Were you severely burned and now want to know more about burn injury compensation? While the skin is generally resilient and heals quickly in most cases, burns can be an exception. Burns can cause long-lasting pain and leave you seriously disfigured. Severe burns can require expensive medical treatment. Pain from a burn can make it difficult for you to do your job, and if you’re seeking a job, disfigurement from a burn can be a very real barrier to employment, sapping your confidence and triggering bias. It’s important to understand the types and classifications of burns, and the ways in which you might be entitled to compensation.

Burn Injury Compensation | Thermal Burns

You can severely burn your skin from direct exposure to high temperatures – for example, touching a stove. The most famous example of a personal injury case resulting from a thermal burn is Liebeck v. McDonald’s (1994), in which a 49-cent cup of coffee led to an undisclosed settlement probably between $400-600,000. While the “hot coffee” case remains controversial, still the poster child for tort reform more than 20 years later, it offers valuable lessons about claims for thermal burns. Liebeck’s attorneys won the case in part because the jury deemed the coffee to be unreasonably and dangerously hot, and the warning on the cup to be inadequate. If you’ve suffered a thermal burn, dangerous temperatures, unsafe conditions, and inadequate warnings could all entitle you to a claim.

Burn Injury Compensation | Electrical Burns

Electric burns result from high-voltage electricity traveling through the body. Lightning could be a cause, but more commonly electrical burns come from contact with an electrical outlet, wire, or appliance. Beyond burns, enough voltage could damage internal organs and even cause the heart to stop. The most severe electrical burns usually occur in a construction or industrial site.

Burn Injury Compensation | Chemical Burns

Most chemical burns result from household products like bleach, chlorine, and other cleaning solutions. These burns can be devastating, affecting the deepest layers of your skin.

If you want to discuss burn injury claims with an experienced Rochester personal injury lawyer, please call our office today to set up a consultation.

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Out of Town Legal Resources

I spoke with someone the the other day who had suffered serious burn injuries in Texas. We don’t practice in Texas, but we found these personal injury lawyers in McAllen, TX that did a great job with their online legal guides and videos. If you or someone you know ever suffers burn injuries caused by the negligence of another in Texas, take a look at their online burn injury resources.