According to the American Burn Association, every year close to half a million Americans seek medical treatment for burns. Burn injuries can be incredibly painful and cause serious complications, often requiring a lengthy healing period. In addition, burn injuries can be incredibly expensive. The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance estimates that the costs of a hospital stay for a burn injury range between $40,000 and $1,200,000.
A burn occurs when tissue is damaged because of excessive heat, a chemical, electricity, or radiation. However, a majority of burns can be prevented by exercising caution, using proper safety equipment, and following proper safety protocols.
If someone else’s careless, reckless, and negligent behavior causes a burn, a Cicero burn injury lawyer could help you file a lawsuit to recover compensation for your burn injuries. Experienced catastrophic injury attorneys understand the complications and pain that comes with a burn injury and could be dedicated to helping you seek restitution from insurance companies and responsible parties.
Leading Causes of Burn Injuries
Burn injuries can occur in any setting—including the home, the workplace, or out on the road—and for a variety of reasons. Some of the leading causes of burn injuries include:
- Apartment fires
- Car accidents
- Electrical burns
- Industrial accidents
- Poorly designed or manufactured products
- Property condition
- Workplace accidents
Burns are classified into degrees based on severity, starting with first-degree burns—where only the top layer of skin is damaged—to third-degree burns where there is damage to every layer of skin. A person’s pain, recovery, and the likelihood of permanent injury depends on the extent and size of the burn they suffer from.
Complications Associated with Burn Injuries
Some of the most common complications associated with burns include scarring, disfigurement, and long-term pain and suffering.
A majority of burn victims suffer from scarring. In addition to being a visual reminder of an accident, scarring may also severely limit a person’s motion, and in severe cases may require surgery to prevent lasting damage.
Associated with scarring, a person may suffer disfiguring injuries as a result of a burn, which—beyond just scarring—may include losing a limb. Finally, depending on the severity of a burn, a person may endure continuing physical pain and suffer for months or even years after the injury.
Cicero Burn Injury Lawsuits
Burn injury lawsuits are most often filed based on the negligence theory. When filing under this theory, a burn injury victim seeks to hold another person or entity liable for their burn injury by asserting they owed them a duty of care which they subsequently breached, and that they—the plaintiff—suffered compensable injuries as a result.
However, if a burn injury is caused by a defective product, a burn injury victim may be entitled to file a strict liability claim against the product’s seller, manufacturer, or any other person involved in the products production or distribution. In this case, the plaintiff only needs to prove that the company in question was responsible for the product and any damages that occurred due to a manufacturing, selling, or advertising error. A well-trained Cicero burn injury lawyer could help an injured person file a lawsuit and prove negligence.
Speaking with a Cicero Burn Injury Attorney
Burn injury victims in Cicero do not have to suffer alone. A Cicero burn injury lawyer could provide you or a loved one with critical legal support, helping you pursue compensation for medical bills, disability, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
A dedicated attorney could deal aggressively with insurance companies, negligent individuals, and work to hold liable parties responsible for their negligence or carelessness. Call today to get started on your case.