Burn Injury Lawyer

Depending on the severity, burn injuries can cause some of the most intense physical pain humans can endure.  Living with serious burns or disfigurement from a fire or explosion caused by someone else's negligence can make the situation especially hard to bear. While you're spending thousands on medical care, missing time from work, and living with extreme pain, the person or company that caused the accident carries on like normal.

The burn injury attorneys at Raphaelson & Levine don't think that is quite fair. For nearly 30 years, our law firm has served as the Voice of the Injured for burn victims and other personal injury victims in New York City and all surrounding communities.

Whether you're dealing with a first-degree burn on part of your body or a fourth-degree burn across most of your body, our burn injury lawyers are ready to serve you now. We have successfully settled thousands of personal injury cases and have secured over $500 million dollars in settlements for our clients since we first opened our doors. To obtain the same experienced and hard-working legal representation for yourself, please contact us today at 212-268-3222 to request a free case evaluation. 

Causes of Burn Injuries

Although severe burns can occur in a variety of ways, what all causes have in common is that they are usually preventable. People may not mean for others to experience chemical burns or electrical burns, but it only takes one careless or reckless action to start a fire that causes devastating injuries to others. In our experience as long-time burn injury attorneys, serious burns occur most often for these reasons:

Chemical burns

A chemical burn typically happens due to contact with a dangerous chemical like acid. If another person exposed you to this risk without taking steps to prevent serious burns, you have the legal right to sue for reimbursement of medical bills and more.

Construction Accident

Construction workers regularly handle wires, incomplete gas lines, and flammable materials. A fire or explosion can easily occur if the employer doesn't provide adequate safety equipment or implement work site safety measures. While people working in the construction industry understand that it comes with a high degree of risk, they rightfully expect their employer to minimize their risk of an accident as much as possible.

Defective products

A manufacturing error could cause a product to explode or catch on fire, causing serious burn injuries to the person using it. This is unacceptable, and companies that manufacture and sell defective products must face accountability for prioritizing profits over consumer safety.

Motor Vehicle Accidents

The harder the impact of the vehicles involved in a crash, the more likely it is for the car to start on fire and possibly trap the burn injury victim inside. The car or other type of motor vehicle can even explode upon impact. Explosion victims are at high risk of fatality. If you had a loved one succumb to serious burns, remember that Raphaelson & Levine handles wrongful death claims as well. 

Keep in mind that the above represents only four common causes of burn injuries. Your serious burn injury may have occurred for an unrelated reason. We always welcome new clients for a free case evaluation to help them learn more about their legal rights as a burn injury victim. Feel free to contact us at 212-268-3222 to learn more.

Types of Burn Injuries

According to the American Burn Association, over 486,000 people of all ages required medical treatment for serious burns in 2016. The organization also states that serious burn injuries fall into one of the following four categories:

• Chemical burns caused by an explosion or contact with acid or alkali
• Light burns caused by ultraviolet rays, including sunshine
• Radiation burns that occur due to contact with nuclear radiation, including serious burns during cancer treatment that could later lead to a medical malpractice claim
• Thermal burns happen from contact with a source of extreme heat such as fire, hot liquids, or steam

In addition to type of burn, doctors also classify the severity of burns according to degree. These include:

First-Degree Burns

People who suffer a first-degree burn usually have only minor injuries that recover in time, although the burn injury victim will probably have scars. This type of burn damages the top layer of skin known as the epidermis after brief exposure to a heat source. The typical symptoms of first-degree burns include a stinging sensation and tightening of the skin, pain, and redness. It may be possible to treat these types of burns at home. 

Second-Degree Burns

Second-degree burns affect both the epidermis and the dermis, a term for the layer of skin underneath the top layer. These burn injury cases involve longer exposure to a heat source and contact with a more dangerous surface or substance. Common injuries related to second-degree burns include blistering, pain, skin tightening, and redness. 

Third-Degree Burns

These serious burns affect all skin layers and can cause extensive damage to tissue directly beneath the skin. Due to the severe nature of third-degree burns, burn injury victims often require skin grafts to repair the damage. Upon suffering a third-degree burn, a burn injury victim may suffer shock and severe nerve damage. The skin becomes discolored as well.

Fourth-Degree Burns

Not all medical professionals recognize the category of fourth-degree burns. However, the burn injury attorneys at Raphaelson & Levine do recognize them because we have assisted these burn injury victims with filing personal injury claims. As the most severe of all burn types, fourth-degree burns can cause damage to bones and muscle.

Medical treatment for burn injuries can be extensive and painful regardless of the degree or how the burn occurred. At a time when you're dealing with so much already like your medical bills piling up because you cannot work, it can feel extremely discouraging to have severe pain from burn injuries on top of it. Your personal injury lawyer at Raphaelson & Levine expertly handles the financial fallout of your serious burn injuries so all you need to do is focus on the medical care you need to recover. We would feel honored to work with you as a burn injury victim and invite you to contact us now at 212-268-3222.

Burn Injuries Sustained at Work

Your personal injury case can become a bit more complicated when you sustain serious burns at work. This is due to New York law that injured workers cannot sue their employers because of the state's Workers' Compensation system. Several exceptions apply to work-related burn injuries. For example, you can file an injury claim against any third party that may have contributed to the accident such as a parts' supplier, another employee, or a manufacturer. You may be able to sue your employer outside New York's workers' compensation system if your burn injury lawyer can prove that the employer acted with reckless disregard for your safety and you suffered severe burns because of it.

Compensation for Your Burn Injuries

All burns have the potential to require extensive and costly treatment. Some types even leave burn injury victims with disfigurement that may not be correctable with surgery. The quality of life for someone who has experienced severe burns often decreased dramatically. Rather than living life on their own terms, life now centers on the burn injury and other issues caused by it such as skin infections. Living with intense physical pain can take a serious toll on mental health, even among those who have never dealt with psychological issues in the past.

A financial settlement cannot return you to the life you once had, but it does provide you with compensation to live your best life moving forward. Some categories of compensation you could receive with a successful personal injury lawsuit are reimbursement of medical expenses, compensation for current and future lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and several others. It all depends on retaining an experienced and aggressive burn injury attorney who will relentlessly pursue justice by arguing for the maximum amount of compensation.

Contact Our New York Burn Injury Lawyer Today

As a law firm known for being the Voice of the Injured, there's no question where Raphaelson & Levine stands when it comes to giving injured people a voice against big insurance companies and corporations. If you're tired of living with chronic pain and the financial loss that has come from another party's negligent actions, contact Raphaelson & Levine today at 212-268-3222 for a free case evaluation.