Burn Injury Attorney in Tullahoma and Winchester

Burn injuries are incredibly painful and costly. A burn can lead to disability, disfigurement and, in some cases, death. For someone dealing with the fallout of a burn-related injury, it might feel like all hope is lost. It’s important to remember that through proper care, rehabilitation and the right support network, it’s possible to overcome so many of the challenges you’re facing.

We help people find the tools to get their lives back after a serious burn injury.  We fight to win you the payment you’ll need to meet the challenges you face. We offer our support and the connections of other professionals to make sure you get the care you need.

Burn Injury Lawyer Tullahoma & Winchester, TN

Understanding Burn Injuries – What Statistics Tell Us About Burns

In the United States, there are more than 400,000 burn injuries that require medical treatment every year. Approximately 40,000 of those injuries require hospitalization. About 43 percent of burn injuries are due to exposure to flames or fire, and 34 percent are from scalding liquids. Chemical, electrical and radiation burns represent much of the remainder of these burn injuries.

Most burn injuries – nearly three-fourths of them – occur in homes, while another 8 percent happen in the workplace and 5 percent occur on our roads. These statistics tell us that these injuries are common and that there are many ways in which people suffer serious burn-related injuries. So many of these burn injuries should never happen. They stem directly from irresponsible behavior by negligent drivers, property owners, employers or other parties.

What Leads to Burn-Related Personal Injury Claims?

For a personal injury claim to be successful, two factors typically exist. First, there is a serious injury. Second, someone’s negligence led to the injury. Let’s look at common incidents that might cause burn-related injuries and then examine the ways in which these incidents are caused by someone’s negligence.

Incidents That Lead to Burns

  • Home fires
  • Scalding hot water or other liquids
  • Explosions (related to flammable liquids, defective products, etc.)
  • Inadequate protection from radiation
  • Fires in vehicle accidents
  • Contact with overheated equipment in the workplace.

When Negligence Causes Burn Injuries

  • Faulty wiring in homes
  • High hot water heater settings in homes or apartments
  • Careless driving that leads to crash-related fires
  • Inadequate workplace safety protocol or training
  • Vehicle defects that lead to explosions or fires
  • Product defects that cause explosions or fires.

Fires are almost always preventable, which means that someone is responsible for most burn injuries that victims suffer. If a landlord or property manager installs hot water heaters that are set too high, they should be held responsible for scalding injuries suffered by tenants. If a bad driver causes a crash and an ensuing fire causes burns, that driver should be held accountable.

It’s not always clear to a victim why their injury happened. Experienced attorneys know how to conduct investigations that reveal the causes of these injuries, so they can then hold the at-fault parties responsible for the costs of the burn injuries.

If you’ve suffered a burn injury and you want to know more about filing a personal injury claim, contact John R. Colvin to schedule a free consultation.

Negligent Landlords and Property Owners

Many fires that lead to serious injury or death happen in residential settings, such as apartments or rental homes. Burn injuries or inhalation of smoke can lead to lifelong impairment, simply because fire codes weren’t met by the owner or landlord.

If a property manager fails to install smoke detectors or safely wire the building, or sets a hot water heater too high, the tenants of a residential unit can pay the price.

Negligent Employers

Employers and supervisors bear the responsibility of training employees to work with the equipment and observe safe workplace practices. When they fail to inspect equipment or they put workers in an unsafe environment, they can be held accountable for any workplace burn injuries that stem from their negligence.

Negligent Drivers

Fires stemming from vehicle accidents are the fault of the driver who caused the crash or the vehicle manufacturer who made the vehicle component that led to the fire. If a reckless driver is at fault, their insurance company should compensate victims for the costs of their injuries. In some cases, a driver might also bear some of the costs facing victims.

If a faulty vehicle or vehicle component leads to a burn injury, the manufacturer can be held responsible through product liability claims. These claims give injured consumers the opportunity to recover all of the costs they face because of a faulty product.

How a Burn Injury Attorney Can Help

Burn injury attorneys help their clients find out the cause of the incident leading to their injury. Once they know who is responsible, they can begin the process of holding them accountable for their negligence. In some cases, the responsible party, whether it be a bad driver or a property owner, will have insurance that should cover the bulk of the costs the victim faces.

The attorney will determine the best way to deal with negligent parties and insurance companies, and they will then begin the work of building a case. Attorneys also have access to doctors or connections to support groups that they can offer to their clients.

While their client gets help and focuses on recovery, the attorney continues to work on the personal injury claim, negotiating a settlement or preparing for trial, depending on how the case unfolds. They will handle all the necessary paperwork and correspond with insurance companies and other attorneys on their client’s behalf.

Ultimately, the job of a burn injury attorney is to help their client in every way possible. This means securing maximum compensation and facilitating support for their client using whatever the client needs most.

If you need a Tennessee burn injury attorney that will fight for you while you focus on your recovery, contact John R. Colvin. Our team wants to help our clients reclaim their lives. Call us today or fill out our online contact form to learn more about our services. If you decide not to pursue a claim, you are under no obligation to proceed.

How Burn Injuries Impact the Lives of Victims

Physical consequences of a burn injury:

  • First-, second- or third-degree burns
  • Extensive soft-tissue or muscular damage
  • Disfigurement
  • Organ damage or organ failure
  • Intense physical pain
  • Physical disability.

Emotional psychological trauma of a burn injury:

  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Ongoing stress due to disfigurement and disability
  • Impact on relationships or involvement with community
  • Emotional problems stemming from inability to perform routine tasks
  • Thoughts of suicide or hopelessness
  • Diminished quality of life.

Financial consequences of a burn injury:

  • Overwhelming medical bills for hospitalization, treatment and rehabilitation
  • Lack of income from time missed at work
  • Lack of income from inability to maintain or perform job
  • Need for assisted living or home care.

These are just a few examples of the consequences that burn injury victims face. Every injury is unique. If you’ve suffered a serious burn-related injury, then you might recognize some of these challenges, or perhaps you face other hardships. Whatever you’re enduring, remember that there are options available to hold at-fault parties accountable for the costs you’re living with.

Whether your injury stems from a car wreck, home fire, workplace incident or any other common cause of burn-related injuries, you are within your legal right to consider filing an injury claim to receive compensation for the many costs your injury has caused.

John R. Colvin believes that no burn injury victim should have to carry the costs for someone else’s carelessness. We help clients get the payment they deserve so they can have the tools they need to overcome the challenges they’re facing.

Contact Tennessee Burn Injury Lawyer John R. Colvin to Get Started

If you or a loved one is living with a burn injury caused by someone else’s negligence, we want to help. We will use our firm’s full resources to get you the help you need and the compensation you deserve.

We understand how devastating these injuries can be, and we make sure that we factor in every cost you face. We don’t just calculate the financial consequences of your injury; we also hold negligent parties responsible for the emotional and physical pain and suffering you’re living with. We’ll deal with insurance companies to make sure they don’t lessen or deny payment that you’re entitled to.

John R. Colvin offers free consultations so you can get a better idea of how a personal injury claim might benefit your situation. After we hear your story and evaluate your case, it will be entirely up to you whether to pursue a claim. Let us help you explore all of your available legal options.

Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. Give us a call or fill out our online contact form to meet Winchester, TN burn injury attorney John R. Colvin.

Licensed to Practice in Tennessee & Alabama