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Cleveland, Ohio Attorneys for Victims of Burn Injuries
Burns are considered some of the most painful injuries, often leaving the victim with a permanent mark both physically and mentally. These devastating injuries can lead to lifelong health complications and even mental illnesses like depression and PTSD. Burns can also easily become life-threatening injuries without the proper treatment. In fact, burns are the fourth leading cause of trauma-related death and the second leading cause of accidental death in children aged 1 to 4 years old.
If you or a loved one has suffered burn injuries due to someone else’s negligence, contact a Cleveland burn injury lawyer at Joseph Law Group today. We can help you file a personal injury claim against the negligent party and fight for the compensation you deserve. Schedule a free consultation today by calling (216) 522-1600.
What Causes a Burn Injury?
The skin is the largest organ of the body and is composed of two layers. The outermost layer is called the epidermis and the thicker, deeper layer is called the dermis. Burns can injure these layers beyond repair, resulting in permanent disfigurement and scarring.
When most people think of burns, they probably think of contact with a hot object or scalding water. While these burns are the most common, they are not the only ways someone can sustain a burn injury. Nearly half a million people seek medical treatment for burns every year in the United States. While most are from thermal burns, chemical, and electrical burns account for over 30,000 of these injuries, many of which are the result of workplace accidents. Even routine medical treatment can result in a severe burn injury. Regardless, if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, a Cleveland burn injury attorney from Joseph Law Group can help you pursue compensation.
Thermal Burns
Thermal burns are the most common type of burn. This injury comes from skin contact with a high temperature. This can be an open flame, a hot object, a scalding liquid, or even steam. This type of burn accounts for 86% of burns that need medical treatment in the United States.
Friction Burns
Friction burns are a combination of a heat burn and an abrasion. These injuries are common in motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents. Rough concrete or asphalt can shred through layers of skin and cause significant pain.
Radiation Burns
Concentrated exposure to radiation can damage internal tissue and organs. UV radiation burns, also known as sunburns, are the most common. However, radiation burns can also happen during routine medical treatment. For example, these injuries can occur if your medical provider was negligent and didn’t take the necessary precautions while using machines like X-rays or during cancer radiation therapy.
Chemical Burns
Chemical burn injuries can happen while working with strong solvents and acids. Workplaces must maintain a safe environment and provide the proper equipment to work with these materials. Without proper equipment, chemical burns can lead to severe injuries. Chemical burns can also get worse over time, so it’s important to seek immediate medical treatment in these types of cases.
Electrical Burns
Just like a circuit can be overloaded with electricity, so can our bodies. Electric currents traveling through the body can damage skin, tissue, and internal organs. Electrical burns should be treated immediately, as much of the damage can be invisible at first.
Frostbite
Heat isn’t the only extreme temperature that can cause damage. Cold burns can be just as painful and devastating as thermal burns. Frostbite is an example of this. Exposure to extremely cold temperatures can permanently damage your skin. The most commonly affected areas are the extremities: the fingers, toes, ears, nose, and lips. It’s not uncommon to suffer catastrophic injuries such as the amputation of these extremities due to frostbite.
Severity of Burn Injuries
Medical professionals classify burns based on the severity and extent of the injury. This classification is important for both prognosis and treatment, since the treatment options can change based on the severity of the burn. First-degree burns are the mildest, while fourth-degree burns are the most serious.
First-Degree Burns
First-degree burns only affect the outermost layer of skin. These injuries are often painful and red, but they can usually be treated at home. Long-term damage from a first-degree burn is rare. A mild sunburn is an example of this type of burn. This burn may be uncomfortable, but typically not life-threatening or dangerous.
Second-Degree Burns
Second-degree burns often develop blisters and can lead to permanent damage. Second-degree burns affect the dermis, which is the layer of skin underneath the epidermis, or outer layer. The burn will be swollen and painful, and the skin will be red and shiny. A superficial burn only damages part of the dermis and likely won’t scar. A deep partial-thickness burn may scar or cause a permanent change in skin color.
Third-Degree Burns
A third-degree burn is a full-thickness burn. This means that both the epidermis and the dermis layers of your skin are destroyed in the affected area. This type of burn is not always painful, because the nerves in the affected area are damaged. The skin may turn white, yellow, black, or brown. These burns require immediate medical attention.
Fourth-Degree Burns
Fourth-degree burns are the most serious burns. These burns go as deep as the bone and damage all layers of the skin, muscles, and tendons. In many cases, these burns don’t hurt initially because the burn destroys the nerves in the affected area. However, these burns can result in amputations and can even be life-threatening.
Recovery for Burn Injuries
Recovery for burn injuries often depends on the extent and severity of the burns. Minor burns may heal within a few weeks, but severe burns can take years to fully heal. Burn recovery is an extremely painful process that often ends with permanent scarring and disfigurement. In severe cases, you may have to undergo surgery to amputate an affected limb. During the recovery phase, you’ll likely have to take significant time off work and avoid many of your normal activities. Mobility can also be affected if the burn is severe enough to cause significant scarring and muscle contractures.
Permanent disfigurement as a result of a burn injury can also take a major toll on your mental health and social well-being. It’s difficult to recover from any injury, but knowing that someone’s negligence caused so much pain can be overwhelming. If someone else caused your injuries, you have legal options available. Call the Cleveland personal injury lawyers at Joseph Law Group to learn more.
Can I File a Lawsuit for Severe Burns?
Burn victims shouldn’t be financially responsible for someone else’s actions. By filing a personal injury claim, you can recover the financial compensation you need to heal and get back to a normal life (or as normal as possible post-injury). Personal injury claims can also hold grossly negligent parties accountable for their extreme disregard for human life.
While a lawsuit may not make the healing process go any faster, pursuing a claim can help you recover compensation for:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills (current and future)
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Permanent disability
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment in life
- Funeral and burial expenses, in the event of a wrongful death
Burn Injury Lawsuit Settlements
The true cost of a personal injury is often much more than the related hospital bills. Burn injury settlements often depend on the type of burn, the extent of injury, and prognosis. Most burn injury lawsuits settle for anywhere between several thousand dollars to a few million dollars. Working with an experienced personal injury attorney from Joseph Law Group can ensure that you get everything you are entitled to in order to help recover from your injuries.
What a Cleveland Personal Injury Lawyer From Our Firm Can Do For You
At Joseph Law Group, our Cleveland burn injury attorneys can help support you through every step of this overwhelming time. After a severe injury, you should be focused on resting and healing, not trying to gather evidence and fight for what you deserve. Let the attorneys at Joseph Law Group do all the work for you.
Proving Elements of Legal Negligence
The biggest legal hurdle in a personal injury claim is proving negligence. For a successful personal injury claim, you and your legal team must be able to prove four different elements of legal negligence:
- Duty of care. By establishing a duty of care, your legal team can show that the negligent party had a duty to maintain your safety or well-being. For instance; other drivers have a duty of care to follow the law and drive safely, while your employer has a duty of care to provide a safe working environment and provide proper equipment/training.
- Breach of duty. To prove that another party acted negligently, you must prove that their actions breached this duty of care. Speeding, driving under the influence, and failing to maintain safe working conditions are all examples of this.
- Causation. The breach of duty must have directly and proximately caused the accident or injury.
- Damages. Damages, or financial losses, is the final element of legal negligence. You must be able to prove that the injuries caused economic or non-economic losses.
Call a Cleveland, Ohio Burn Injury Attorney at Joseph Law Group Today
The Cleveland burn injury lawyers at Joseph Law Group have been helping injured victims all over Ohio since 2003 and are ready to help you with our five-star legal approach. We know the devastating effects that a severe injury such as a burn injury can have on a person and their family. For more information about how we can help you, call us today at (216) 522-1600.
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The insurance industry is built on the avoidance of making any payments on claims. They see claims as liabilities, and initially deny, defend, and delay a claim to limit that liability and save money for the company. Ultimately, it is the job of the attorneys at Joseph Law Group to advocate on behalf of our clients and to give the insurance companies and adjusters enough reason to pay an amount of money that is fair under all circumstances. When you hire Joseph Law Group to represent your claim, you are getting a full-service team of dedicated attorneys and paralegals who will be committed to pursuing the best outcome for you from day one until trial.
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