Unfortunately, many people suffer life-changing and even deadly burns every year. Burns cause debilitating pain and can lead to other serious health complications, like infections. Continuing medical care is almost always necessary, which can be costly. And the burns can result in devastating disfigurement or scarring.
If you or your loved one recently sustained serious burns, you should reach out to a skilled Decatur burn injury lawyer. A local attorney could review your claim to see if the negligence of another party caused your injury. Experienced legal counsel can apply their experience and knowledge of the law to help you pursue compensation for all of your losses.
Frequent Causes of Burns in Decatur
Devastating burn injuries can occur from fires, flash heat, explosions, hot liquids, chemicals, electricity, and radiation. Frequently, burn injuries happen because of the following:
- Open flames from home or business fires
- Scalding from hot liquids
- Car accidents that result in fires from exposed wires or gasoline
- Workplace accidents, in particular, construction sites, factories, and restaurants, where burns occur from open flames, chemicals, hot liquids, explosions, or faulty or exposed wires
- Electrocution resulting from faulty wiring
- Radiation such as that from tanning beds, sunlight, and even the beneficial radiation used to alleviate cancer symptoms can damage the skin and the underlying tissues.
- Defective products, such as faulty household appliances
- Chemical accidents
A qualified local attorney could review the incident that led to a client’s burn to determine the precise cause and identify who is responsible. Our team of Decatur lawyers has a proven track record of success with a wide variety of injury cases and would work tirelessly to help you and your family recover the compensation you need to move forward with your lives.
How to Classify Burn Injuries
The medical establishment generally classifies burns according to their degree of severity, as follows:
- First degree burns — generally superficial as they only damage the top layer of skin, often resolve on their own with no medical intervention required, and do not usually cause permanent disfigurement or scarring.
- Second degree burns — damages the top two layers of skin, are more painful, often blister, generally require surgical and other medical interventions, and frequently leave permanent scars.
- Third degree burns — can be fatal because they damage all layers of the skin, underlying tissues, and nerve endings, and always require medical extensive medical treatment, such as skin grafting and other surgeries.
- Fourth degree burns — frequently fatal because, in addition to damaging all layers of the skin, they also destroy underlying tissues, nerves, muscles, bones, and organs.
Illinois judges and juries look closely at the severity of a claimant’s burn injury when calculating how much compensation to award. An experienced attorney in Decatur could examine a client’s medical records and meet with their physicians to determine their likely prognosis and how much care they might need in the future. Our team of skilled attorneys could then pursue a damages award that would consider all of a claimant’s potential needs.
Contact a Decatur Burn Injury Attorney as Soon as Possible
Burns are extremely painful and challenging to heal from. If you suspect that somebody else is responsible for your injuries, you should meet with a Decatur burn injury lawyer. An experienced local attorney could discuss what happened to you and let you know if you might be eligible for financial relief from the person who caused your burn. Contact our office as soon as you can and schedule a free consultation.