Burns are painful, hard to treat and slow to heal. They can leave permanent scars and affect the mobility and function of the burned area for years to come. If you were badly burned in an accident that was somebody else’s fault, you should be compensated for your suffering. With help from a Blue Bell burn injury lawyer, a lawsuit could force the wrongdoer to take responsibility and pay for your pain, scarring, lost wages, medical bills, and more.
At Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers, our well-known attorneys have significant experience helping burn victims get the compensation they need. Founding Partner Jon Ostroff, Managing Partner Rich Godshall, and the rest of our winning team have successfully recovered millions in catastrophic injury cases. As your advocates, we will fight like hell for you, and you will not pay us anything unless we get you the compensation you deserve. In fact, just recently Rich Godshall and Jon Ostroff recovered $6.5 million for a college student that was burned by electrocution.
Burns Damage the Entire Body
Burns damage the skin, one of your body’s most important organs. The skin has several functions, including:
- Providing a sense of touch, allowing you to avoid dangers like hot or sharp surfaces
- Regulating body temperature through sweating when the body gets too warm and sending blood to internal organs when the body gets too cold
- Protecting the body against germs
- Absorbing Vitamin D, which comes from sunlight and is important for good health
If the skin is damaged, you might lose sensation or the ability to regulate temperature in the damaged area. A severe burn also stresses other body systems. Germs can enter through the burned area, leading to infection. The body’s response to a bad burn can lead to shock and damage to your heart, kidney, lung, or brain. Burn injuries can suppress the immune system, making you more susceptible to disease.
If your burn came from a fire, you might also suffer from smoke exposure, which can cause permanent harm to the lungs and heart. Our experienced lawyers in Blue Bell will pursue payment to cover every effect of your burn injury.
Proving Negligence in Blue Bell Burn Cases
Anyone who brings a lawsuit seeking money for their injuries must prove that someone else was negligent. Negligence means that someone failed to act as a reasonable person would in the same situation and caused an injury because of their carelessness. The negligent party could be a person, a business, or even a government agency.
To prove negligence, a local burn attorney at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers will demonstrate that:
- The responsible party owed you a duty
- The responsible party did fulfill their duty
- Your accident happened because of the responsible party’s failure to meet their duty of care
- You suffered injuries as a result of this failure
The word “duty” can be confusing since the legal concept is broader than the way most people use the word. Everyone owes certain legal duties to everyone else. For example, a speeding driver fails their duty to follow traffic laws. Businesses and landowners owe a duty to keep their premises free of hazards. Manufacturers owe a duty to make products safe for consumer use.
Seeking Maximum Damages for Your Burns
The money an injured victim receives from the negligent party is called their “damages”. You can recover two types of damages in a personal injury lawsuit, called “compensatory and punitive damages”.
Compensatory Damages
Compensatory damages pay for the losses caused by the burn injury. Compensatory damages include money for:
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Disability
- Disfigurement (scarring)
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Medical expenses
- Household help to do chores you cannot perform because of the burn
- Lost wages
- Future losses, including reduced earning power and medical treatment you may need in the coming years
Your seasoned Blue Bell burn injury attorney will collect proof of every dime you spent for medical treatment and recovery and pursue payment from the responsible party. Your lawyer will also interview you, your family members, and your friends to learn how the burn affected your quality of life. Any settlement must account for the harm, losses and changes the burn caused in your lifestyle.
Punitive Damages
If the party who caused your burns acted intentionally or recklessly, your attorney can ask a jury to award punitive damages. These damages punish the wrongdoer for causing you harm. There is no standard amount for punitive damages, but they could be several times the amount of your compensatory damages.
Work With a Skilled Blue Bell Burn Attorney
Recovering from severe burns is a difficult, painful process. You should not have to worry about money on top of everything else you are going through. Team up with a Blue Bell burn injury lawyer to get a relentless fighter on your side.
At Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers, our seasoned attorneys are not afraid to stand up to whoever caused your burns, whether they are a negligent neighbor or a huge multi-national corporation. Call today to discuss your case with an experienced member of our firm.
