Houston Burn Injury Attorney

Attorney Michael Grossman Discusses Your Rights After a Burn Injury

Burn injuries are among the most painful injuries you can suffer. The ongoing medical complications associated with burn injuries can be among the worst and most devastating. The Houston burn injury attorneys at Grossman Law Offices would like to discuss burn injuries and the kinds of lasting compensation that may be available to you.

Burn injuries and the lawsuits associated with them are among the most unique of injury cases. The main reason is because your suffering, loss and the medical expenses you’ll face are so high. This creates two likely scenarios that you may face: you may have a lack of coverage under your policy for fair compensation, or there may be an unreasonable lack of compensation for pain and suffering offered to you.

First let’s talk about burn injuries and why they can be so painful, why treatment can be so expensive and extensive, what complications can arise, and why treatment is so often long-term and burdensome.

The Medical Challenge of Burn Injuries And Why It’s So Costly

According to federal statistics, there are more than two million people in the United States that require treatment for burn injuries each year. Tragically, there are between 3,000 and 4,000 severe burn deaths every year. The elderly and the youngest are particularly vulnerable to burn injuries and death.

Burns are caused by a wide variety of incidents and they can vary in severity. Generally speaking, burns are tissue injuries caused by heat, electricity, radioactivity, or chemicals. Burns cause varying degrees of pain, blisters, swelling, and skin loss. When burns are deep and extensive there can be serious complications including shock and severe infections. When people suffer deep and extensive burns, they can require intravenous fluids, skin grafts, extensive surgery, or physical rehabilitation at a burn center.

Most commonly, burn injuries are the result of heat such as fire, hot liquids, tar or steam. Burn injuries caused by chemical exposure and contact are similar to heat burns. Burn injuries caused by sunlight exposure, radiation exposure and electricity differ significantly from hear and chemical burns. Often there can be other injuries in association with heat burns, such as injuries sustained while jumping from a burning building, being in a car wreck, or being struck by flaming debris.

Thermal and chemical burn injuries mostly occur when heat or chemicals come in contact with part of the skin. The epidermis usually sustains most of the damage in burn injuries, but when the burn is severe enough, surface burns will penetrate to deeper body structures, including muscle, fat and bone. When these deeper tissues sustain burns, the fluid leaks into them from nearby blood vessels which can cause swelling. Damaged skin and exposed tissues are more susceptible to infection because they can no longer act as an effective barrier against invading bacteria.

Minor burns that are essentially superficial generally do not cause such complications. Deeper burns that are second-degree and third-degree will swell and take more time to heal. Deeper burns can also cause serious scar tissue to form. This newly formed scar tissue will contract as it heals, and if the scarring occurs in a limb or a finger or toe, the result can be a serious and painful restriction of movement in the joints.

Severe burns and some moderate burns can also cause other serious complications arising from extensive fluid loss and tissue damage. Such complications may not manifest for hours or even days. Usually, the deeper and more serious the burn injury, the more complicated the problems that arise later. The young and the elderly often tend to be more seriously impacted by these complications than others.

The infections that accompany burn wounds can make things much worse. Sometimes the accompanying infection will spread throughout the bloodstream. This can cause severe illness and, in some cases, death. Thick, crusty surfaces that doctors call eschars are produced when a victim suffers deeper third-degree burns. These eschars can become extremely restrictive and cut off blood supply to healthy tissues. They can even impair breathing.

When the burns cause scarring in joints, physical and occupational therapy are often required to prevent immobility. A regimen of painful stretching exercises is started within the first few days after the burn injury and various splints are used to make sure that joints stay immobile and at rest in the positions that are least likely to form contractures. These medical splints are left in place at all times between exercises and therapy. When a skin graft is employed, though, physical therapy for joints is undertaken for 3 to 5 days after the grafts. The employment of bulky medical dressings that put appropriate pressure on the burn injury can sometimes prevent large scars from forming.

Damages Are As Extensive As The Burn Injuries Themselves

Burns are classified according to a strict definition that examine and categorize the burn's depth as well as the extent of tissue damage caused by the burn injury.

A first-degree burn is probably the most common burn injury, often noted by a minor red burn injury of the top layer of skin. The affected skin will hurt and be swollen slightly. It may even make a victim feel a bit feverish. These kinds of first degree burns will usually heal in about 3 to 5 days and they don’t require medical treatment. Generally speaking, they very rarely cause blisters or scars.

Second-degree burns are more severe and can be caused by anything from heat and radiation to electrical injuries, chemical exposure, or friction. These burn injuries are defined by their depth. Hot water and hot objects will cause superficial partial-thickness burns that only injure the first and second layers of skin. The injured skin around the burn will turn white when pressed and then it turns back to reddish. The burn injury area is moist and it will be painful. There will be blistering and swelling that can last for at least two days at a minimum.

Deeper partial-thickness burn injuries damage the deeper skin layers. They will be white with red areas in appearance. Contact with hot grease, soup, or microwaved liquids are common causes of these deeper injuries. This kind of burn is not as painful because of nerve damage, although they will create a sensation of pressure. The skin around the burn injury will look spotted. It remains whitish when pressed. It may look waxy around the area, and it will be either slightly moist or even dry. These deeper burn injuries are particularly susceptible to infection and it may take several days after the incident before symptoms do develop and it becomes evident whether the burn injury is superficial or deeper.

Third-degree burns are the worst. They are also called full-thickness burns. Here all of the layers of the skin and the fatty tissue below the skin are injured by the burn. These are serious. They can affect the skin from growing back at all and such burns result in severe pain for the patient. In some cases, though, nerve endings around the burn injury are damaged and the injury may not hurt immediately. Third-degree burns vary in how they look. They can appear white, cherry red, or black. They do not change color under pressure as other burns do. Blisters can develop but more often the burn injury is dry, hard, and leatherish-looking. The most common causes of these serious third-degree burns are steam, very hot oil or grease, harsh chemicals, strong electrical currents, and extremely hot liquids. Infection is most problematic and common in third-degree burns. These burns always require immediate professional medical care.

Burn Severity

Medically, burn injuries are classified as minor, moderate or severe. Doctors may classify a burn injury as minor despite the fact that it is causing the injured person significant pain and despite the fact that it interferes with normal activities. Severity is determined based on how doctors predict the injury to heal, and whether they expect that complications are likely. The severity of the burn injury is decided based on its depth and by the percent of the victim’s body surface that has incurred second- or third-degree burns.

First-degree burn injuries and any second-degree burn injuries that cover less than 10 percent of the body are classified as minor. Burn injuries are called moderate if the burn injuries involve the hands, feet, face, or the genitals, or when the second-degree burn injury involves more than 10 percent of the body surface area. All third-degree burn injuries that affect more than 1 percent of the body are classified as severe.

Extensive medical treatment is needed the more extensive the burn injuries are. Extensive tests are needed to ensure a victim is properly treated. Medical professionals do blood tests to check on electrolytes and blood count. Electrocardiography (ECG) and chest x-rays are also required as regards the eschars and overall lung function. Tests of blood and urine are required both to ensure against infection, and to detect proteins that are created by the destruction of muscle tissue.

Above all, severe depression can often result from a bad burn injury that likewise requires extensive therapy.

Houston Burn Injury Attorney Michael Grossman has seen many such cases in his 20 years experience. He and his team at Grossman Law Offices understand the pain you or your loved one has suffered and how extensive your medical bills and pain and suffering have been. They know how to calculate the damages to get you fair relief for what you’ve suffered. Call us at 1-855-392-0000 (toll free) for a free consultation today.

The Legal Challenge of Burn Injuries

In the experience of Houston burn injury attorney Michael Grossman and his team, most insurance policies that apply to a burn injury case – your auto insurance if the burn is from a car wreck, or your homeowners insurance if it’s a home fire –do not have enough coverage to compensate the victim for the medical expenses associated with the burn injury. Additionally, premises insurance can place limits on how much damages are paid.

As we discussed, even a less severe burn injury can result in medical bills that reach six figures or more because of the intensive, specialized nature of treatment that burn injuries require. On top of that, there is the supplementary treatment often required to treat the various types of infections and other related ailments and therapies that are common with burn injury cases, like physical therapy or the painful issue of grafts and scar tissue. The Houston burn injury attorneys at Grossman Law Offices have 20 years experience in actively seeking out additional possible defendants and insurance sources in order to get you the fair compensation that you deserve.

Investigating the Cause

Rarely do accidents have one cause. When a toaster’s heating coils go off for no reason and start a fire in a home, it could be the manufacturer of the toaster, the electrician who wired the home, or some combination of the two who are at fault. In a car wreck, there are almost always multiple parties involved. When a fire results from a badly installed piece of machinery or a piece of machinery that fails, both an installer and a manufacturer could be liable. Inspectors who certified the safety of a space or a device could likewise hold liability. We know how to inspect the evidence and find all the culprits who may have had a hand in your burn injury accident.

A professional investigation by our experienced team means we gather the evidence that clients need in order to prove a defendant’s liability in court. We look for the evidence you’ll need to win your case. We are experienced at getting what is needed to convince a jury. Our professionals record measurements, take pictures, talk to witnesses, perform forensic testing, gather police reports, find video surveillance footage, examine the scene of the fire, and collect evidence in a way that makes everything we gather for your case admissible in court. We know the evidence to look for to make sure we identify all of the liable parties.

Even if there is sufficient coverage among the liable parties for your medical expenses, you know very well that’s not the extent of your damages. As a burn injury victim, you’ve suffered one of the most horrendous fates of any human being. You deserve appropriate compensation for your pain and suffering. However, under Texas civil law there are no unique or special provisions to provide even the most minimal compensation for pain and suffering due to burn injuries. What this means is that when you suffer a burn injury – an injury which is more painful and devastating than virtually any other type of physical injury a human body can endure – you may only be eligible to receive "normal" compensation for pain and suffering.

Once again, the two decades experience of the Houston burn injury attorneys at Grossman Law Offices can help. Our team of legal professionals perform all the heavy lifting for you, including handling all the paper work, negotiations, research and other details that you need in a burn injury case to make other people understand the horrendous pain that a burn injury victim feels.

Beyond Medical Bills: Your Pain and Suffering

In the aftermath of a burn injury, there are often more damages you’ve suffered than any ledger could normally quantify. However, you must be able to prove these damages, even though someone else is responsible for your injury. It isn’t enough to simply ask for reimbursement; you’ll need to prove what you’re entitled to. This involves calculating the total amount of your losses. It means bringing evidence of your injuries to court to support your calculations. Proving these damages is a crucial aspect to ensuring that the victim will receive the maximum recovery.

Disfigurement is also common result of burn injury accidents. Burn injury cases are unique legal cases in that burn injuries often result in obvious long term physical disfigurement. There is a unique pain in the long-term disfigurement that is as much psychological as physical. Juries need to understand what you’re going through. We can help you make a compelling case that you’re entitled to damages for any disfigurement. Working to seek disfigurement damages can be vital when the burn victim is a small child, as physical disfigurement can mentally scar them for life as surely as they are physically scarred.

Burn victims also fall victim to long-term clinical depression and often undergo long-term mental anguish. Most who suffer from long term disfigurement will experience deep depression and anxiety, meaning they need and deserve adequate therapy and counseling to help them deal with their mental state.

Long term scarring and physical limitations as a result of severe burns can wreak havoc on a human body. Very often burn injuries damage the nerves and tissues of the victim's appendages causing them great difficulty in performing normal tasks. Naturally, this can affect the victim's ability to earn a living, so it’s critical for an attorney to get their client the compensation that they deserve for this type of injury.

The Houston burn injury attorneys at Grossman Law Offices understand these issues. They can help make your case for the damages and compensation you deserve following your burn injury no matter how tight-fisted the insurers want to be and no matter how they don’t want to listen to your story. We will make them listen. Call Houston burn injury attorney Michael Grossman toll-free today at 1-855-392-0000 and start on your road to recovery with an experienced burn injury attorney on your side.