Burn injuries are unlike any other type of injury. Severe burns impact every aspect of a person’s life, including one’s ability to perform basic living activities. Burns cause not only debilitating pain, but they also can require treatments that are even more painful than the original injury. Medical treatment, therapy and rehabilitation often are needed for months and even years after the injury. This can result in mounting medical expenses and lost wages, which make it difficult to address the costs of ongoing care and treatment.
Complications from burn injuries only exacerbate these issues. This articles details the types of complications that can result form burn injuries and underscores why it is so important to seek the advice of an experienced burn injury lawyer if your burn injuries were the result of the negligence or fault of another.
Common Complications of Burn Injuries
Scarring. Scars are the most common complications that result from burns. Burn scars are classified by their appearance and how they affect the skin. Types include contracture, keloid and hypertrophic burn scars. All burn scars are permanent reminders of the pain and suffering endured after a serious burn. Skin grafts are often necessary to repair the damage on a burn victim’s face and neck, causing disfiguring scars that can significantly impact the quality of life. While modern medicine continually finds ways to smooth scar tissue, present methods include plastic surgery, painful laser treatments, and other options that may not be covered by insurance.
Infections. A breakage in the skin from a burn can result in infection, and serious infections can affect the burn victim’s bones and bloodstream. One type of infection can arise is sepsis, which can have serious complications, including amputation to remove the infected tissue and even death.
Blindness. A chemical burn or a burn from heat near the face can damage one’s vision or result in blindness.
Respiratory issues. It’s not unusual for a burn injury victim to be exposed to smoke or hot air for and extended period of time. This can damage a victim’s lungs, which may result in respiratory problems, like pneumonia or asthma, or even respiratory failure.
Mobility limitations. Burns can result in damage to muscles, nerves and extremities including one’s hands and feet. All of these may lead to a loss of balance, coordination and mobility. Depending on the circumstances, some limitations may be overcome through rehabilitation and physical therapy, but many times the limitations are permanent.
Psychological complications. Severe burn injuries are caused by traumatic events. These experiences and the injuries that result can leave a burn injury victim with a psychological issues, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions that may require professional counseling or medical treatment.
Brain injuries. If a burn injury victim is deprived of oxygen or forced to inhale toxic fumes or chemicals, they may sustain a brain injury or damage. This can be a serious complication that requires interdisciplinary medical care.
How Our Kansas City Burn Injury Lawyer Can Help
Burns can be devastating injuries that render victims incapacitated, unable to work or perform activities of daily living, and indebted due to mounting medical bills. Our Kansas City burn injury law firm helps burn injury victims recover compensation for their past and future medical bills, past and future pain and suffering, lost wages and lost earning capacity.
While our law firm performs many functions to maximize the value of burn injury claims, some important steps include:
- Conduct an investigation to determine fault. To be entitled to compensation for your burn injury, you must have evidence that shows another person or company was responsible for causing your injuries. This requires a full investigation into how the accident happened because more than one party may be at fault. For example, a product manufacturer, distributor, employer, driver, or insurance company are just a few of the parties who may share in liability.
- Gathering evidence. After investigating who is at fault for the burn injury, our firm will begin the process of gathering evidence to support your claim. If a lawsuit is pending, this may occur through a process known as discovery.
- Filing a lawsuit & settlement negotiations. Depending on the circumstances, we may submit a pre-suit demand package to the at-fault parties to determine if settlement negotiations are possible. Other times, we may determine that the most expedient way to resolve your claim is to file suit and negotiate within the context of the lawsuit. Either way, we will discuss all options with you before proceeding.
- Prepare for trial. Some lawyers are afraid of the courtroom, but we are more than willing to go to trial when necessary.
Contact Our Kansas City Burn Injury Law Firm Today
If you or a loved one has suffered a burn injury, please know that you are not alone. Our Kansas City burn injury law firm is dedicated to getting each of our clients the compensation they deserve under the law. We handle burn injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not collect any fees until we win your case. For a free, no obligation consultation, please give us a call at 816-203-0143, or fill out the contact form below.
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