Fort Hood Burn Injury Lawyer
Severe burns can permanently impact an individual’s physical and emotional health. Recovering from burns could be a lengthy and excruciating process that puts significant stress on the victim’s relationships and finances.
If you are recuperating from a burn injury, you should explore your options for legal relief by speaking with an experienced catastrophic injury attorney. If another party’s negligence caused the accident that led to the burns, you could seek monetary damages for your setbacks. Financial compensation could include reimbursement for all your medical expenses, time away from work, future expenses relating to your burns, pain, suffering, and disfigurement.
A Fort Hood burn injury lawyer can explain the process of filing a civil claim and guide you towards an appropriate settlement.
The Different Classifications of Burn Injuries
Burns could happen anywhere, and these injuries always deserve careful treatment, regardless of severity. However, some burns classify as more damaging than others, depending on the extent of the wound and its aftereffects. Determining the classification of a burn is a key part of filing a civil claim.
Multiple factors combine to determine the severity of a burn. First and second-degree burns only affect the outer layers of skin and usually heal without significant medical intervention, especially if only a small area is harmed. Meanwhile, third-degree burns penetrate multiple skin layers and sometimes spread to underlying tissues. These injuries typically require skin grafts to repair. If a large area is burned, it could trigger a massive inflammatory response leading to shock, edema, and even organ failure.
Fourth-degree burns penetrate into the fat layer that underlies the skin. Finally, fifth-degree burns enter the muscle, and sixth-degree burns penetrate down to the bone. According to the National Institute of Health, fourth, fifth, and sixth-degree burns are often fatal.
A compassionate attorney in Fort Hood can help assess medical records and accident reports, to determine which degree of burn affects an injured plaintiff.
Long-Term Effects of Burns
Burns can have devastating impacts on someone’s daily life and future. Damaged skin cannot protect against bacteria, so infection is a large danger with burn patients. In addition, burns suppress the immune system, so any infection could be severe and slow to respond to treatment. Other long-term physical effects of severe scald injuries include skin contracture, itching, pain, and muscle weakness.
Meanwhile, burns can also have significant mental health impacts. Many burn victims must live with disfiguring scarring, amputations, pain, and reduced functioning of affected limbs. Difficulty adjusting to the limitations of burn injuries could lead to depression and anxiety or exacerbate any existing mental health conditions. Many burn patients often develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
All of these side effects and injuries are frightening, so burns always deserve careful attention. Fortunately, a dedicated lawyer in Fort hood can assess the burn’s impact on a claimant’s life and ensure that the demand for damages provides adequate compensation.
How Can an Attorney Help with Burn Injuries?
Since getting burned usually leaves a plaintiff in severe pain for an extended period, months might pass before a burn patient is ready to think about securing compensation.
However, it is critical to begin working with a legal professional as soon as possible after being burned in an accident. Immediately after an unexpected tragedy, the claimant’s representation could begin investigating the accident and identifying potential responsible parties. Additionally, the insurance companies for the at-fault parties might present settlement offers soon after the accident while the injured person is still in the hospital. A tenacious attorney in Fort Hood can respond to these usually inadequate offers and begin negotiations toward an appropriate burn settlement.
It is important to remember that the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003 usually requires anyone injured by burns to file a lawsuit within two years of their accident. Retaining a skilled lawyer long before the statute of limitations expires is a wise choice that helps ensure an injured person presents a strong case.
Contact a Fort Hood Burn Injury Lawyer about Your Case
The process of healing from burns and trying to put your life back together could be harrowing and difficult. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, you need a forceful advocate to stand by you and help protect your rights.
A Fort Hood burn injury lawyer could investigate the accident, prove that a defendant’s negligence played a role, and help you get back on your feet. Reach out to the office today to schedule your initial consultation.
