Have you or someone you love suffered a burn injury in an accident caused by someone else? If so, in addition to being eligible for compensation, you are dealing with the aftermath of bills, medical appointments, and paperwork. That is hard enough under normal circumstances. Trying to do so while also trying to recover from your injuries is more than anyone should have to bear.

The San Diego personal injury lawyers of OnderLaw are just a phone call away. Having a trusted lawyer in your corner will allow you to hand off the calls, paperwork, and stress to them so you can focus on what matters most: your recovery.

The burn injury attorneys at OnderLaw are here for you and want nothing more than to make sure you and your family are taken care of. Call us today or contact us online for a free consultation.

Do I Need a Burn Injury Lawyer?

Securing the fullest amount you are owed for the injury done to you is difficult if you try to take on the people responsible without an effective lawyer. There are often multiple parties involved, and skipping even one of them, or the wrong one, has the potential to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars.

After an accident, it is common for insurance companies to contact you and begin gathering information about the accident. You may feel obligated to answer all their questions, but any information that you share could end up harming your case. It is best to tell them that you would like to speak to a lawyer before you share anything with them. Doing so will put you and your family in the best possible position to proceed without any added obstacles to your claim.

Calling the right lawyer as promptly as possible will give you the opportunity to be fully informed while building the strongest possible case so you can get on with your recovery. An experienced lawyer knows how to make your case proceeds as smoothly as possible from beginning to end and will keep you advised of all developments. In the meantime, they’ll be safeguarding your best interests and shouldering the burden of managing all the pertinent details.

As soon as you make that call, your lawyer will drill into the details of your case and ask for everything that you can provide. From there, they will gather every piece of evidence they can find, contact any witnesses that may have been present, and get to work on assembling it all into an airtight case so that you can get back on your feet with confidence and no residual financial distress.

Why Choose OnderLaw To Handle My Case?

Personal injury attorneys that do a fine job are everywhere, but none of them come close to how we handle our clients. From the moment we answer the phone to the final settlement or award, you’re not just another case to us. You are family.

When we pick up your call, our very first step is to get to know you on a personal level. We make every effort to ensure the lines of communication flow freely. Our warm, caring staff will not just hear what you are saying; they will intently listen to your story and seek to empathize with your suffering to their fullest ability.

At OnderLaw, we are about relationships first, last, and always. That has been the cornerstone of the firm’s foundation for nearly twenty years and is the driving force behind the billions of dollars we have claimed on behalf of our clients. It is that strong connection that gives us the extra edge we need to take those responsible to task as if we were defending our own family member.

Types of Cases We Handle

We have been doing this for a long time and have a significant amount of experience serving clients and families just like yours. We’ve handled many types of burn cases, among them:

  • Arson
  • Motorcycle/automobile accidents
  • Faulty products including space heaters, electrical equipment, appliances, and cell phones
  • Fires caused by malfunctioning smoke detectors and fire extinguishers
  • Preventable explosions
  • Chemical burns from job sites
  • Faulty building design/construction that did not allow for adequate fire exits
  • Exposure to steam or gases at extremely high temperatures

Burn Injury Information

Most minor burn injuries heal on their own without much treatment. However, extreme burn injuries are life-altering. When trying to gauge how bad your injury is, it is helpful to know categories by which burn injuries are measured. They are calculated on a spectrum of degrees from one to four. First-degree burns are the least severe and fourth-degree burns are the most severe:

  • 1st degree burns are cosmetic and are typically healed with little or no treatment.
  • 2nd degree burns reach beyond the top layer of skin, show blisters or appear wet, and are more dangerous as they require weeks to heal with a constant threat of infection.
  • 3rd degree burns impact every layer of skin. The skin will show stiffness and appear like leather. These kinds of injuries often are often disfiguring and require surgery, skin grafts, painful rehabilitation, and in some cases, amputation.
  • 4th degree burns are extreme burns. In these cases, burns have reached past the skin to muscle or even bone. These injuries require extensive reconstruction, surgeries, and grafting. The effects are often permanent, and the wounds may to lead to death.

Who is Liable?

Unfortunately, burn accidents occur in various ways, and there could be several parties involved that share responsibility.

If the burn involves a product like an electrical appliance with faulty wiring, there are a number of parties who could be at fault ranging from the manufacturer to the store owner who sold the product. If it is found that anyone involved in the production, distribution, or storage failed to take the appropriate steps, they may be liable.

If your accident occurred in a house, apartment, or building, anyone responsible for the construction, maintenance, or ownership of that address that failed to meet structural codes could be held accountable.

An experienced lawyer can help sift through all of the necessary information to determine who was responsible for what and how that affects your case.

What Kind of Compensation Could I Be Owed?

Many burn accident victims have significant injuries that are often permanent. When seeking a settlement, it is not enough to just recoup your losses from the accident. Your family deserves to be compensated for any pain, stress, or lost wages going forward. Your life has been altered, and you are entitled to get back to normal without the added worry of how you will provide for your family going forward. Compensation may be available to you for any of these categories:

  • Medical bills
  • Future healthcare costs
  • Insurance copays
  • Out-of-pocket expenses, like prescriptions
  • Lost wages from missed work
  • Lost earning potential from a permanent injury
  • Property damage/replacement
  • Emotional trauma
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

In order to ensure your full and fair settlement, you must document every possible expense related to the accident.

Medical Expenses

For your treatment and medical expenses, get a copy of your medical records and make copies of all medical bills, prescription receipts, and copays. Doing this will show how much the medical side of your recovery has cost you and your family.

Lost Wages

For any lost wages from missed work or future earning potential, make sure to keep copies of check stubs and document the dates and times you missed work due to injury or appointments. Doing this will show how much you have been able to earn, how much you have missed, and if you have been disabled, what you could have earned had it not been for the accident.

Property Damage

If there was any property damaged in the fire, make sure to provide any receipts or prices for replacing the items. If something needs to be repaired, be sure to take the item to a repair shop for an estimate. Doing these things will show the costs of replacing what was lost or damaged.

Emotional Trauma/Distress

You are suffering, and there is a lot of pain to work through both physically and emotionally. These kinds of damages are intangible, but that does not mean they are not valuable. Your pain and suffering are also eligible for compensation. The best way to document your stress, trauma, or loss of enjoyment of your life is to keep a daily journal. Putting your thoughts and feelings on paper will show how much this experience has affected you.

Burn Injury Statistics

The American Burn Association recently published a report that revealed the following:

From 2011-2015, there were 486,000 burn injuries treated in Emergency Centers across the country.

In 2016, 3,390 people were killed in fires

  • 2,800 died in residential buildings
  • 150 died in non-residential buildings
  • 355 died in vehicle fires
  • 85 died from other causes

Regionally, the United States Fire Administration reported that the state of California saw 116 fatalities from residential fires in 2020.

The data clearly shows that fires are a very real danger. If you or someone close to you has fallen victim, our team wants to fight for you.

Call Us Today

If you or a family member are suffering through the pain and stress of recovering from a burn injury caused by someone else’s recklessness, do not delay in calling OnderLaw as soon as possible or contacting us online. We are here for you and are standing by to help you get what you and your family deserve.