Burn injuries rank among the most painful and debilitating types of injuries a person can suffer. Be it through an accident in the workplace, from a faulty product, or after slipping on another person’s property, burn injuries can profoundly impact a victim’s life forever. If you suffered a burn injury, you need to understand your legal rights and when it is appropriate to seek compensation for your damages.
Several Key Situations When Seeking Compensation for a Burn Injury Is Appropriate
1. When the Injury Was Caused by Negligence
If you suffered a burn injury through another person’s negligence, you have a right to claim legal compensation for your injury.
Some examples include negligence and burn injuries:
- Faulty products: Defective electrical appliances, malfunctioning appliances, or chemical hazards.
- Workplace accidents: Hazardous materials, lack of safety equipment, or insecure working conditions.
- Premises liability: Burns due to hazardous conditions on someone else’s property, such as faulty wiring or poor maintenance of heating equipment.
2. When You Suffer Severe, Long-Term Injuries
Most burns result in severe damage for which large sums of medical treatments will have to be undergone and which might disfigure for a lifetime need to be compensated for. Severe medical costs will call for further long periods of rehabilitation, and the possibility of repeated surgeries to aid recovery may lead you to consider seeking damages; in any case, injuries may leave a lasting mark by permanent scarring and loss of organ functions may claim compensation from you for the anguish and torture from such imperfections.
3. Lost Wages or Diminution of Earning Capacity Arising Out of Injury
Serious burn injuries may temporarily or permanently impair your ability to work. If you lost wages as a result of your injury or diminished your capacity to earn in the future, you may be able to recover lost wages and loss of earning capacity. An attorney will calculate those damages for you and advocate on your behalf to recover lost income.
4. When the Injury Was Caused by the Intentional Acts of a Third Party
Sometimes, burn injuries are caused by intentional acts, such as assault or arson. If your burn injury was caused by someone else’s intentional misconduct, you may be entitled to recover additional money against that person from a personal injury lawsuit in addition to any criminal penalties that will be imposed upon that person.
This article was written by Alla Tenina. Alla is a top Orange County personal injury lawyer, and the founder of Tenina Law. She has experience in bankruptcies, real estate planning, and complex tax matters. The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser; the ABA and its members do not recommend or endorse the contents of the third-party sites.
