Burn Injury Lawyer in Palm Coast, FL

A burn injury can leave you with long-term or permanent physical, emotional, and financial consequences. A serious burn injury may require extensive and potentially painful medical treatment, after which you may still be left with physical limitations, scarring, or disfigurement. Recovering from or being disabled by a burn injury can also leave you unable to work and afford your regular expenses. When you suffer a burn injury at work or in an accident caused by another party, you may be entitled to seek financial compensation for your injuries and losses.

Since 1973, the Palm Coast burn injury lawyers of Chiumento Law, PLLC, have provided dedicated legal representation to accident victims throughout Flagler and Volusia counties. Our full-service law firm has the experience and the resources to handle even the most complex burn injury cases.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation to learn more about how our firm can help you pursue a burn injury claim for compensation. There is no charge for our attorneys to start work on your case. Instead, you only pay us if we recover payment for you.

What to Do If You Suffer Burn Injuries in Florida

If you suffer burn injuries in an accident in Florida, you can take steps to protect your right to pursue financial compensation from those responsible by:

• Taking photographs of the accident scene (or asking someone to take photos for you)
• Keeping the object or objects that caused your burn injury, if safe to do so
• Seeking prompt medical attention for your injury
• Following treatment recommendations and instructions
• Keeping records of your expenses and losses
• Refusing to give a written or recorded statement to the at-fault party’s insurance company
• Setting up a free consultation with a burn injury lawyer to discuss your rights and options for pursuing financial recovery

What Compensation Can I Recover After a Burn Injury?

If you suffer a burn injury in an accident that was caused by another party, you may be entitled to recover compensation for expenses and losses related to your injury. This could include payment for:

• Past, ongoing, and future medical expenses to treat your injury
• Lost wages or income from time you miss from work while recovering from a burn
• Lost earning ability, if your burn injury causes permanent damage or disability that impacts your capacity to earn the same level of income you earned prior to your injury
• Loss of enjoyment or quality of life due to scarring/disfigurement or physical impairment that causes you to miss out on activities you previously enjoyed
• Physical pain and mental anguish resulting from your injuries and subsequent medical treatment
• Loss of consortium, which can compensate your spouse or another household family member for the loss of your companionship due to your injury

Depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may also receive an award of punitive damages from the party or parties responsible for your injury. Punitive damages do not compensate you for a loss but rather are intended to “punish” the at-fault party for egregious, shocking conduct and to dissuade others from engaging in similar conduct.

Average compensation for a burn injury

It is understandable to wonder how much the average burn injury case is worth. The truth is: There is no average burn injury settlement amount. Every case has a unique set of circumstances, including the severity of injuries suffered and the extent of treatment needed. Ultimately, the settlement or award a victim receives will be based on the specific circumstances of the case.

If I Had Burn Injuries at Work, What Can I Do?

Workers in any number of industries can suffer burn injuries on the job. Construction workers, manufacturing workers, and agricultural workers especially are exposed to risks of chemical burns, electrical burns, and thermal burns.

• File a workers’ comp claim to receive benefits. When a worker suffers a burn injury on the job in Palm Coast and Ormond Beach, workers’ comp benefits can help pay for medical expenses incurred to treat a work-related burn injury and partial wage replacement for the time that an employee misses from work. If a burn injury results in partial or total permanent disability for a worker, the accident victim may also be entitled to receive disability payments from workers’ compensation.
• Immediately report your injury to your supervisor or employer If you suffer a burn injury at work. You only have a limited time under state workers’ compensation law to report your injury and file a claim for workers’ comp benefits.
• Immediately seek medical attention for your injury, even if you are not sure how bad it is. After a few hours or a few days, you may realize that you’ve suffered a more severe burn injury than you initially thought. If you delay seeking medical attention after a burn injury at work, your employer or its workers’ compensation insurer may use that as evidence to deny your claim for benefits.
• You should speak with a burn injury lawyer about your legal rights and options. If your employer or its workers’ comp insurer is dragging their heels on paying you benefits, a lawyer can help you pursue the compensation you need. A lawyer can also advise you if you have other legal claims available to you, especially when your burn injury at work was caused by a third party, such as the manufacturer of defective equipment or machinery that burned you.

Types or Classification of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are categorized by degrees based on the severity of the injury, ranging from the least-severe first-degree burn injury to the most severe fourth-degree burn injury:

• In a first-degree burn, only the outermost layer of skin suffers damage. The skin may become red and sore but usually does not blister.
• A second-degree burn results in damage to the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and the layer underneath, the dermis. The skin will appear red, swollen, shiny, and potentially wet. Second-degree burns typically result in blistering. The site of the burn will also hurt to touch. In a superficial injury, only part of the dermis layer is damaged, and the injury typically does not leave scarring. However, if the injury goes deeper, the burn may leave a scar or permanent change in skin color.
• In a third-degree burn, both the epidermis and dermis are affected. These injuries cause the skin to appear black, brown, white, and/or yellow. Third-degree burns often do not cause significant pain because the injury has destroyed the nerve endings in the skin.
• A fourth-degree burn injury penetrates through the skin and causes damage to inner tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bone.

Although people commonly think of burns as being caused by fires or hot surfaces, there are different types of burn injuries that can occur, including:

• Friction burns, which involve both heat damage and abrasion to the skin
• Radiation burns, which include sunburns but also can be caused by exposure to radiation sources, such as X-rays
• Chemical burns, which can be caused by acids, detergents, or solvents
• Electrical burns, which occur during electrocution events

Common Causes of Burn Injuries

Some of the most common causes of accidental burn injuries in Palm Coast and Ormond Beach include:

• Motor vehicle accidents, which can cause burns from road rash when an accident victim is thrown or ejected from the vehicle or when the victim’s vehicle catches fire with the victim trapped inside
• Defective product accidents, particularly with products that can electrocute users or overheat and start fires
• Building fires, particularly in larger buildings such as hotels, apartment complexes, or office buildings
• Scalding accidents, which can be caused by hot tap water or by accidentally touching a hot stove, oven, or grill
• Gas explosions, such as from gas pipelines or from propane tanks
• Chemical spills, which can occur both at work and in the home
• Electrocutions, which can also damage internal organs and the central nervous system

Contact Our Palm Coast Burn Injury Law Firm Today

If you’ve suffered a burn injury in an accident or on the job, contact Chiumento Law, PLLC, today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Our personal injury attorneys will review your case for free, answer all your questions, and help you decide the best way to move forward.