Shreveport Burn Injury Lawyer at Greenwald Law Firm

Burn injuries can be traumatic and life-altering. Hospitalization, physical therapy, and psychological counseling may be necessary for recovery for burn injury victims, depending on the severity of the burn. If you or someone you love has sustained a burn injury due to the careless actions of another person, you may have the right to bring legal action against the responsible party. An experienced personal injury attorney with a thorough background in Louisiana injury laws can help you recover compensation for your burn injuries.

Contact the skilled Shreveport personal injury lawyers at Greenwald Law Firm for more information regarding your personal injury claim and how we can help you. We offer a free case evaluation where we can discuss your personal injury case and help you explore your legal options moving forward. You can reach us by calling (318) 219-7867 or by completing our online contact form today.

What is a Burn Injury?

A burn injury is a serious injury that often causes severe tissue damage resulting from extreme heat or radiation. These injuries can vary in severity, from minor sunburns to permanent and extensive scarring and even nerve damage. The symptoms and treatment for burns are determined by the severity of the injury, which can generally be broken down into degrees. There are three main degrees of burns: first-degree, second-degree, third-degree, and fourth-degree. The characteristics of each are as follows:

First-Degree Burn Injury

A first-degree burn is the most minor degree of burn. This only affects the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of skin. Symptoms of this degree of burn injury typically include redness and pain. An example of this might be a sunburn sustained from sun exposure after a day outdoors without applying sunscreen.

Second-Degree Burn Injury

Second-degree burns are more severe in nature, as they afflict both the first layer of skin (epidermis) and the second layer of skin (dermis). Symptoms include severe pain, redness, swelling, and potentially white or splotchy skin around the area. Blisters typically develop from second-degree burn injuries, and lasting scar tissue is also possible.

Third-Degree Burn Injury

Third-degree burns, also known as “full-thickness burns” not only damage the first and second layers of skin, but also reach the fat layer beneath the skin, the subcutaneous tissue. The skin surrounding a third-degree burn injury often looks leathery and may be either black, brown, or white, as opposed to red.

Fourth-Degree Burn Injury

Fourth-degree burns are the most severe type of burn a person can experience. These injuries are incredibly deep and can be life-threatening, destroying all layers of skin and even potentially bone, tendons, and muscle. The skin around the exposed wound is often described as charred-looking. This degree of a burn can also destroy nerve endings, so surprisingly, it’s not uncommon for surviving victims to not be able to feel the pain of the injury. However, the need for skin grafts is certain and scarring is inevitable.

Types of Burns

When most people think of burn injuries, they think of open-flame wounds like those resulting from house fires. However, in addition to the degree of burn, there are also different types of burns relating to their origin. Below are some other common types of burns that a person may experience:

• Chemical Burns – In addition to tissue damage, chemical burns can cause serious injury to the eyes, mouth, and internal organs. These burns occur when a person makes contact with a corrosive or acidic substance, such as paint thinner, solvents, detergents, drain cleaners, and the like.

• Thermal Burns – Thermal burns occur when a person touches something that is scalding hot. When your skin makes contact with an object that is hot enough, it can cause your skin cells to die. This can be a solid, liquid, or even gas. Examples include touching a pan fresh out of the oven, spilling a fresh cup of coffee or other hot liquids, and even exposure to very hot steam.

• Electrical Burns – Electrical burns occur when a person is injured by way of an electrical current. Coming into contact with open or exposed wires or circuits can result in this type of injury.

• Friction Burns – A friction burn is essentially a combination of abrasion and a heat burn. It occurs when a person makes heavy contact with an object, typically by way of rubbing or sliding a body part across something. Carpet burn is a common type of friction burn, as is road rash from transportation accidents such as car wrecks and motorcycle accidents.

• Cold Burns – Just as you can receive burn injuries from extremely high temperatures, you can also receive them from extremely low temperatures. Cold burns, aka frostbite, essentially damage tissue by freezing it when it is exposed to dangerously cold temperatures for a prolonged period of time.

• Radiation Burns – Radiation burns, as the name suggests, result from exposure to some form of radiation. This can include sunburns as well as burns from radiation therapy commonly used to treat cancer.

Common Causes of Louisiana Burn Injuries

According to the American Burn Association (ABA), upwards of 450,000 burn injuries that require medical treatment occur every year. These injuries range from minor to severe and can be caused by any number of things. Some of the most common causes of burn injuries in Louisiana include:

• Motor vehicle accident: We’ve all seen movies and television shows where a fast-speed car chase ends in a vehicle exploding into flames. These may be enhanced for dramatic effect, those who are involved in a car accident do face the terrifying reality of a fire. If not damaged by open flames or explosions, friction burns from an airbag or from being thrown from a vehicle are also highly possible.
• Boating accident: Boating is a common pass time in Louisiana, but boating accidents happen all the time and can lead to electrical problems, explosions, or open flames in the engine compartment and serious harm to those inside or around the boat.
• Workplace accident, such as an industrial or refinery accident: In Louisiana, burn injuries frequently occur in oil field accidents and on offshore drilling rigs. Causes of oil field burn accidents include fires, explosions, chemical exposures, and electrocutions.
• Building fires: Building fires are perhaps the most obvious cause of burn injuries. Burn victims can sustain serious tissue damage from open flames as well as a potentially fatal injury due to smoke inhalation.
• Defective product: A defective product of any sort can lead to burn injuries. An exploding hand-held device, faulty car parts, and harmful merchandise are some of the more common contributors to these types of burn injuries.
• Medical malpractice: Burn injuries resulting from medical malpractice often result from radiation. Radiation therapy for cancer patients and X-rays, among other things, can result in severe burn injuries and may make way for a medical malpractice claim.

Can You Sue for Burn Injuries?

If you were involved in an accident caused by another’s negligence and that led to you receiving severe burns, you have a legal right to sue the responsible party and obtain financial compensation for the full extent of your resulting burn injuries. All personal injury lawsuits, including Shreveport burn injury claims, require that the plaintiff establish culpability. This is proof that demonstrates the defendant was negligent in creating the event that later led to the plaintiff’s injuries.

A dedicated Shreveport personal injury lawyer like Joseph Greenwald at Greenwald Law Firm can help you seek restitution against the individual, property owner, or entity responsible for your injuries. Give him a call at (318) 219-7867 today to see if you have a potential burn injury case.

Damages for Burn Injury Victims

A burn injury survivor or a loved one of the victim may be eligible to file a civil lawsuit to obtain damages for their resulting financial losses. The following are some examples of recoverable damages:

• Medical expenses, including both past and future medical bills relating to the injuries
• Lost wages
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Property damage
• Intangible losses, including emotional distress and pain and suffering
• Wrongful death damages, such as funeral and burial expenses, if applicable

Our Shreveport burn injury attorneys will thoroughly examine your injury and identify all possible culpable parties. Then, they will assist you by supporting you throughout the entire legal process, from the filing of your claim or lawsuit to the presentation of your case in court. At Greenwald Law Firm, we stop at nothing to make sure you are properly compensated for any and all financial losses you may have experienced as a result of your burn injuries.

Why You Need a Shreveport Personal Injury Lawyer for Your Burn Injury

If you’ve received burn injuries due to someone else’s negligence, it is critical that you obtain help from personal injury attorneys who commonly work with burn injury victims and other related practice areas. When you hire an experienced attorney like those at Greenwald Law Firm, you’ll receive knowledgeable legal help and guidance from someone whose number one goal is recovering compensation on your behalf.

Our Shreveport attorneys are skilled at distinguishing the legal recourse that is available for our clients for serious injuries and wrongful death. We know what it takes to recover compensation for life-altering burn injuries and associated medical expenses. Once you establish an attorney-client relationship, your personal injury lawyer will handle everything for you, from obtaining your medical records, speaking with the insurance company, negotiating a fair settlement, and if necessary, taking your case to trial. We also collect evidence such as witness and expert testimonies for your case, all things that would be difficult to successfully accomplish without a professional legal background.

Free Consultation with Shreveport Burn Injury Lawyer Joseph Greenwald

At Greenwald Law Firm, our Louisiana attorneys have handled a plethora of personal injury cases, including those involving burn injuries and accidents in Bossier City and Shreveport, LA. We are familiar with pursuing even the most complex injury claims and are dedicated to ensuring that our clients receive the maximum amount of compensation for their injuries.

If you’ve received burn injuries due to the fault of another, you need the help of Joseph Greenwald and his experienced legal team. In addition to personal injury cases, we also handle a range of other practice areas, including Shreveport criminal defense, Shreveport successions, Shreveport estate planning, and so much more. You can contact our Shreveport office today for a free legal consultation by calling 318-219-7867 or by completing our online claim form.