What Happens After a Burn Injury?
Thousands of people suffer from burn injuries every year. Burns are often the result of car accidents, structural fires, defective products, workplace accidents, and bad wiring. The actions you take immediately after a burn injury and in the weeks and months that follow are crucial to the compensation you may receive as a result.
Not sure what happens after a burn injury? Read on to find out.
Victims Receive Immediate Medical Care
The first thing you should do when you are injured is seek immediate medical care. The longer you wait for treatment, the higher your risk for infection becomes. If you believe you have severe burns, you may even call 911 to take you to the hospital immediately.
Your doctor will diagnose you with at least one of four different categories of burns:
- First-degree burns. First-degree burns are the safest burns and offer minor irritation and marks. A sunburn is a first-degree burn.
- Second-degree burns. These burns take off the first layers of skin and can leave blisters behind. You may scar too.
- Third-degree burns. A third-degree burn burns all the way through your outer layers, which causes intense pain and scarring. You may require skin grafts to recover.
- Fourth-degree burns. A fourth-degree burn is the most severe kind of burn, and it can reach through to bone, muscle, and even your organs. Some people require amputation to recover.
Victims Recover from Burns
Many burn victims must spend a lot of time in the hospital, especially with third- and fourth-degree burns that may require a skin graft, surgery, or even amputation. During this time, you may not be able to work, and you may continue to accumulate medical bills on top of your other life expenses.
Even for those victims who are able to recover, the results are often long-term. They can have a significant impact on your ability to enjoy your life, especially if you have to relearn how to perform basic life functions again.
Victims Consider Personal Injury Lawsuits
Regardless of how your burn injury occurred, you have the right to sue the individual who caused your accident if the accident involved negligence. While accurate predictions for a settlement based on your individual case are difficult to make without a consultation with an attorney, burn injuries often do lead to high settlements because they can leave lasting scars and pain.
Medical bills are often substantial in burn cases. If you pursue a lawsuit, you can pursue the costs of past and future medical bills.
As part of your personal injury case, you may also request compensation for physical and emotional pain and suffering you experienced because of the burn.
Many people who suffer from burn injuries are unable to return to work, which means they lose wages. This is an important reason to consider a personal injury lawsuit.
Victims Hire Personal Injury Attorneys
When you suffer from a burn injury, you may reach out to a personal injury attorney. Your attorney considers the extent of your injuries, the location of the burns, and the role of the defendant in causing your injuries.
Then, your personal injury attorney takes into account the circumstances of your case, including the individual or entity you seek to sue. For example, after a car accident, you may a case against another driver, an insurance company, a car manufacturer, and a municipality. Every case is different.
Midwest Injury Help offers a team that helps you assess your injuries and determine the kind of case you have. We strive to help you through your personal injury case, and it all starts with a consultation. Call us today and set up an appointment.