Louisiana Burn Injury Lawyer: Compensation for Explosion & Fire Victims
Burn injuries can occur in many different types of accidents, and they are almost always quite severe. If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic burn, you need an experienced Louisiana burn injury lawyer who knows exactly where to look for evidence of negligence.
Where Burn Accidents Happen
While many people associate burns primarily with house fires, great burn injury attorneys understand that these injuries frequently occur in less obvious scenarios:
- Motor Vehicle Accidents: High-impact car and truck crashes can lead to fuel tank ruptures, engine fires, or airbag deployment burns.
- Work-Related Accidents: Those employed in Louisiana’s construction and industrial sectors are at the highest risk. Refineries, oilfields, and chemical plants often see catastrophic flash burns and steam injuries.
- Non-Fire Causes: Burn injuries aren’t always caused by fire. Chemical exposure, radiation, and electrical malfunctions are responsible for many severe injuries across our state.
Understanding Burn Classifications
Determining the depth of a burn is essential for both your medical recovery and your legal claim:
- First-Degree Burns: Affect only the outer layer of skin (epidermis).
- Second-Degree Burns: Penetrate into the dermis, often causing painful blisters.
- Third & Fourth-Degree Burns: These “full-thickness” burns destroy all skin layers and can damage underlying muscle, bone, and nerves.
Recovering Your Damages
Unlike many other injuries, burns typically have a life-long impact. Victims may face permanent scarring, physical pain, and psychological challenges like depression or social anxiety. Louisiana law (Civil Code Art. 2315) allows you to seek compensation for medical procedures, lost earning capacity, and the loss of enjoyment of life.
The Reality of Burn Treatment & Rehabilitation
When a person suffers a burn injury, medical treatment at any neighborhood hospital or medical facility may not be sufficient. Many burn injuries require treatment at specialized burn trauma centers, where the treatment is focused specifically on the needs of victims of burn injuries. These locations are staffed by medical professionals who have extensive experience in all matters related to burn injuries, including what to do in the immediate aftermath of the injury to reduce the long-term impact on a person’s life and ability to function. From there, the oftentimes long road to recovery begins. Burn trauma centers have the equipment and resources that burn injury victims will need in order to progress through the many stages of recovery.
The Long Road to Recovery: Surgeries and Grafts
Unfortunately for burn injury victims, the injury usually can’t just be treated with surgery and medicine with a 100 percent recovery the expectation. First and foremost, treatment is needed to stop the damage. Next, skin grafts may be necessary in order to start the path toward recovery. And then further reconstructive surgery may be needed in order to minimize the physical appearance of the scars that result from the injury. Once all of the medical procedures are completed, many burn injury victims will face the prospect of long-term rehabilitation, which can include multiple follow-up doctor visits and physical therapy over the course of years.
The Financial Cost of Catastrophic Burns
Needless to say, extensive medical treatment is quite common for many different types of burn injuries. And as the amount of care and the number of medical procedures stacks up, the bills for this treatment will rack up as well. For those whose burn injuries were caused due to another party’s recklessness or negligence, it may be possible to pursue a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation to cover those costs. If the burn injuries occurred as a result of a car accident, the other driver may be the party to pursue. If the burn injuries occurred in a work-related accident, the victim’s employer may be held accountable.
Psychological Impact and Long-Term Damages
Unlike many other types of injuries that accident victims suffer from, burn injuries typically have a life-long impact on the victim. Victims may face the prospect of humiliation as they attempt to cover up the scars from their burn injuries, or they may be dealing with pain from the injuries that lasts a lifetime. On top of the physical impact of burn injuries, victims may also face the need to seek professional help for mental conditions that may arise due to the burn injuries, such as depression. Victims who have suffered these injuries at the hands of another party do not have to sit idly. Financial compensation may provide victims with the resources they need to take the right steps toward recovery and living a normal life.
Contact the Berniard Injury Law Firm Burn Attorneys
Contact an Experienced Burn Injury Attorney Today If your injuries were caused by another party’s recklessness—whether it was a negligent driver, a careless employer, or a landlord who ignored faulty wiring—you have the right to take action. Call the Berniard Law Firm today at (504) 521-6000 for a FREE consultation.