Maryland Burn Injury Attorneys

Burns are some of the most painful injuries a person can experience. A burn can strike when you least expect it, and a serious burn injury can change your entire life. Burn victims often face a long road to recovery, and their injuries can leave permanent impacts on their lives.

While most of us may associate burn injuries with fire, the different types of burns include:

• Thermal burns – Caused by physical contact with fire, hot liquids, steam, or other extremely hot materials
• Chemical burns – Caused by contact with acid or chemical explosions
• Electrical burns – Caused by contact with electrical currents
• Friction burns – Caused by forceful contact with rough surfaces
• Radiation burns – Caused by contact with nuclear radiation

If severe, any of these burn injuries can derail your life. If you suffered a burn injury in any type of accident, don’t wait to call the Maryland burn injury lawyers at Alpert Schreyer, LLC for a free consultation about your legal rights.

Burn Injury Effects

Like any injury, burns can range from minor to catastrophic. The medical community categorizes burns based on the extent of damage they cause, as follows:

• First-degree – These burns only damage the top layer of the skin. They cause inflammation, redness, and irritation.
• Second-degree – This degree of burn will damage several layers of skin and often involves blistering, extreme redness, and pain. Second-degree burns require proper cleaning and bandaging by a medical professional. This is also called a partial thickness burn.
• Third-degree – Also known as a full thickness burn, this injury will damage all layers of the skin, producing a white or black and charred wound. Victims often experience shock and little pain at the time of the burn. However, these injuries can damage nerves, result in hypothermia and infections, and often require extensive medical treatments.
• Fourth-degree – A fourth-degree burn goes through all layers of skin and damages the muscle and tissue underneath. The wound is black and a victim often loses the burned body part.

There are technically burns classified as fifth- and sixth- degree, though these are almost always fatal.

Second-degree burns or worse require medical treatment. Victims with third- or fourth-degree burns often need extremely painful skin grafts. They can spend weeks or months in a burn unit for doctors to prevent infection and try to rebuild the damaged tissue and skin. These injuries often result in severe disfigurement of the burned area.

Accidents that Cause Burns

Burns can happen in many ways. You can suddenly burn your hand on a stove while cooking at home, or a highly complex incident can cause widespread damage and injuries.

The following accidents can lead to burn cases:

• Car or truck accidents that result in fire or explosions
• Motorcycle or bicycle accidents that cause friction burns
• Injuries from chemical or nuclear plant accidents
• Construction accidents involving explosions or electrical accidents
• Hot liquid spills
• House or building fires due to electrical issues or other hazards

Many people have heard about the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit that occurred in the 1990s. The public often thought the plaintiff in that case was overly dramatic and seeking undeserved money. However, she suffered serious third-degree burns throughout her pelvic region. That burn injury requires extensive, costly, and painful treatments and commonly results in disfigurement. She was hospitalized for more than a week, received skin grafts, and suffered ongoing medical needs for two years. This is an example of how serious an unexpected burn injury can be, even in the absence of a major incident. At Alpert Schreyer, we take all burn injuries seriously.

Seeking Compensation for Your Burn Injuries

Burns can result in costly medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses. So how can burn victims recover financially? First, our attorneys will determine who was responsible for causing your burn injury. If another party acted negligently and caused the accident, you have the right to hold that party liable for your losses. Liable parties may include people, companies, or even government entities.

If your burn injury occurred due to a work-related accident, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should cover your medical expenses and lost income regardless of fault. However, if a negligent third party caused the workplace accident, the law may entitle you to seek additional compensation from that party.

When you contact our office, we can evaluate your situation and advise you of your rights. We help our clients with every step of the legal process, including:

• Investigating the cause of the accident to identify all liable parties
• Calculating damages, including the costs of all past and future medical care, past and future lost earnings, pain and suffering, disfigurement and disabilities, and mental trauma
• Filing all necessary insurance claims and handling all negotiations with insurance adjusters
• Filing a personal injury lawsuit if the insurance company will not offer an adequate settlement

Even when you have obvious and severe injuries, insurance companies can prove extremely difficult to deal with. These companies try to limit payments to increase their profits, and they often take advantage of unrepresented accident victims. They will tell you that you do not need to call a lawyer, because they hope you will accept whatever settlement they offer. Having the right attorney on your side can ensure that you receive payment for the full value of your losses after a burn injury.

Contact Our Maryland Burn Injury Attorneys for Trusted Guidance Today

At Alpert Schreyer, our personal injury lawyers handle complex cases involving a wide range of injuries, including burn injuries. You can focus on your physical recovery while we focus on protecting your legal rights to compensation.

Call 301-381-2655 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation to learn about how we can help you and your family.