a burn injury can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or/and depression.
Types of Damages Recoverable in a Personal Injury Suit
When a victim files a personal injury lawsuit for a burn injury, they have the right to seek damages for all losses that they have suffered. This includes economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are easier to calculate, and refer to the actual value of financial losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, future lost wages, future treatment costs, and all other costs related to the injury. Noneconomic damages are more challenging to calculate, as they refer to intangible and often emotional losses, such as pain, suffering, mental anguish, loss of quality of life, etc.
You must file your claim within two years’ time in order to recover damages.
How an Attorney Can Help
Hiring an attorney after an accident that results in burn injuries is recommended. An attorney can help you to determine what damages that you should file a claim for, as well as how much your case is worth. Perhaps most importantly, a personal injury attorney can also help you to investigate the cause of the accident, prove fault, and hold the responsible party liable for damages.
The skilled San Diego personal injury attorneys at Berman & Riedel, LLP know how devastating a burn injury can be. While we cannot guarantee that a settlement will change your life, we can promise to work hard on your behalf to help you recover the money that you deserve. To learn more about our lawyers and your claim, schedule a free case consultation with us today by calling 858-350-8855 now.
