HOUSTON BURN INJURY ATTORNEY

Houston Burn Injury Lawyer

That is why no matter how a burn injury happened – whether it is from a defective product, a hazard on the poorly kept property, or an accident burn at another party’s negligence, we will work hard to make sure are adequately compensated for pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, recovery, and rehabilitation, and other related loses.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious burn injuries as a result of negligence, don’t delay, call today. Our Houston burn injury lawyer in Houston can also be reached by email message. Hospitalized patients and injury victims recovering at home can be visited for free initial consultations.

Our contingency fee policy means that we can charge no legal fees unless we win your case.

Infected Burn Injuries: What to Look For

Burns cause many complications, including disfigurement and disability. However, burn infection is an under-appreciated problem that can affect many burn survivors. At Husain Law and Associates Truck Accident Lawyers , we work closely with Houston burn victims and their families following an accident. We understand how expensive an infection can be to treat and how hard it is to fully recover.

Below, our Houston burn injury attorney reviews some of the leading infections that impact burn victims.

Cellulitis

Cellulitis is one of the more common bacterial infections. It is treatable if caught early. If not, however, cellulitis can progress to potentially life-threatening complications.

Look for the following:

• Redness around the burn, such as red streaks shooting off from it or a red halo around the wound.

• Tenderness around the burn, so that touching this area is painful.

• The heat emanating from the wound.

• Foul odor coming from the burn.

A doctor can treat cellulitis by cleaning your wound and prescribing antibiotics. If you delay treatment, however, your cellulitis can progress to something more serious.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Burn victims can develop toxic shock syndrome (TSS) as a result of severe cellulitis. You might also develop toxic shock syndrome from an old bandage or gauze. This is one reason why you need to change your bandages regularly.

Signs of toxic shock syndrome include:

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Fever

• Rash

• Extreme fatigue

Treatment begins by removing the impacted bandage or gauze and then fully cleaning your burn wound.

Necrosis

Necrosis is a type of invasive injury where healthy tissue begins to die. Early on, you’ll notice necrosis when healthy skin becomes red. The color can change to purple or blue before finally turning black, which means the tissue has died.

You should pay close attention to the color of your wound bed and any surrounding tissue. Other symptoms of necrosis include a foul odor or a loss of sensation in the affected body part.

To treat this type of injury, a doctor will probably clean the tissue and administer antibiotics. However, if your medical team can’t halt the necrosis, you might need surgery, including amputation, to stop the spread.

Sepsis & Septic Shock

Sepsis is a serious type of response to an infection that leads to extreme inflammation. Ultimately, this inflammation can lead to septic shock and a dangerous drop in blood pressure. A patient’s kidneys and other organs can become stressed and begin shutting down. Doctors usually respond to sepsis by prescribing antibiotics to treat the infection. They might also counter a drop in blood pressure and provide dialysis or supplemental oxygen. Septic shock is very deadly, with roughly 40% of patients dying.

Are Burn Injuries Permanent?

One concern people have after a fire is whether their burns will fully heal. We understand the concern. Unfortunately, burns often have permanent consequences that make life very difficult for victims. If you were hurt in an accident, you should seek compensation for all injuries, including burns. Your Houston burn injury lawyer also should consider how these injuries will affect your life when determining how much compensation to request.

Here are 4 ways burns can permanently affect you—even years after the accident.

Skin Contractures Limit Movement

Contractures are a common side effect of burns. A contracture is the permanent tightening of tendons, muscles, and ligaments that eventually causes joints to become stiff and difficult to move. Even those who get skin grafts can suffer contracture as the skin pulls in from the far edges. Although contractures are unsightly, they can limit your movement when you suffer a burn on the skin that covers a joint, like your elbow or knees.

To improve movement, you may need surgery or rehabilitation to attempt to loosen the skin and bring mobility back to your joints. With sufficient effort, many burn victims can regain the use of the affected limb, but this can be a grueling challenge.

Burns Leave Permanent Scars

Scars form naturally as a byproduct of how skin heals after it is damaged, such as by fire. Collagen thickens the skin, which can lead to discolored areas that are bumpy. Although some scars will fade over time, others will remain visible indefinitely.

It is very difficult to reduce scars once they form. Some people report benefits from micro-needling, laser, or other therapies, but unsightly scars can cause emotional distress, especially if they are on the face, neck, or hands.

You Can Suffer Nerve Damage

Serious burns end up damaging the nerve endings in the skin. For many people, this nerve damage is permanent, which can mean either chronic pain or tingling, or a complete loss of sensation. Nerve damage in the face, for example, can impair a person’s ability to express emotion or speak normally.

Burns Can Lead to Amputation & Death

Ideally, burns should heal in a matter of months. Unfortunately, some burn victims will suffer from catastrophic infections, such as necrotizing fasciitis. This is a bacterial infection that largely affects soft tissue, killing it. Because the infection spreads so rapidly, patients often need to amputate the affected limb before the condition becomes fatal. Even with the best treatment, a high percentage of people die from the condition.

Burns is one of the ways that this infection takes root in the body. You should discuss with your doctor what symptoms to watch out for and seek immediate assistance if you experience pain or other symptoms.

Who Is Responsible for Burn Injuries?

Establishing liability requires sufficient evidence. In most cases, it depends on the cause and the parties involved in the burn accident. Burns often occur because of someone’s negligence. So, who can be held accountable for accidental burns?

Manufacturers:

When a product malfunctions and causes an accident, its producer can be held responsible. However, that depends on how the product’s fault led to your injuries. When a faulty part contributes to the injury, a manufacturer can be liable. Moreover, product designers can be at fault when design flaws cause accidents.

Employer:

Workplaces face many unexpected events that can cause injuries to personnel. Workers need to work in safe and secure environments to avoid unforeseen accidents. The legal obligation of providing protection rests with the employer. Fortunately, most employers seek refuge in workers’ compensation insurance, which helps to minimize their liability.

Driver:

Gasoline leaks from vehicle accidents can result in fire, leaving victims engulfed in the inferno and sustaining severe wounds. When another motorist is negligent and causes a vehicle collision that leads to burn injuries, drivers can face lawsuits.

Landlord:

Property owners are required to follow laid-down codes to avoid accidents. When they neglect their duty to follow these rules, they may be held responsible for any injury caused to their tenants. In fact, they must ensure their facilities have functioning fire and smoke alarms.

Burn Injury Classifications by Severity

Burn-related injuries are common, some requiring emergency treatment. These injuries can be fatal, with life-changing outcomes. This has prompted medical professionals to classify these incidents according to their depth and severity to determine the best treatment interventions.

Here’s how doctors classify these injuries by degree:

• First-degree burns: These are tiny but painful injuries that affect the epidermis and may not require urgent medical attention. Wounds can heal within a week, often without scars

• Second–degree burns: They are more serious and affect the deeper layers of the skin. They form blisters and redness which can be painful, taking more than a week to heal.

• Third–degree burns: They involve more critical injuries, and can destroy all layers of skin or even deeper tissue. Surprisingly, they aren’t sensitive to pain and can take nearly one month to heal.

Common Complications and Long-Term Consequences of Burn Injuries in Houston, TX

Injuries sustained from burns are normal in Texas. Although minor burns can heal on their own, serious cases can be life-threatening and fatal, leaving permanent scars on victims.

Common long-term complications include:

1. Infections

If you escape a fire incident with serious injuries, your body may become vulnerable to infection. That’s because burns damage your skin’s protective layer, leaving it exposed to pathogens. This can cause complications ranging from sepsis to organ failure

2. Nerve Damage

Deep burns can affect the neuropathic system, destroying nerve endings and causing numbness in the limbs and feet. Nerve damage often happens to patients suffering from third-degree burns.

3. Scarring

It’s evident that wounds form scars after recovering from injury. Unfortunately, these ugly patches on our skin stretch and become inflexible which can impair a patient’s mobility and affect their well-being.

4. Respiratory Difficulties

Breathing of toxic fumes during a fire accident causes respiratory complications. If the victim is in a contained area, fire can deprive them of oxygen. The result be tragic, requiring patients to seek medical interventions to avoid death.

5. Contractures

When a scar forms, it pulls and tightens the skin’s edges. Stiff skin can prevent normal body movement, which can cause pain and discomfort to the patient. Depending on the patient’s requirements, surgical interventions can be considered to address the condition.

What Is the Deadline for Filing Burn Injury Claims in Houston, US?

Burn injuries are unfortunate events that can happen to anyone alive today. However, only a few people understand the trauma associated with these incidents. Victims have to deal with high medical costs, permanent scars, and psychological pain.

Every jurisdiction has a unique maximum period set out under the statute of limitations law to start legal proceedings.

In Houston, filing of a burn accident case must be done within two years from the date it occurred. If lawsuits are filed after the expiry of the deadline, the claim can be dismissed forever.

However, the rule contains the following exceptions:

• You must be mentally competent for the clock to start ticking.

• If you were below 18 years old when the injury occurred, the court grants an extension to the deadline.

• You must be present with Texas State for the two-year limitation rule to apply.

• Burns can be excruciating and when they happen, time is of essence. You need to act promptly by contacting a burn injury lawyer to avoid losing the right to initiate a claim.

How Much Is My Burn Claim Worth?

If you want to start legal proceedings for a burn injury case, you might be struggling to understand how much your claim is worth. Valuing your settlement will vary based on the following factors.

The Degree of the injury:

If a burn is severe, there are higher chances of the victim receiving higher compensation. Insurance providers often value highly claims involving second or third-degree burns because they cover a larger portion of your body.

Costs of Treatment:

When calculating compensation, treatment expenses including rehabilitation costs are considered. If the injuries lead to a permanent disability, it can affect the victim’s ability to work, and that’s factored in when providing compensation.

How the Accident Occurred:

Circumstances surrounding a burn accident can affect the expected compensation amount. For example, if the incident occurred as a result of safety violations by an employer, it can result in higher compensation.

Punitive Damages:

A court rarely awards exemplary damages, but if it establishes that a defendant acted in a harmful way, it can decide to grant these damages as punishment, together with the first compensatory damages.

Common Burn Injury Claim Scenarios:

Burn injuries happen quickly in different contexts and circumstances, leaving victims with unbearable pain and suffering. Here are possible scenarios:

House Fires:

These are perhaps the most common scenarios for burn injury claims. They may happen because of faulty home appliances or electrical malfunctions, which can lead to severe burn injuries. Since they usually result in immense suffering and pain, victims are entitled to compensation.

Traffic Collisions:

Driver negligence or poor car maintenance can cause road crashes. They usually cause open flames that can produce severe burn injuries, making them highly considerable for claims.

Electrical Tools:

Faulty equipment or poor safety measures at work or home can trigger electrical burns. These incidences can cause mild skin or tissue damage, making them eligible for compensation.

Workplace Accidents:

Coming into contact with chemicals and hazardous materials at work can contribute to burn injuries. In many cases, they happen because of negligence, especially when handling materials. A person affected by such an incident can sue for compensation.

How Hussain Law Can Help You With a Burn Injury Claim in Houston?

Burn injuries can turn your whole life upside down. In an instant, you might be unable to walk or work again. The worst part is that it may not even be your fault.

Whatever the instance that caused your injury, we can help you process your claim in the following ways:

They Provide Free Consultation

Burn injury cases are usually complicated, requiring specialized knowledge from law firms. Our Law firm offers free consultation services where victims learn more about their cases and assess the severity of their injuries. This initial evaluation forms the basis for determining the best legal avenue to follow.

Advocate For Justice

Even though cases involving burns can be challenging, this law firm has extensive experience to effectively represent you in court. They also ensure that you receive justice by working closely with you to initiate a strong case.

Serve With Empathy and Compassion

The law firm has your interest at the forefront by offering dedicated services even when emotional and physical burn injuries take a toll on you. They work hard to lessen your suffering throughout the entire legal process.

Have an Impressive Track Record

A good law firm is assessed by how many successful settlements it has done. This team of advocates have a proven track record of winning burn injury claims.

On top of mental distress, burn injuries can leave you with physical scars and heavy financial burdens. However, you can take these challenges head-on with the help of quality our legal experts.