Following a tragic fire, burn injury victims and their families may face serious hardships. Costly medical bills may pile up as lost income takes a toll on finances, only complicating an already difficult situation. After a burn injury, victims should be able to focus on healing and trying to put their lives back together. Experienced burn injury attorneys understand these challenges and can help victims try to make sense of an accident by investigating the cause and holding any wrongdoers accountable.
As legal advocates for burn injury victims, personal injury attorneys have the legal resources and tools necessary to properly ascertain if someone’s negligence is responsible for senseless burn injuries. An attorney can help collect police and fire department reports and medical records to document your injury. Furthermore, attorneys have access to medical experts to evaluate your injuries to determine what the long term health implications of your injury may be.
Especially important to your claim may be hiring the proper fire accident investigators or other experts to find out what really caused the fire and if steps should have been taken to prevent it. If your burn injury was caused by the carelessness or negligence of another, you may have a claim for substantial compensation to cover your damages. For questions about your burn injury claim, speak to a Los Angeles burn injury attorney.
Causes of burn injuries
While every accident is different, the U.S. Fire Administration data shows there are a few common causes of fire-related injuries. Some of the leading causes of fire-related fatalities include electrical malfunctions (10.2 percent) and carelessness (16.6 percent). In LA county, fire crews respond to approximately 8,000 fire incidents a year.
Other common causes of fire and burn injuries are car accidents, defective products, industrial and structure fires, and chemical spills. Sometimes, burn injuries occur because basic safety precautions were not followed. Los Angeles burn injury attorneys can help hold wrongdoers accountable for their careless actions.
Numerous state and federal fire codes exist to try and prevent catastrophic fire injuries. Many jurisdictions require safety equipment like smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and sprinkler systems be periodically inspected to ensure efficacy. Property owners or management companies who turn a blind eye to important fire safety provisions may be held accountable for carelessness and wanton negligence.
What can I recover in a burn injury lawsuit?
If your burn injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to hold the responsible party liable for many of your damages. The law gives fire and burn injury victims remedy to recover for their damages property, lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills. The right personal injury attorney can help take stock of your medical condition and future earning capacity to maximize the compensation you may receive.
California has strict time deadlines claimants must meet when filing burn injury lawsuits. Once the deadline to file expires, injured victims may no longer be able to bring claims against the negligent party. Protect your legal rights and contact a Los Angeles burn injury attorney at your earliest convenience to discuss your injury.