Managing Partner
Severe burns are among the most serious injuries someone can receive in an accident. Countless people suffer burn injuries every year, and many of them leave lasting scars. At Glotzer & Leib, we have seen firsthand the harm a serious burn injury can do. Now, our burn injury lawyer can also review your burn injury case.
If you have suffered a burn injury, contact Los Angeles burn injury attorney Joshua Glotzer today to discuss your case. We have 20 years of experience helping accident victims, and their families get compensation for their pain and suffering. The consultation is free, and we get nothing unless we win. Let us address your burn injury claims.
According to the American Burn Association, approximately 486,000 burn injuries result in medical treatment annually. The cost of medical treatment can be substantial, ranging from $35,000 to over $1,000,000.
Even when victims survive thermal burns or a dangerous fire initially, they often remain at a high risk of suffering a fatal infection for a long time after they are hurt. Furthermore, studies have shown that burn injuries are perhaps the most painful injuries an accident victim can suffer.
While there are technically fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-degree burn injuries, the vast majority of those who suffer this level of burn injury die. Following is an explanation of the first through third-degree burn injuries:
A first-degree burn affects only the top layer of skin. A sunburn is classified as a first-degree burn, with symptoms such as redness, pain, peeling skin, and swelling in some cases. First-degree burns usually heal within a week.
A second-degree burn involves the first two layers of skin. The skin may be extremely red, blistered, and painful. In some cases, these blisters can open, leaving skin that appears moist. A second-degree burn can take more than three weeks to heal completely, and the victim can suffer acute pain.
Third-degree burns are among the most dangerous types of burns that a person can survive. They cause damage to all layers of the skin and can extend into the underlying body tissues, the bloodstream, the bones, and the major organs, or they can result in death.
Determining liability after a burn injury depends on the specific facts of your case. First, we must determine whether negligence contributed to your burn injuries. If it did, we need to determine who the negligent parties were and pursue an action against them.
The following are the most common causes of burn injuries and who may be liable:
If your burn injuries occurred following a car accident, even if the accident was due to the negligence of another, there could be other issues at hand, namely a manufacturing defect in the vehicle itself. You may have a claim against the negligent driver and motor vehicle manufacturer.
If you suffered burns in a residential home fire, the fire may have resulted from a faulty propane tank, a downed power line, arson, or shoddy wiring inside the house. Again, you may have a claim against the property owner and the product manufacturer that directly caused your injuries.
Burn injuries may result from a negligent employer mishandling dangerous chemicals or failing to maintain electrical wiring properly. If so, you may be able to pursue a cause of action against the employer and building contractor.
While taking legal action against those at fault can never make up for all that victims have lost, doing so can help them secure their future and find closure by:
The most grievous burns can require debridement and skin grafts, with many months spent in the burn unit and ICU. The injuries of burn victims take an enormous toll on their relationships, their finances, their job, and their psychological health.
In the beginning, the struggle is simply for survival; later on, the recovery focuses on restorative care, yet the patient may still be undergoing extremely painful treatments.
Depression and anxiety are common during a burn patient’s recovery, and post-traumatic stress disorder can also appear. Burn injury patients may mourn for their former life (appearance, physical ability, mobility, and employment).
Those with drastic burn injuries may face the following:
In addition, other long-term issues that fire and burn injury victims can face include:
There are several types of fire injuries and burns that people can suffer. The differences often stem from what led to the injury.
Burn injury types include:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention places burns and fires as one of the leading causes of death in the home. It is the fifth-leading cause of death tied to childhood injuries.
According to 2010 National Fire Protection Association statistics, a fire-related death occurs every 169 minutes, and a fire-related injury occurs every 30 minutes. Further facts about burn injuries include:
Scald burns are very common among children and the elderly. Children often grab the handle of a pot on a stove that contains boiling liquid, while scald burns from baths or showers when the hot water heater is set too high, causing scald burns among the elderly.
The fact that children and the elderly have thinner skin than adults makes the issue worse because the burns are more severe.
With burn injuries, perhaps even more than most other types of injury, you must have an experienced attorney from beginning to end. Your attorney will be able to ensure the party responsible for your burn injuries compensates you properly for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
At Glotzer & Leib, LLP, we recognize that the pain and severity of burn fire and explosion injuries cannot be overstated. What victims and families have to endure in the wake of such incidents is both unimaginable and the fact that, in many cases, it could have been prevented.
In California, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. You should speak with a burn injury attorney as soon as possible to ensure your claim is filed within these time limits.
You may be eligible for compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and possibly punitive damages, depending on the circumstances of your case. An experienced attorney can help you familiarize yourself with the full compensation available based on your specific injuries.
To prove negligence in a burn injury case, you must demonstrate that another party had a duty to ensure safety, breached that duty, and directly caused your injuries. Your attorney will help gather and present the needed evidence to support these claims.
Los Angeles burn injury attorney Josh Glotzer is dedicated to defending the rights of injury victims and their families.
As his case results show, Attorney Glotzer is a seasoned negotiator, investigator, and litigator dedicated to finding justice for his clients. He will do whatever is necessary under the law, including going to trial, if it is in his client’s best interests.
For more information about burn injury cases and how we can help you, call us directly at (844) 821-5271 or fill out our online contact form to set up a free consultation with our Los Angeles personal injury lawyer. Remember, you cannot make this call too soon, as valuable evidence could be lost every second you wait.
“Mr. Glotzer represented me after I was involved in a car accident. I was badly injured,but the insurance company refused to offer me a reasonable settlement. I decided to find an attorney and decided to hire Josh.
His law firm did a great job on my case. They were very responsive to all my questions and obtained a great resolution for me. I received way more money than was originally offered. I would recommend their firm to friends and family.”
“Mr. Josh Glotzer is a great attorney. Over the last 15 years he has helped me on a number of cases with professionalism, and more importantly a positive outcome in my favor. I have referred him to a number of friends and colleagues, all of which have been equally as happy with his legal representation. I trust him and confident in legal ability. I highly recommend his law firm.”
“Don’t try to deal with insurance companies on your own. They strung me along for almost two years before I gave the case to Glotzer & Leib. Josh and his team quickly obtained a settlement that netted me many times what the insurance company was offering. Thank You!”
“My wife was in a car accident last year and Josh did an amazing job representing her. It’s very refreshing to see someone in his profession that actually cares and puts his clients first. He’s the best in the business and I feel so fortunate that I was referred to him. Keep up the great work and thanks for everything you did for my family!”
“I was in a rear end car accident last year and hired Mr. Glotzer’s office. It wasn’t a big case but their office helped me with my property damage claim and did a good job resolving the injury portion of the case as well.”
