Burn injuries can be catastrophic for a victim, leading to permanent physical damage, scars, emotional trauma and exorbitant medical costs. If your burn injury was caused by a preventable accident, such as a car crash or workplace disaster, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your losses. At Hill Law Firm, Justin Hill and his team can help you understand and protect your rights as a burn injury survivor.
Austin Burn Injury Resources
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Why Choose the Hill Law Firm?
Why You Need a Burn Injury Lawyer
Types of Burn Injuries
Negligence and Burn Injury Claims
How Much is a Burn Injury Case Worth?
What Is the Statute of Limitations?
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Why Choose Hill Law Firm?
- Our law firm has a track record of success, with millions recovered for personal injury clients throughout Texas. Our attorneys are ready to go to trial for their clients when necessary.
- You will have open communication with your burn injury attorney. We can keep you updated about the status of your case so that you never feel left in the dark.
- Our Austin personal injury law firm doesn’t charge any attorney’s fees unless we win the case. If you don’t recover financial compensation for your burn injury claim, you won’t pay us a dime in legal fees.
Why Do You Need a Burn Injury Lawyer in Austin?
Hospital stays, skin grafts, follow-up care, physical therapy, and pain and suffering are just some of the losses you may suffer due to a severe burn injury. You are going through enough without also taking on a complicated legal claim. Save yourself time and stress by hiring an experienced Austin burn injury attorney to handle the case for you. A lawyer will work for you and only you – not an insurance company or corporation. You can trust your lawyer to use legal resources and proven legal techniques to pursue positive results on your behalf.
If you go into a claim unrepresented, an insurance company may try to take advantage of you. An insurer may know that you aren’t used to negotiating deals, for example, and use this to offer an inadequate settlement. If you hire an attorney, however, an insurer will have no choice but to treat you fairly and in accordance with the law. Your lawyer will fight aggressively for maximum financial compensation for you, which is especially important if you are facing future necessary medical costs from severe burns.
Types of Burn Injuries
A burn injury is skin or tissue damage that results from contact with a dangerous element. Different sources of energy can cause different burn injuries, such as thermal (heat) burns, electrical burns, chemical burns, radiation burns or friction burns. An accident in Austin can inflict several types of burns on a victim. The type of burn can determine the damage caused; for instance, an electric shock can cause internal damage as well as visible burns on the skin.
It is important to tell your doctor what caused your burn when you seek care for the injury. During the diagnostic process, your doctor will examine how deeply the damage caused by the burn extends into the tissues. If it only affects the top layer (the epidermis), it will be classified as a first-degree burn. If it affects the first and second layers (the dermis), it is a second-degree burn. If the damage extends down into the deepest layer of skin (the subcutis) and/or the muscles or bones, it is a third-degree burn.Â
Burn injuries can be extremely painful. First-degree and second-degree burns can cause a great deal of pain, swelling, redness and blisters. While a victim may not be able to feel a third-degree burn due to the destruction of nerve endings, it can cause immense damage. The site may appear white, brown or charred. Severe burn injuries can cause irrevocable harm, including nerve damage, scarring, disfigurement, issues with thermoregulation and necessary limb amputations. In some cases, a burn may cause fatal harm. A wrongful death lawyer in Austin can help your family fight for justice for your lost loved one, in the event of such an unfortunate outcome.Â
Negligence and Burn Injury ClaimsÂ
Not all burn injuries result in personal injury settlements in Austin. To have grounds to hold someone liable for your burn, you must have evidence of negligence. Negligence is the failure to use a reasonable amount of care, resulting in harm to others. Negligence is behind many burn injury accidents, including motor vehicle collisions, workplace accidents, fires and explosions, defective product incidents, and industrial fires.Â
Negligence consists of four elements:
- A duty of care was owed. The defendant had an obligation by law to exercise an appropriate or reasonable level of care.
- A duty of care was breached. The defendant committed an act or omission that fell short of the applicable duty of care.Â
- The breach of duty caused the burn injury. The defendant’s act of negligence was the proximate or main cause of the accident.
- The victim suffered damages. The victim suffered specific losses because of the defendant’s negligence, such as bodily injuries and medical costs.
Proving your burn injury case requires establishing fault as more likely to be true than not true. This burden of proof is known as a preponderance of the evidence. It is a lesser burden than proof beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal cases; however, it can still be difficult to meet and requires compelling evidence. Your attorney can search for evidence of fault or negligence on your behalf to support a burn injury claim in Austin.
How Much Is a Burn Injury Case Worth?
This is a question you will need to ask an attorney, as the answer is different for everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all settlement that insurance companies assign to claims. Instead, case values are carefully calculated based on each individual situation, such as the severity of a victim’s burns, whether they will affect the victim for life, the victim’s age and overall health, and the insurance coverage available. An attorney can carefully calculate the potential value of your case; then, he or she can demand maximum financial compensation on your behalf.
What Is the Statute of Limitations on a Burn Injury Claim in Texas?
The statute of limitations is a law in Texas that places a strict deadline on how soon a victim must file a personal injury claim. This deadline is two years from the date that the injury occurs, in most cases. If you wait too long and attempt to file a burn injury claim after two years have passed from the date of your accident, the courts will most likely refuse to hear the case. This is why you should act quickly to contact an attorney.
Request a Free Burn Injury Case Consultation at Hill Law FirmÂ
Hill Law Firm works relentlessly for our clients. We will go above and beyond to make sure you are taken care of throughout the claims process. Start your burn injury claim with a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our attorneys in Austin. If you cannot make it into our law office, we can come to you at your home or hospital. Call (210) 465-3561 or contact us online for more information today.