Burn Injury
Most people sustain some degree of burn at many points in their lives. They may be inconvenient when they are minor, but can also significantly affect our well-being. Suppose someone else’s negligent decision or behavior has caused a significant burn injury to you or a loved one. In that case, you may benefit from speaking with a Las Vegas personal injury attorney. When you work with Mitchell Rogers Injury Law, you are getting a compassionate and medical literate team that understands how to highlight the real issues of your burn injuries to secure the maximum compensation available.
Recovering from injuries takes time, energy, and, in many cases, money. You should not be responsible for the costs of injuries someone else caused. Speaking with a seasoned burn injury lawyer can take tasks off your plate while likely increasing your recovered compensation.
Understanding Burn Injuries
Minor burns are not uncommon, and unfortunately, significant burn injuries are also uncommon. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that nearly 400,000 burns required treatment at a medical center in the most recent reporting year. Additionally, when we look at burn incidence and treatment in the United States, there were nearly 1,300 people who received burns so severe that surgical intervention or higher-level treatment was required. Mortality rates were relatively low for burn injuries, coming in at 795 inpatient deaths. This number, while relatively low, still means that more than two people die per day from a burn. In most cases, burn injuries are entirely preventable.
Types of Burns
There are many mechanisms of injury when it comes to burns. While the general cause of a burn is the transfer of energy into the body, how that happens can vary. When discussing burns and wounds, Johns Hopkins states that there are four primary types. These types are:
- Thermal: Caused by heat sources that raise the temperature of your skin and surrounding tissue to the point that it causes cell death. Hot metals or liquids, steam, or flames can cause this burn.
- Radiation burn occurs when skin and tissue encounter prolonged radiation, such as X-rays. Additionally, sunburn is considered radiation burn because it occurs from prolonged exposure to UV rays.
- Chemical burns occur when caustic chemicals, such as strong acids, alkaline solutions, or solvents, come into contact with the skin.
- Electrical: Alternating or direct electrical current on the skin can result in an electrical burn.
The severity of a burn depends on many factors, but the American Burn Association recommends that chemical and electrical burns be treated at a burn treatment center. Electrical burns need additional treatment to ensure that the deeper layers of tissue are adequately treated. While electrical burns may only cause surface damage, they may also go deeper into the skin, requiring higher care levels. Chemical burns may require specific steps to neutralize the components causing the damage and ensure they are completely flushed from the area. Friction burns, also known as road rash and frequently associated with motorcycle and car accidents, may be categorized as thermal burns.
Burn Severity
All types of burns are classified by degrees of severity. These go from more superficial first-degree burns to fourth-degree burns that affect several layers of tissue. The criteria for different burn stages are as follows:
First-Degree
A first-degree burn is the most superficial, affecting only the skin’s top layer or epidermis. These burns can be treated at home by keeping the skin clean and don’t typically require medical intervention. A first-degree burn will not leave any lasting damage and will generally heal within a couple of days without issue.
Second-Degree
A second-degree burn causes damage deeper into the skin, affecting the epidermis and part of the dermis. These are known as partial-thickness burns and may require medical attention. This type of burn will be red, blistered, and more painful than a first-degree burn. Infection becomes more of a concern with a second-degree burn. Burns that cover a large part of your body or specific areas of your body should be evaluated by a physician.
Third-Degree
A third-degree burn causes tissue damage through the epidermis and dermis down to muscle tissue, connective tissue, and sometimes even bones. This type of burn will cause nerve damage and may not be painful initially. However, the area may become painful as the nerves begin to repair. The burn site will appear white or charred.
Fourth-Degree
Fourth-degree burns are the most severe and will always require medical intervention. This level of burn may be severe enough to cause tissue damage to the bone. These will almost always require surgical intervention or debridement of the wound to ensure it stays clean and heals appropriately. Infection becomes a significant concern due to the amount of tissue exposed by the wound and the possibility of necrotic tissue. A fourth-degree burn is a medical emergency and should be assessed by a physician immediately.
Treating Burn Injuries in Las Vegas
Some burns will not require medical attention and will heal within a few days. If you need first aid for minor burns, this primarily consists of stopping the burn with cool water for five minutes. You can use over-the-counter pain relievers, live ibuprofen, and cover the injury with a clean cloth or sterile gauze. The University Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, details some indicators for when to seek medical attention for your burns. Some of the signs you need to look out for include:
- Burns on the hands, feet, face, ears, eyes, or genitals
- How deeply you are burned
- Burns that are larger than the palm of your hand
- Burns that surround your arm, leg, torso, or other part of your body
- Infected burns
- Burns that don’t heal within a couple of days
Significant burns that lead you to consult with a Las Vegas burn injury lawyer will typically require treatment at a hospital. These are usually second, third, and fourth-degree burns. At the hospital, your care team will ensure your injuries are clean, then debride the wound, clearing it of any debris or necrotic tissue. They may deem it necessary to provide prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection, and pain control medication is commonly necessary. In some cases, burns may require more significant surgical interventions.
What Types of Accidents Cause Burn Injuries
Burns can be caused in several ways beyond touching a hot stove. Many times, these injuries could have been prevented if someone had paid adequate attention to their surroundings, whether that be the victim themselves or someone responsible for ensuring the safety of others. Some of these situations may look like:
- Unsafe wiring
- Inappropriately maintained fire extinguisher
- Inadequately maintained smoke detector
- Explosions
- Friction
- Product defect
- Unreasonably hot food or drink
- Inadequately labeled or stored chemicals
- Car or motorcycle accident
In many of these scenarios, you may be completely unaware of what is about to happen or that a situation is unpredictably dangerous, making it difficult, or even impossible, to avoid. If these are issues that the leaseholder or property owner should have caught, one of our premises liability attorneys may be able to help. Additionally, if a product malfunction caused your accident, you may benefit from speaking with one of our product liability attorneys. Even if you sustained your burn injuries due to another type of incident or accident, you may still be entitled to compensation. If you think you may be eligible to receive compensation for your injuries, it may benefit you to reach out to our Las Vegas burn injury attorney with Mitchel Rodgers Injury Law.
How Can Burn Injury Lawyers Help Me?
After an accident, it may seem extreme to seek an attorney. Many people try to handle the negotiations themselves, but in most cases, this will only damage your ability to recover a fair amount of compensation. The insurance company is present to look out for its assets. To do that, they will try to pay out as little as possible whenever possible. Having your own attorney means you have someone who knows their methods and can navigate around them to secure the maximum compensation to which you are entitled. Additionally, every conversation with the insurance company is an opportunity to accidentally provide them with information they may use to discredit your claims or challenge the severity of your injuries. When you retain an attorney, they can handle all direct communication with the insurance company or opposing party, including any document requests and the negotiation process for a pretrial settlement.
Having an attorney also means you have someone to help you with the legal process. The lawsuit process has many deadlines and paperwork requirements that can cause undue delays if they are not completed correctly or on time. A delay in any part of the process means you lose valuable time in your case’s two-year statute of limitations. If you are unable to agree on a fair settlement amount, a burn injury lawyer can take your case to trial. While you could hire a burn injury lawyer at any point in your case, they can be best prepared when they have been on your case from the beginning.
Hiring a burn injury attorney from the beginning provides additional security and protection for yourself by reducing your liability. When your attorney oversees exchanges with the opposing party, it reduces the opportunities for something you have said to be used against you. Further, your attorney may be able to advise you on other ways to protect your case. Commonly, our lawyers may suggest that you refrain from speaking openly about your case or posting on social media. Your attorney may be helping you minimize your liability, but they are also familiar with cases like yours and may have valuable insight regarding where to focus efforts on investigating and establishing the liability of the other parties.
Compensation Available – Las Vegas Burn Injury Lawyers
The compensation available in each circumstance of burn injury will vary based on the specifics of the situation and the injuries. However, some common damages that our burn injury attorney may help you claim are:
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Loss of wages
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Future medical, surgical, or therapy costs
In extreme cases where you have lost a loved one, you may benefit from speaking with a wrongful death attorney to learn about your options for compensation. This compensation may be used for medical and funeral costs and possibly supplemental income if the decedent provided significant support to the home. If the burn injury did not result in death but has significantly affected the quality of the spousal relationship, loss of consortium may be an additional damage you or your spouse are eligible to claim.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages differ from the usual damages claimed because they are not meant to compensate the injured party but to punish the negligent party. According to NRS 42.005, punitive damages may be awarded when it is clear that the negligent party is guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice. These damages can be awarded up to three times the value of compensatory damages if they are valued beyond $100,000 and up to $300,000 if the compensatory damages are below $100,000.
Call a Las Vegas Burn Injury Lawyer Today
You deserve to be well informed of your options after sustaining a burn injury. You may contact us by phone or on our website anytime to book your free case consultation. During this time, we can collect your case’s details and discuss the legal resources we can offer. Our attorneys at Mitchell Rogers Injury Law in Las Vegas, NV understand that a burn injury and recovering from it can be a traumatic experience. By working with us, you allow us to take some of the burden off your mind so you can focus on the critical parts of healing physically and emotionally from your ordeal.
You should not have to suffer alone after someone else’s negligent actions cause your injuries. Nor should you have to suffer the consequences of their poor decisions. We can’t make the injuries disappear, but we can diligently work to recover compensation to support your recovery efforts. Call us today.