What Rights for Financial Compensation do I Have if I was Burned in an Accident?

If someone started a fire that inevitably burned and injured you, then you might have a case depending upon the nature of the lawsuit you file which we discuss in the next section. Normally, due to the complicated nature of fires, the key is finding the culpable partly because defendants will always try to point the finger at someone else, say it was an act of God, or even blame you. You need clear proof that it was their fault to have a claim. Illinois law prevents you from recovering if defendants can show that you were more than 50% responsible for the fire. If you were 50% or less responsible for the incident, then you can still recover but your damages will be reduced by your amount of fault. What will my claim look like? Well a lot of that depends on the type of lawsuit that you file and the laws surrounding those suits. We discuss that in the next section.

Before you pursue recovery for burn injuries, you must spot them in the first place. Now, burns don’t affect everyone the same way and even the same type of burns won’t always have the same symptoms. However, here are some common signs of burn injuries:

• Blisters.
• Scarring.
• Inflammation.
• Warmth around the burn site.
• Blood or something else oozing from the burn site.

Burns are one of the most common kinds of injuries especially for young adults and senior citizens. They are so common because they can arise from so many different types of circumstances. For example, thermal scalds are one of the most frequent causes of burns. However, they also typically come about from electrical, radiation, steam, friction, automobile, and other kinds of incidents. To find an area of risk, look to where there is a point of contact with your skin and environmental, substance, material, or other factors. Also, keep in mind that these accidents normally arise due to carelessness so try and stay alert.

The severity and ubiquity of burn injuries make prevention incredibly important. Below we provide a list of simple things you can do around the house to protect yourself from getting burned. To learn about other ways that you can prevent fires and burns, talk to the fire department in your town.

• Create an evacuation plan in case a fire erupts in your home.
• Don’t smoke in your house.
• Install and frequently check fire alarms in your home.
• Make sure you have working fire extinguishers in every level of your house.
• Monitor the fuses and electrical systems in your home.
• Make sure that gas tanks, fireworks, cleaning supplies, and other flammable items are properly stored and maintained.
• Clean up any loose trash or rubbish that might accidentally catch fire.