Oakland Burn Injury Lawyer | Scalding Wounds

If someone’s negligent or careless actions led to your burn injuries during an accident, you should contact the Oakland personal injury attorneys of OnderLaw to represent you in your case. You might be entitled to financial compensation for the medical expenses and other costs you incurred from the accident. If you didn’t cause your injury, you could file a claim or lawsuit and pursue the monetary award necessary to cover your total losses.

Burn injuries often result in physical impairments and medical complications. If you require ongoing treatment, the medical bills can be expensive and lead to financial strain. If you can’t afford to pay, you could end up in debt. The compensation you receive from the at-fault party should adequately compensate for these expenses, so you’re not forced to pay for anything out of pocket.

The Oakland burn injury attorneys of OnderLaw know the implications a serious accident can have on your life. It could prevent you from working, lead to chronic pain, and cause significant psychological damage. The at-fault party should face the consequences of their wrongdoing and be held liable for your injuries. Call us for a free consultation and find out how we can help you get on the road to recovery.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer? Why Choose OnderLaw?

We provide dependable and affordable legal services to accident victims throughout the Golden State. You could face significant stress if you’re attending doctor’s appointments and attempting to handle your claim yourself. You’re faced with strict deadlines, confusing paperwork, and communicating with the insurance company. The responsibility of dealing with a claim or lawsuit can become overwhelming.

OnderLaw can take over your case on your behalf so you can focus on what’s important: recovering from this traumatic experience. We can investigate the accident and locate the evidence we need to prove what happened and hold the negligent party accountable for their misconduct.

Our Oakland burn injury attorneys are available 24/7 to answer your call. You can reach us when you need to speak to us about your case or to address any concerns you may have. You will not be alone during the ongoing legal process. We will remain by your side from start to finish to provide the guidance and support you need.

Causes of Burn Injuries

Some burn injuries happen in catastrophic accidents that result in fires or explosions, such as car crashes and occupational hazards. Others occur at home from direct contact with flames during a cooking accident.

The most common causes of burn injuries are:

Explosions
Motor vehicle accidents
Construction accidents
Fires
Workplace hazards
Nursing home abuse
Dangerous medical devices
Defective products
Premises liability

Various scenarios can lead to a variety of burns, such as:

Scalding burns – Steam, scalding coffee, and other hot liquids can damage the top layer of your skin and extend to other layers under the skin.
Chemical burns – Bleach, acids, and strong solvents can come in contact with the skin and cause a burn injury.
Electrical burns – An electrical current can travel through a person’s body and damage the skin, nerves, and other internal structures.
Cold burns – Exposure to freezing temperatures or touching something cold for a prolonged period can cause frostbite.
Radiation burns – Radiation exposure from the sun or during an x-ray can lead to radiation burn injuries.
Thermal burns – Skin cells can start dying and result in serious damage from touching a hot object that raises the temperature of your skin.

If you suffered a burn injury in an accident caused by someone’s negligence, you should contact OnderLaw immediately. We will need to start working on your case and develop a legal strategy that could meet your needs and achieve a positive outcome.

Types and Severity of Burn Injuries

The word “burn” in this context refers to the burning sensation often felt when the injury occurs. Burns involve skin damage that can cause cells to die. Most people can make a full recovery after a minor burn. However, severe and debilitating burns can cause complications and require long-term care.

The severity of the injury determines the category it falls under. The different degrees of burns are:

First-degree burns – These are minor injuries that typically don’t require emergency care. The skin is red in appearance, but blisters don’t usually form.
Second-degree burns – Some blisters develop, and the skin thickens when there’s a second-degree burn injury. The damage doesn’t only affect the top layer of skin but can extend to other layers.
Third-degree burns – A large area of the skin thickens and develops a white or leathery appearance. This degree of burn can damage every layer of skin and cause severe scarring after wounds heal.
Fourth-degree burns – Fourth-degree burn injuries are the most severe. The damage extends from the outer layer of the skin to the tendons, muscles, and nerves. Most people need skin grafts to hide the visible damage, and issues can arise that affect the victim’s health, such as infections.

Common medical complications can develop when you sustain a burn injury. The most common are:

Infections – Infections that enter the bloodstream can travel to organs, causing them to shut down. Limb amputation might be necessary to prevent an infection from spreading to other parts of the body.
Scarring and disfigurement – Severe burns might leave a person disfigured or result in permanent scars.
Psychological damage – Visible damage from a burn injury can cause depression if the victim doesn’t like the appearance of their scars. Additionally, the accident that caused the burns could result in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Chronic pain – Burns can lead to ongoing pain that affects the quality of life and daily routine.
Bone and joint problems – If the burn injury extends below the skin and affects joints or bones, scar tissue can form. This can impair someone’s mobility, causing them to require assistance to perform routine tasks.

The Oakland burn injury attorneys of OnderLaw know how much you’ve struggled since the accident. You might face an uphill battle while trying to heal and seek compensation for your losses. You won’t be in this fight alone. We will be in your corner to advocate for your rights and seek the justice you deserve.

Compensation for Burn Injuries

You can pursue compensation for the losses you suffered regardless of who caused the accident. The circumstances of your case will determine whether it would be best to file an insurance claim or lawsuit. In some situations, it makes more sense to pursue a claim first to recover an adequate settlement to pay for your medical treatment and other costs. Other scenarios might require filing a lawsuit if the insurance company denied your claim or refuses to settle for a fair amount.

The different losses that could be eligible for compensation in a burn injury case are:

Past and future medical expenses
Pain and suffering
Damage to personal property
Lost wages
Lost earning capacity
Physical impairment or disfigurement
Emotional distress
Loss of enjoyment of life

If you file a lawsuit instead of an insurance claim, you could also pursue exemplary damages. An award of these damages isn’t a form of compensation meant to cover your past and future losses. Instead, it punishes the at-fault party for their actions and is meant to deter similar behavior in the future. You must provide the jury with clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with fraud, malice, or oppression to be granted this financial award.

Burn Accident Statistics

Children are the most vulnerable to severe burn injuries. Statistics show that in 2018 in the United States, 320 children between the ages of zero and nineteen died, and 91,635 required an emergency room visit. Children four years of age and younger were at a higher risk of death from fires and burns than all other age groups up to 19.

Fires are a common cause of fatal burn injuries. In 2019, an estimated 1.3 million fires occurred in the United States. A total of 3,704 people died in fires that same year.

Contact OnderLaw for a Free Consultation

At OnderLaw, our legal team will take the time to get to know you and the circumstances of the accident to develop a plan that can reach your desired outcome. You will feel like a priority throughout your entire case and receive the one-on-one attention you deserve. We aim to provide dependable customer service to our clients, so you always know the status of your case.

Our Oakland burn injury attorneys understand the economic burden you might face. If you can barely afford your medical treatment, you won’t want to pay more money for legal representation. OnderLaw won’t add more costs to your plate. We believe that those suffering from someone else’s misconduct deserve a fair chance at holding the careless individual accountable. We take cases on contingency, so you won’t have to pay our legal fees unless we secure compensation for you. If we lose your case, you won’t have to pay us anything.

If you sustained burn injuries in an accident in Oakland, do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation. We can review the details of your accident, advise you about your legal options, and help you put the pieces of your life back together after this devastating accident.