Houston Burn Injury Lawyer

Why Hire Simmons & Fletcher For Your Burn Injury Case?

At Simmons and Fletcher, we’ve handled the legal claims of survivors of burn injury accidents whose lives were disrupted and forever changed by the negligence or carelessness of another person, company, or entity. If you or a loved one has experienced a burn injury caused by someone else’s reckless behavior, we firmly believe in your right to have your story heard and damages recompensed. If given the opportunity, we’d be proud to be the law firm that fights for justice for you.

Our team has been working to support injury victims and the communities that they reside in since 1979. Our case results demonstrate the compensation we’ve recovered on behalf of our deserving clients, and our hundreds of 5-star Google Reviews showcase just how much care, empathy, and support we put into our client-attorney relationships.

Call us at your leisure and we’ll offer you a free initial consultation with a Houston burn injury attorney from our firm. One of our experienced legal team members will listen to the details of your case and patiently explain to you your legal options. This case review is available to you with no strings attached. If you do decide to work with our team, you won’t owe us anything for the consultation.

What Are the Common Causes of Burn Injuries?

Burns are most commonly caused by fires, although other common causes include dangerous chemicals, scalding liquids, explosions, and heated appliances. These burn injuries usually occur at home, in automobile accidents, and at work.

Burn injuries that happen at home are often a result of the following hazards:

• Acid from batteries;
• Household chemicals;
• Playground equipment;
• Hot appliances like stoves and irons;
• Scalding liquids from defective products like faucets, water heaters, and other heating and cooling equipment.

Burn injuries that happen in motor vehicle accidents usually occur on public roads and highways and often involve trucks hauling oil or gas. In the event that one of these commercial vehicles gets into an accident, the results can be even more catastrophic than a typical truck accident.

Unfortunately, the workplace is one of the most common sites for burn injury accidents—in fact, over 3000 burn injuries happened in Texas workplace accidents in 2021, including thermal, electrical, and chemical burns. Individuals who work on construction sites, oilfields, and oil rigs are particularly at risk for workplace burn injuries, as they frequently work with flammable gasses, electrical equipment, and chemicals that can cause explosions or other mishaps.

Burn injuries in the workplace are usually caused by neglected safety regulations, staff inexperience, inadequate safety training, and employee non-compliance. Whether you’ve experienced fire-related injuries or another type of burn injury, you deserve to seek just compensation from any negligent parties involved in your accident—a personal injury or chemical burn lawyer can help.

What Are the Degrees of Burns and How Are They Treated Medically?

First-Degree Burns (superficial damage)

First-degree burns are identified by redness on the skin that only affects the epidermis (also known as the outermost layer of the skin). First-degree burns typically heal on their own without any complications, as long as they don’t cover a large area of the skin.

Second-Degree Burns (blisters, possible skin grafts)

Second-degree burns affect both the dermis and epidermis and may appear as swollen skin with red or white splotches. You may also experience blistering and severe pain. Second-degree burns may require medical attention, as they can lead to complications like infection, scarring, and fluid loss without treatment. In some cases, medical treatment for second-degree burns includes skin grafting, although this is not always necessary.

Third-Degree Burns (full-thickness burns, severe tissue damage)

Third-degree burns are severe burns that reach the fat layer underneath the skin (dermis and epidermis). These burns may result in the skin having a leathery appearance and a sensation of numbness due to intensive nerve damage. Third-degree burns always require immediate medical attention. Failing to seek treatment could result in complications such as bacterial infection, sepsis, fluid and blood loss, hypothermia, respiratory complications, permanent scarring, and bone and joint tissue.

Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth-Degree Burns (severe disfigurement and fatalities)

Fourth, fifth, and sixth-degree burns are the most serious types of burn injuries—most commonly leading to fatalities, although some injury victims may survive with severe disfigurement.

• Fourth-degree burns typically appear as charred skin, perhaps with some exposed bone. The damage extends to the skin, tendons, nerves, and muscles (in some cases).
• Fifth-degree burns typically appear as charred, white skin with exposed bone. The damage extends to the skin, tendons, muscles, and bones.
• Sixth-degree burns typically appear as a loss of skin with exposed bone. The damage extends all the way down to the bone.

What Types of Compensation Can You Recover After a Burn Injury?

If you’ve experienced a burn injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. The precise amount of compensation you may seek from a jury is different in every case, but our team of resourceful Houston burn injury attorneys would be honored to fight for the compensation you deserve. Your exact compensation, if any, may depend on factors like the severity of your burn injuries, the insurance available to you, and the circumstances surrounding your accident.

Regardless of these factors, our personal injury lawyers will seek to include these types of damages in your claim:

• Medical bills
• Ongoing medical care
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Past and future lost wages
• Past and future pain and suffering
• Disfigurement and emotional suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life

These damages are categorized as economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are financial and easily quantified—like medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages, like mental anguish, are based on emotional and physical struggles that don’t have a precise dollar value attached to them—although your personal injury attorney will work to quantify these damages as part of your case.

In rare cases, the jury in your case may award punitive damages. The defendant will be made to pay you these damages if they were found to be egregiously negligent or reckless in your accident.

How Can You Prove Liability in a Burn Injury Case?

Liability in a burn injury case lies with any person or entity whose negligence led to your burn accident and injuries. As long as you are not more than 50% at fault for your injury, you may be able to seek compensation from any company, employer, vehicle owner, or property owner who was partially responsible for your injuries. Your personal injury attorney can be of assistance to you by identifying any liable parties and the evidence for their negligence, although we’ll present some of the most common responsible parties below.

Landlord Negligence

If you rent your living space, it’s your landlord’s responsibility to provide a safe environment that fulfills the minimum legal housing standards. These standards include:

• Smoke detectors that are properly installed and functioning
• Regular maintenance of fixtures and appliances in the home and building
• Sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings

Workplace Accidents

Workers’ compensation is not mandatory in Texas. Thus, if your employer fails to provide it, you can still file a lawsuit against your employer if their negligence directly led to your burn injuries. If we are able to prove your employer’s negligence (e.g., they haven’t repaired malfunctioning equipment or properly trained their staff), then you could potentially collect substantial compensation in the form of medical bills, lost future wages, and more.

How to File a Burn Injury Claim in Houston?

In the aftermath of a burn injury accident, it can be difficult to move forward and figure out the necessary legal steps to get just compensation for your injuries. That’s why we’ve put together this list of steps so that you know exactly what to do to file your burn injury claim in Houston:

• Schedule a free consultation with a Houston personal injury lawyer who has experience handling burn injury cases.
• Your attorney will then investigate your accident, gather evidence to support your claim, and interview experts relevant to the details of your case.
• Your attorney will identify any liable parties who may be at fault for your burn injuries, including individuals, companies, and establishments.
• Once liable parties are identified, your attorney will file a lawsuit on your behalf;
• The defendant’s legal team might negotiate with your attorney in an attempt to reach a fair settlement agreement.
• If a fair settlement agreement cannot be reached, your case may proceed to trial, where your attorney will support your story and argue for your right to compensation.

What is the Statute of Limitations for Burn Injury Cases in Texas?

The state of Texas has a statute of limitations of two years for burn injuries for adults. This statute means that you have two years from the date of an accident to file a claim—otherwise, you may forfeit all rights to potential compensation. Minors can file up until their 20th birthday but their medical expense claims prior to turning 18 belong to their parents. Contact a Houston burn injury lawyer at Simmons & Fletcher as soon as possible so they can help you to potentially bring your case to justice and receive the compensation you deserve.

Call our office today: (713) 932-0777.