Workers and other individuals in the Fort Worth area are often at risk from burn injuries from many different causes. Industrial workers, oil workers, and others could face burns from their work tasks or because of a lack of safety gear. Other people face burns outside of work from car crashes, defective and dangerous products, or house fires.
If you suffered serious burns or someone in your family was injured or killed because of burn injuries, The Queenan Law Firm may be able to help. Our Fort Worth burn injury lawyers offer free legal consultations to help burn victims understand how they might be able to seek compensation and how to proceed with their cases. For your free case consultation, call us today at (817) 476-1797.
Proving Burn Injury Cases in Fort Worth
To win a case for a burn injury, there are a few elements you must prove to make out the basics of your personal injury case. The main elements of a personal injury claim are proof that the defendant caused your injuries by breaching some legal duty that they owed you, which resulted in damages the court can compensate you for. This means showing that the responsible party did something wrong that caused the fire to start or otherwise caused you to suffer burns.
Proving the Cause of Injury in Burn Cases
In many cases involving heat burns, the injuries are caused either by the outbreak of a fire, by an explosion, or by unnecessary exposure to something very hot. Fires can be caused by many different types of negligent conduct, including improper disposal of cigarette butts or dangerous smoking habits (e.g., smoking in bed). They could also be caused by dangerous or defective products, such as exploding rechargeable batteries or electronic devices. They could also be caused by a lack of proper safety gear, malfunctions with industrial equipment, sparks during a car accident, and many other things. If the responsible party was the one who sparked the fire, failed to provide you with safety gear, or caused a dangerous situation (such as a car crash), they can be held responsible for any injuries, including burn injuries, that result.
With chemical burn injuries, there are far fewer circumstances that lead to injury, and the victim must typically come into physical contact with the dangerous chemicals without proper safety gear. This could happen because a dangerous product failed to warn users to handle the chemicals carefully or to use safety gear. It could also happen because a workplace failed to provide proper ventilation, goggles, gloves, suits, or other safety gear to keep their workers safe from exposure.
Burns from high voltage electricity are also common in many work situations, especially for electricians, construction workers, and other individuals injured in arc blast accidents and other serious accidents.
Proving Fault
To prove that any individual was responsible for these kinds of accidents, you must show what legal duty they owed you and how they breached that duty. In many cases, a duty could simply be the duty to act as a reasonably prudent person would in the same situation. For instance, a smoker should know not to leave lit cigarette butts near flammable objects, but if they allowed a cigarette to smolder and start a house fire, they could be responsible.
Similarly, other individuals could be found at fault based on their actions in causing a burn:
- Drivers who cause car accidents that lead to burn injuries could be responsible for violating traffic law and causing a crash
- Employers who do not provide workers with safety gear could be responsible for their injuries from exposure to chemicals or fire
- Product manufacturers could be responsible for careless manufacturing or design mistakes
Proof of fault can come from testimony from the victim and other witnesses, records and recordings that show the individual’s involvement, and investigations form fire experts and other expert witnesses who can analyze the evidence in your case.
Getting Compensation for Burn Injuries in Fort Worth, TX
Victims of burn injuries could face expensive damages that they deserve compensation for. For many suffering from burn injuries, the medical care they receive will be quite extensive, and the bills from this care could make up a large portion of the damages they claim.
For many, injuries are severe enough that returning to work is difficult or impossible, and many suffering serious burn injuries could suffer loss of motor control, lost fingers or limbs, or other permanent disabilities that require them to leave the workforce entirely. Lost wage damages and damages for lost earning capacity can make up another large portion of the damages in many cases.
The other damages you can often claim in a burn injury case in Fort Worth involve more abstract concepts. Damages for pain can be paid to reimburse you for the physical pain and discomfort of the burns and the related treatment. The pain from burns, skin grafts, and other aspects of a burn injury are often some of the most severe pain that people can experience after an injury, and the compensation is often substantial for serious burns. Additionally, victims often suffer disfigurement and other outward signs of burn injuries that cause additional emotional distress and mental anguish. These can also be compensated in an injury lawsuit.
Call Our Fort Worth Burn Injury Attorneys for Help with Your Injury Case
If you or a loved one suffered serious burns in an accident, The Queenan Law Firm may be able to help. Our Fort Worth burn injury lawyers represent burn victims and fight to help them seek compensation from the at-fault parties to cover medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages for them and their families. For a free legal consultation with our Fort Worth personal injury lawyers, contact our law offices today at (817) 476-1797.