Burned skin injuries can be excruciating and traumatic as they can leave physical scars, such as skin grafts, and emotional scars that impact the quality of burn injury victims' lives forever.

If a burn results from a workplace accident, negligent property manager, car accident, other vehicle accidents, or defective product design, burn victims may be able to seek compensation. The compensation case can include damages for the cost of treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical expenses due to serious injuries.

Our Chicago fire injury attorneys have won cases for burn victims who suffered an injury due to the negligent actions of property owners and third parties in work-related accidents.

We also assist burn patients who encounter resistance when seeking the compensation they rightfully deserve from insurance companies, who tarry in paying substantial claims on behalf of their policyholders.

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC represent people who have sustained life-altering burn injuries due to accidents caused by someone else's negligence.

Speak to a burn injury lawyer toll-free at (888) 424-5757 for a free consultation and legal counsel to explain your right to compensation.

Burn Injury Claims Statistics

The statistics are sobering. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly half a million fires in 2017 occurred in building structures, with 72 % in residential buildings.

There were 3,400 civilian fire deaths, with 77 percent occurring in the home. However, a Chicago burn accident attorney knows that fires can happen anywhere, from an apartment complex to your workplace to a car accident while traveling on the highway.

Experienced Chicago Burn Injury Lawyer Lawsuits

Our Chicago personal injury lawyers are familiar with the physical pain and suffering, emotional trauma and loss related to substantial burn injuries due to accidents, workers' compensation, and even medical malpractice cases.

We fight hard to prepare your personal injury, wrongful death lawsuit, or medical malpractice suit for the best possible outcome via settlement or trial against the offender or insurance company.

Burn Injury Victims

Many burn injury victims we represent throughout the United States require immediate medical attention in cases of third-degree burns that involve:

• Apartment building fires (premises liability)
• Motor vehicle accidents or car accident fires
• Construction site accidents
• Radiation burns
• Chemical plant explosions
• Deadly house fires
• Explosion accidents
• Fires caused by poorly designed products, such as Pam cooking spray
• Burns and smoke inhalation resulting from burn victims being unable to leave the premises because of locked fire exits
• Construction accidents
• Chemical burns
• Radiation burns
• Tanker truck accidents
• Refinery fires
• Thermal burns from scalding water or hot liquids
• Electrical burns on a construction site
• Workplace accidents

When serious burn injuries occur, victims are often left with permanent injuries and nerve damage. The severity of the burn case is often crippling, creating permanent or temporary disabilities.

You can receive compensation for your severe third-degree or radiation burns with burn injury claims. Contact a Chicago burn injury lawyer today for a free consultation.

Types of Burn Injuries and Their Medical Treatment

A burn is among the most painful injuries and requires specialized medical attention because the skin contains a high density of nerves. A burn victim with severe injuries might need a surgical skin graft followed by ongoing medical treatment that could cause additional pain and suffering.

Cosmetic surgery (skin grafts) might be necessary to minimize the appearance of scars in situations where a burn results in scarring, depending upon the type of burn.

If your loved one suffered a burn injury from a chemical, electrical, or accident, you might have a case for financial compensation. Speak to a Chicago burn injury lawyer for a free consultation to determine whether you qualify for compensation.

According to the American Burn Association, physicians and medical experts categorize burns into four different degrees:

First-Degree Burns

Almost everyone has experienced first-degree burns at one time or another. They are a mild type of burn and are considered superficial, damaging only the top layer of skin, known as the epidermis.

First-degree burns are typically characterized by redness in the affected area, occasionally peeling skin, and moderate skin pain that subsides after 2 to 3 days. Sunburns, intense friction burns, electrical burns, chemical burns, burns from hot liquids, and non-blistering light burning on the skin are examples of common first-degree burn injuries.

Second-Degree Burns

Typically, second-degree burns cause considerable damage to the skin's top layer and the layer underneath, known as the dermis. If the affected area is large, or the burn is on the delicate skin of the face, feet, hands, buttocks, or groin, it requires immediate medical help.

Second-degree burns are classified as either partial or full-thickness. Partial-thickness burns often involve the presence of blisters and wounds that tend to be red or pink. They can be excruciating, and at times appear wet.

Complete healing usually requires up to twenty-one days without grafting, with minimal scarring. Full-thickness burns tend to appear white or red and dry.

Third-Degree Burns

These severe burns cause significant deep tissue damage that usually requires surgical repair. It affects every layer of skin, including the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis (the bottom-most layer).

Severe third-degree burns can also cause significant burn injuries to blood vessels, nerve endings, muscle tissue, and bones. Burn victims experience excruciating pain and suffering.

Common causes of burn injuries include:

• Fires and explosions
• Contact with scalding liquids
• Toxic chemicals
• Hot objects (such as radiators)
• Electrical sources

Third-degree burns are seen as a medical emergency that requires immediate medical treatment from skilled healthcare professionals to ensure that the body does not lose critical fluids.

Fourth-Degree Burns

It is uncommon to experience fourth-degree burns unless they are due to an electrical accident. Victims that have sustained life-altering burns experience damage to the skin, underlying tissue, bones, tendons, and muscles.

The most common causes of burn injuries at the fourth-degree include:

• Electrical explosion
• Bombs or grenades
• Flash burns

The medical treatment for fourth-degree burn injuries necessitates skin grafting and reconstructive surgery. Skin grafting helps replace damaged tissue with healthy skin, while reconstructive surgery is used to repair facial deformities.

In some cases, amputations might become necessary due to severe damage caused by fourth-degree burns.

Because severe burns can devastate your health and quality of life, you must consult an injury attorney to protect your legal rights and obtain the compensation you deserve.

Speak to an attorney today for a free burn injury case evaluation of your fire injury case to determine your compensation for damages, medical treatment, and loss of work.

Apartment Buildings as The Source Of Common Fire Hazards

One of the risks of apartment living is that despite being entirely responsible and taking all the precautions you can to avoid a fire, you may suffer consequences from the actions of your landlord or neighbors.

While apartment fires are often caused by tenant carelessness associated with cigarettes, stovetop cooking, and space heaters, improperly maintained buildings are also a significant cause.

According to NFPA, most home fires can be traced to the property's electrical wiring issues and HVAC system malfunctions.

Is My Landlord Responsible for My Burns?

Building owners and managers (possibly even the insurance company) are responsible for taking the following fire-prevention measures as enumerated by the Chicago Municipal Code:

• Proper wiring
• Smoke detectors
• Exit paths
• Fire escapes
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire-resistant doors

Property owners and managers must take every reasonable action to reduce the fire risk for the safety of occupants and visitors. However, landlords (and maybe their insurance company) often find it far more cost-effective to cut corners and neglect some of these duties, which is illegal.

Should a property owner or another person fail to abide by the building code or provide a safe environment, anyone injured due to negligent behavior has a right to recover compensation from the owner.

Landlords In Violation

When landlords are in violation, and a fire occurs, they may wish to avoid being financially exposed to a personal injury lawsuit. They will often pressure or threaten injured victims into refraining from filing insurance claims to minimize their financial liability.

Contact a Chicago burn injury lawyer from our legal team today for a free consultation and case review on your severe burn injury claim.

Malfunctioning Smoke Detectors Consistently Responsible for Serious Burn Accidents

The detectors must be installed in the required locations and operate correctly. NFPA recommends that all apartments be equipped with detectors in each bedroom, outside bedrooms, and on each level of the home.

Most local governments mandate at least one working smoke alarm in an apartment. Unfortunately, many fires that start in the kitchen go unnoticed because the smoke detector does not go off or is not located in the vicinity of the kitchen.

Additionally, ionization detectors are most commonly used but may not always detect smoke from slow-burning, smoldering fires until the fire has significantly progressed. Know where all the smoke alarms in your home are located and check them periodically to ensure they are operational.

Workplace Burn Injuries

Burn injury accidents occur at work, especially if workers are required to operate powerful machinery or work in proximity to flammable materials.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports over 5,000 burn injuries every year resulting from explosions or fires at the workplace.

While workers' compensation benefits provide for medical expenses and lost wages, injured workers are often denied financial compensation for harm and suffering, diminished quality of life, or scarring.

For other burn injuries, such as chemical burn injury cases, the workers' comp case benefits could be supplemented through personal injury claims against a third-party entity, the manufacturer of a defective product, or a subcontractor who acted negligently.

Burn Injuries Due to Defective Products

Was the origin of the fire that caused your severe burn injuries a faulty product such as cooking equipment, heating, or other electrical items? If so, you could bring a product liability case against the maker, distributor, or retailer.

Burn victims involved in motor vehicle accidents due to defective vehicle parts can also bring product liability claims.

In product liability cases, you can sue anyone on the "chain of distribution." The “chain of distribution” is any person or entity that played a part in its design, creation, or sale from creation until the product came into your possession.

Product Liability Claims

Products liability actions generally have two claims:

• The design or manufacture of the product was defective and caused your burn injuries
• The warnings or instructions that came with your product were defective, resulting in your burn injuries

Product liability cases where victims have sustained life-altering burns hinge on each individual case's specific facts, such as the examination of the design or creation of commercial goods. Expert evidence or testimony could be required, which can be expensive.

Elements To Prove

No matter what kind of product liability action you bring for your burn injuries, you must allege and prove the following elements:

• The product or product warning was defective
• You were using the product for the purpose for which it was intended
• You were injured while using the product
• The product defect caused the injury

A product liability attorney can evaluate your case and determine whether the facts support bringing a lawsuit for product defects.

Contact our Chicago personal injury lawyers today for a free case review to claim compensation for medical treatment and damages.

Leading Chicago Burn Treatment Centers

The Windy City has some leading hospitals and doctors specializing in treating patients with serious burns.

The primary Chicagoland burn treatment facilities include the following:

• The University of Chicago Medical Center
• Loyola Medicine
• Cook County Hospital
• Lurie Children's Hospital

Filing A Workers' Compensation Claim

Have you suffered burn injuries while on the job? Every employer in the United States must carry workers' compensation coverage for all employees to pay for their damages and medical expenses associated with suffering and on-the-job injury or illness.

The Worker's Compensation benefit program is a no-fault system that pays injured workers for their medical bills and lost wages. The coverage also includes payment for temporary or permanent disabilities.

Insurance Adjusters

Typically, insurance adjusters hired by the insurer will determine the extent of the victim's burn injuries caused by an explosion, fire, or burn accident. However, while most claims provide immediate compensation, the burn injury victim might not receive all the monetary recovery they deserve.

Our Chicago, IL personal injury law firm routinely files burn injury lawsuits against employers and other third parties for failing to follow fire safety rules to ensure worker safety, such as: 

• Regularly serviced fire extinguishers that failed to operate when needed to extinguish fires.
• Failure to provide accident victims with a sturdy fire escape
• Not installing fireproof doors to protect them from deadly fire thermal burns

Filing A Third-Party Claim

If you have suffered burn injuries, our experienced fire injury attorneys can evaluate your case to determine if your severe injuries resulted from someone's negligence. Our legal team can recover compensation from other parties, including:

• Smoke detector manufacturers: Some ionization smoke detectors reportedly take up to thirty minutes to trip the alarm during business or house fires.
• Fire extinguisher makers: A defective one-time fire suppressant used in fire extinguishers and drops of sodium bicarbonate powder could lead to catastrophic injuries and fatalities when building or apartment fires consume structures.
• Employers: An employer could owe the injured employee additional compensation over workers' comp benefits if their behavior were egregiously negligent, such as failing to follow fire safety laws that led to a fire and burns.

Put Our Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys to Work For You

Did you suffer burn injuries? Were you, or a loved one, burned in a fire, work accident, or any other accident caused by someone else's negligence and reckless behavior? If so, the Chicago burn lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC law firm, might be able to help you after a burn injury.

Call our attorneys today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free case evaluation for legal advice on handling your personal injury claim.

We are confident our Chicago burn injury lawyers can secure the compensation you need to pay for your medical bills, recover lost wages, account for out-of-pocket expenses, and more.

Contingency Fee Agreement

Our Cook County personal injury attorneys have assisted thousands of clients in personal injury claims after a burn injury on a contingency fee basis. All discussions with our burn injury law firm remain confidential through an attorney-client relationship.

Our experienced Chicago burn injury attorneys can investigate your accident case and discuss your legal rights and options in greater detail in a free consultation.

Contact us today and talk to an experienced personal injury attorney for more info about your burn injury lawsuit.

Resources:

• Johns Hopkins: Fire Injuries Treatment
• Cleveland Clinic: About Burn Injuries