Hemet Burn Injury Lawyer

Burn injuries are of the most unimaginably painful of all injuries. Burn injury survivors often suffer from some of the most debilitating and disfiguring injuries possible. In addition to the physical pain and suffering, those injured in a burn accident oftentimes also suffer intense psychological and emotional trauma when faced with a lifetime of disability and disfigurement.

Burn injuries commonly require a very long period of intense convalescence. The melted skin, damaged tissue and severe nerve damage can traumatize a person for the rest of their life. Survivors with debilitating burn injuries will most assuredly incur a expensive medical bills that often continue for many years and may not be covered fully by insurance.

Degrees of Burn Injuries

• Burns can cause swelling, redness, blistering, shock, and even death.

• They are categorized into 3 types by severity:
  • FIRST-DEGREE BURNS cause damage to the outer layer of skin only:

The skin is usually red in appearance and a bit painful but blisters should be present in first degree burns; they are dry in appearance.

• • SECOND-DEGREE BURNS damage the outer layer and the layer underneath:

These can be classified as partial or full thickness, depending upon the extent of the burn.

In partial thickness burns, blisters will likely appear and affect the entire epidermis (outer layer of the skin) and dermis (the thick under layer of the skin that contains the nerve endings and hair follicles). These burns are red and wet in appearance and will be very painful. These burn injuries typically heal without skin grafting but some minimal scarring can result.

In full thickness burns, the epidermis is completely destroyed and most of the dermis is affected. These burns require surgical removal of burned tissue and skin grafting is performed to begin the healing process.

• • THIRD DEGREE BURNS damage or destroy the deepest layer of skin and tissues underneath:

The most devastating of these injuries, third degree burns always require immediate medical attention. All layers of the skin are affected and fat, muscle and even bone may be affected in such burns. Burned areas will be either black or white in appearance and may have a dry and leathery texture. Due to the extensive damage to subcutaneous tissue, pain may not be felt in the immediate area of the burn. In cases of third degree burns, call 911 or get to a hospital immediately.

Common Types of a Burn Injury

• Thermal burns — caused by flames and other hot objects
• Scalds — caused by boiling water or other hot liquids
• Chemical burns — caused by chemicals and volatile combinations of chemicals
• Burns from explosions — caused by car accidents, industrial/construction site accidents or accidents in the home

Your Rights as a Burn Victim

A personal injury lawyer can help to guide you through this devastating time, but you need to contact an attorney as soon as possible. At the law offices of Brent Duque, our Hemet area burn injury attorneys come equipped with the expertise you need to protect your rights against insurance companies that may seek to settle quickly, limiting the compensation you deserve.

If your burn injuries were the result of the carelessness or negligence of someone else, you have a legal right to recover damages. Serious burns cause immediate trauma and damages that can be truly life-altering. We understand that every case is unique and every burn victim will face a different set of difficulties. We work closely with a variety of experts, including medical specialists, to help us assess the extent of your injuries and rehabilitation needs. We also work with financial experts to help determine the magnitude of you economic losses. Our team of fire accident reconstruction engineers examine combustibility, temperature, burn rates, explosive coefficients, hazardous chemical reactions and other variables. We will come armed with the right resources to effectively represent your case.

In the case of a fatal burn injury, the victim’s spouse, relatives and dependents have a right to seek damages as well. Even if the person who caused the accident is charged with a criminal penalty, you have a right to sue in civil court and get compensated for your loss.

Contact our Riverside County Personal Injury Attorney at 1-877-241-9554 to learn more about your legal options. A free consultation is just a phone call away. You can even use our online contact form, and we’ll reply to you quickly.