Have you or someone you love suffered a burn injury in Chula Vista? Was this injury caused by another party’s negligence, and did it cause you financial loss? If so, you may be eligible for compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. Contact the Chula Vista personal injury attorneys of OnderLaw today, and let us review your case to determine whether you’re eligible. Call for a free, no-obligation consultation, and let us help you get back on your feet after a burn injury.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer for My Burn Injury?

If your injury was caused by someone else’s mistake, you are due compensation for any losses you suffered as a result, financial or otherwise. In most cases, this compensation is obtained by filing a claim with the responsible party’s insurance company.

Claims for compensation after an injury can be very difficult to put together, especially for someone without experience in the claims process. You must gather evidence, speak to witnesses, review relevant case law, and track down documentation to support your version of the events that caused your injury. It can be a laborious task. Hiring an attorney means you hand off the work of building your claim to someone with the skills and experience to get the work done right the first time and ensure that you don’t make novice mistakes that can delay the processing of your claim.

Insurance companies like to work quickly to resolve claims and protect their customers from liability. This means you may receive a call from the responsible party’s insurance company immediately following the accident with a settlement offer. Although it may seem like they have your best interests at heart, in reality, they want to get your signature on a form releasing their customer from any liability as soon as possible, and they know the best way to accomplish that is with quick cash. They are hoping to get that signature before you’ve retained legal counsel to assist with your claim. A qualified attorney will take the lead on negotiating with the insurance companies and make sure that your settlement covers all your injuries and losses.

The amount of compensation you may receive is determined by examining the losses you sustain as a result of the accident. Knowing how these losses are defined is critical to reaching a number that covers all your losses and not just medical bills or lost wages. Your attorney will explain how damages work in California and make certain you’re getting all the compensation you’re owed.

If your claim is not prepared correctly or is missing key evidence or documentation, the insurance company has the option of denying payment altogether. If that happens, you’re left with a mountain of medical bills and nowhere to turn. With the help of an attorney, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party directly. This places the decision of whether or not you deserve compensation in the hands of a judge or jury and not with the insurance company. Even if the court decides against you, the insurance company will still need to expend valuable resources to defend their customer, and litigation costs can sometimes cost more than a fair settlement. Having a good attorney gives you an advantage that you can’t get on your own.

Why Hire OnderLaw to Represent Me?

If you need personal injury representation in Chula Vista, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated group of legal professionals than those at OnderLaw . We have attorneys and specialists from all over the country on staff, including a former State Senator. We have decades of combined legal experience in injury claims of all types, from burn injuries to defective product lawsuits against corporate giants like Johnson & Johnson that have netted settlements and awards worth hundreds of millions of dollars. We know how to get the results our clients need while treating them with the respect they deserve.

You’re more than just another settlement to us. We understand that behind every burn injury is a person or a family in pain, and we pride ourselves on treating all our clients with compassion and dignity throughout the claims process. We will always be available to provide support and answer any questions you may have.

The support we provide doesn’t end with our clients. We know the value of contributing to the communities that have helped us grow, which is why we regularly donate to organizations such as MADD, Toys for Tots, and the Lupus Foundation of America.

We don’t want finances to be a barrier to excellent legal service for any prospective clients, which is why OnderLaw operates on contingency. We only take payment if we’re successful in getting you compensation. If we don’t get you a settlement or award, we don’t get paid.

This approach has led to remarkable success for OnderLaw . As well as numerous accolades from the country’s top legal organizations and publications, we’ve obtained over $3.5 billion in settlements and awards for our clients since 2002.

Causes of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries have a wide variety of root causes. Here are some of the more common causes we see in Chula Vista:

  • Fire
  • Hot objects
  • Steam
  • Electrical current
  • Chemicals
  • Radiation
  • Sunlight
  • Abuse

 

Types and Severity of Burn Injuries

 Several different types of burns can cause severe injury, such as:

  • Thermal burns
  • Friction burns
  • Cold burns (frostbite)
  • Radiation burns
  • Chemical burns
  • Electrical burns

 

The severity of a burn injury is broken down into several different categories.

A first-degree burn causes mild damage to the outer layer of skin only. The skin will redden and be sensitive to the touch. A sunburn is a good example of a first-degree burn.

A second-degree burn damages the first and part of the second layer of skin, the epidermis and dermis. The burned area will redden and swell, may form blisters, and be very sensitive to the touch.

A third-degree burn destroys the first two layers of your skin. The damaged area will appear white, brown, or yellow, but will be less painful due to damaged nerve endings.

A fourth-degree burn destroys the skin, fat underneath, and may damage bones, tendons, or ligaments. There will be no feeling in the burn, as the nerve endings have been destroyed. These burns can be life-threatening and require surgery to correct.

Burns of all types can cause serious complications aside from the injuries themselves. Nerve damage, bone or joint problems, and infection are all risks associated with severe burns. Burns also have the potential to leave a victim with extreme scarring and disfigurement that can drastically affect their quality of life thereafter.

Compensation for Burn Injuries

You can be compensated for any losses caused by the accident or burn injury. To obtain this compensation, we must not only show the losses that you’ve sustained, but we must also prove the negligence of the responsible party. California law mandates that everyone must act in a way that doesn’t endanger anyone else. If we can use evidence and documentation to show that the party responsible for your injury was supposed to behave in a certain way, didn’t behave as they should, that their bad behavior caused an accident, and that accident caused your injuries, we should have a valid claim for compensation.

The exact amount you may be able to obtain is impossible to determine without a full review of your case.

You can be compensated for a variety of economic damages, or losses with a dollar amount attached, such as:

  • Lost wages
  • Medical bills
  • Property damage
  • Household expenses
  • Lost opportunity

 

Aside from the actual out-of-pocket expenses related to the injury, you can also be compensated for the experience of the injury itself. Noneconomic damages relate to the mental toll the injury takes on the victim and not the costs of treating it. Some examples include:

  • Loss of enjoyment
  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Mental anguish

 

In cases of extreme fraud, oppression, or intentional malice, California law also allows some claimants to seek damages intended to financially punish the wrongdoer for their negligent actions. These are called exemplary damages. They carry a higher burden of proof than compensatory damages and can only be awarded in a trial. Talk to your attorney to see if you might be eligible for exemplary damages.

California and National Burn Accident Statistics

Here are some statistics and data regarding burn injuries:

  • Between 2013 and 2017, California had 203 fatalities from fires.
  • People that identify as Hispanic or Latino comprise almost 40 percent of burn fatalities in California.
  • Burn injuries are one of the leading causes of injury-related death for children in the United States.
  • Almost 70 percent of burn injuries occur in the home.
  • There are approximately 486,000 burn injuries in America every year.

 

Call OnderLaw Today for a Free Consultation

If you or someone you love has suffered a burn injury in Chula Vista, it’s imperative that you contact OnderLaw as soon as possible. California has a strict statute of limitations on personal injury lawsuits that will prevent you from seeking compensation if you wait too long, so time is a factor.

Call today for a free, no-obligation consultation, and let us explain your options. We only take payment if we get you some form of compensation, and the consultation is absolutely free. Call OnderLaw today.