Raleigh Burn Injury Attorneys
Burns in the home or workplace are among the most common types of personal injury – and among the most serious and costly to treat. Burn injuries are physically debilitating and can cause scarring and emotional trauma as well. The recovery may involve multiple surgeries. Every year, approximately 400,000 people require medical treatment for burn injuries. There were 3,655 deaths from burn injuries and smoke inhalation in 2018 and another 40,000 patients were treated at hospitals for burn-related injuries. Most burn injuries occur at home, but nearly 10 percent occur in workplaces, according to the American Burn Association.
If you or someone you care about has suffered a serious burn due to someone else’s negligence or because of an unsafe product, contact the Raleigh burn injury lawyers to review the case and discuss your legal options. You may be entitled to a personal injury burn settlement. If your burn injury occurred while you were on the job, you may be entitled to workers’ comp for burns to cover your medical care and partly replace lost wages. Our Wake County burn injury attorneys are here to help you through the recovery process. We will keep you up to date on our progress on pursuing a burn injury lawsuit settlement in your case. We will always be available to answer your questions.
If you or someone you loved has suffered a serious burn injury in North Carolina, call Hardison & Cochran today toll-free at (800) 434-8399 or fill out an online contact form. The initial consultation is always free.
What are the different types of burn injuries?
Burn injuries stem from a variety of sources, including direct contact with flames, hot liquids, hot surfaces, scalds, chemical burns, and electrical burns. They may occur in the kitchen, in a car accident, motorcycle crash, truck accident, during a restaurant mishap or in a workplace accident involving fire or explosion.
- First-Degree Burns–First-degree burns involve the top layer of skin and often appear red in color. Examples of first-degree burns include sunburn and hot liquid burns. First-degree burns are the least severe, but they can still be painful and cause infection if not properly treated.
- Second-Degree Burns– Second-degree burns are caused when both the skin and the layer beneath the skin are burned. Blisters often form and the skin is red and painful. If a deep second-degree burn is not treated properly, swelling and decreased blood flow can cause it to form a third-degree burn. Second-degree burns can result from hot liquids, scalding liquids, heated metals and fire. Second-degree burns can cause scarring.
- Third-Degree Burns – Third-degree burns are often the result of prolonged fire exposure, steam, scalding liquids, chemicals or electricity. Third-degree burns reach down in the layer of fat beneath the skin and destroy nerves, causing numbness. The skin may appear charred and leathery and look black, brown or white. Victims often need multiple skin grafts to repair the damage. Several internal injuries can be caused by breathing in the hot air around fires and heavy concentrations of heat.
- Heat Inhalation– Directly breathing heavily heated air can cause serious injuries to the upper airways such as the trachea, esophagus and the mucous membranes. In extreme cases, the lungs can be directly injured.
- Electrical Burns— Burns are the most common injury related to electrical shock. When a person comes into contact with energized wiring or electrically charged objects, the current can travel throughout the individual’s body, resulting in damage to tissue and organs. Construction workers may come into contact with underground powerlines or overhead power lines that are energized. Some electrical shocks can cause ongoing muscle weakness and pain. Flash injuries are caused by arc flashes of current. Many electrical burns injuries occur in the workplace and may be covered by workers’ compensation insurance.
- Systemic Toxins– Systemic toxins affect the body’s ability to absorb oxygen. Systemic toxins can lead to permanent damage to the brain and other organs. Carbon monoxide poisoning is an example of systemic poisoning.
Victims of serious burns are highly susceptible to infection and opportunistic diseases — up to 10,000 persons die each year from burn-related infections. Recovery from a burn injury can be a long and painful road. Pain medication, skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries are costly and time-consuming.
Our burn injury lawyers understand the medical costs involved after a serious burn injury. If you or someone you love has become the victim of a burn injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to seek a burn lawsuit settlement. Typical damages include medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, loss of consortium and future medical expenses.
Does smoke inhalation count as a burn injury?
Smoke inhalation is a very serious type of burn injury. As a matter of fact, breathing smoke is the leading cause of fire deaths. Smoke contains a mixture of harmful vapors and gases such as carbon monoxide, along with fine soot. Inhalation of smoke kills more people than direct contact with flames. Smoke inhalation frequently happens when people get trapped in a burning structure or a vehicle that is on fire. It can cause respiratory failure and be fatal. Victims of smoke inhalation are often passed over for immediate medical attention due to the lack of visible injuries. Physical burn victims are often treated first. As many as 80% of fatalities in burn injuries are the result of smoke inhalation.
Does a burn injury fall under workers’ comp?
The cost of treating a serious burn injury can be tens of thousands of dollars. The medical treatment may require multiple surgeries and cosmetic surgery to address scarring. Burn injuries may be fully covered by an employer’s workers’ compensation insurance if the injury occurred in the workplace.
Workers’ compensation may pay the full cost of medical care, surgery, and rehabilitation for a burn victim who suffered their injuries on the job. You may also receive temporary disability payments while you are receiving medical treatment and compensation if the burn injury causes the loss of use of a body part.
If you sustained a burn injury on the job and are having difficulty obtaining workers’ compensation benefits, talk with a workers’ compensation attorney who has experience representing workers with burn injuries. Many valid workers’ compensation claims are initially denied. You may need to file an appeal to pursue full workers’ compensation benefits if your claim has been denied by an insurer.
Can a burn injury be included in a vehicle accident injury claim?
The occurrence of a fire in a car accident or truck accident significantly increases the risk of serious injury in a crash, especially if the crash victim is trapped or pinned in a vehicle. Exposure to flames or smoke can magnify the injuries caused by the impact of the collision. If you sustain burn injuries in a crash that was caused by another driver’s negligence, you may have a right to file a burn injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver and the driver’s insurance carrier and demand compensation for your medical bills, loss of income and pain and suffering.
Our experienced Raleigh car accident attorneys at Hardison & Cochran can help you hold the driver that caused the crash accountable and seek a burn injury settlement to cover your medical bills and related expenses after a serious accident.
Contact the Burn Injury Attorneys at Hardison & Cochran
At Hardison & Cochran, our Wake County burn injury lawyers devote personal attention and professional dedication to each and every case. Hardison & Cochran has been servicing injury clients in Raleigh and throughout North Carolina for more than 30 years. When you hire our Raleigh burn injury attorneys, you can rest assured that we are using our extensive resources to advocate for you to receive maximum compensation. We handle cases on a contingency fee basis. You will not owe a legal fee unless we obtain compensation for you through a settlement or court award.
The lawyers and staff at Hardison & Cochran work hard so that you can focus on rest and recovery. We can be reached by calling (800) 434-8399 or please contact us online. We have offices conveniently located in Raleigh, Dunn, Fayetteville, Southern Pines, Durham, and Wilmington.
Hardison & Cochran serves personal injury and accident victims throughout the state of North Carolina, including Raleigh, Cary, Durham and Fayetteville, NC.
