If you’ve sustained burn injuries in the Fayetteville, GA, area in an accident caused by someone else, you may now be adjusting to new life challenges. Some of these are financial, such as unexpected bills for medical treatment and lost wages if you can’t work. Others, like pain and suffering, may impact your quality of life.
At Jonathan R. Brockman, P.C., we appreciate that adapting to these changes and facing these challenges is not easy. Our Fayetteville personal injury lawyers can take over your case and do all the heavy lifting for you. If you hire us, we’ll aggressively pursue the money you deserve. Schedule your free case review today by contacting us online or calling us at 770-205-2231 to learn more from a Fayetteville burn injury lawyer.
Cases That Include Burn Injuries
Burns can result from fire, chemical exposure, scalding, electric shock or electrocution, and blasts, among other events. Burn injuries can occur in:
- Car accidents
- Boating accidents
- Premises liability cases
- Accidents resulting from defective or dangerous products
- Construction accidents and other such work-related accidents
The Mayo Clinic classifies the seriousness of burns this way:
- First-degree burn: A first-degree burn is a superficial burn that only affects the outer layer of skin, which turns pink or red and causes pain.
- Second-degree burns: A burn injury qualifies as a second-degree burn if it affects the layer of skin beneath the outer layer. This burn can be red, swollen, white, or blotchy, and the skin may blister. These burns may scar.
- Third-degree burns: Third-degree burns affect all layers of skin and reach the fat layer beneath. Burned areas may be leathery and will be black, white, or brown. Third-degree burns destroy nerves, so they may not hurt.
Fault in Burn Injury Cases
You may seek compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and related losses if you sustained burn injuries because of another party’s wrongdoing. At-fault parties could include:
- Defective product designers, manufacturers, or marketers
- Motorists
- Property owners
- Trucking companies
- Construction companies
Your Fayetteville burn injury lawyer could investigate to determine who was at fault for your injuries.
If you were an employee who suffered burn injuries on the job, you could file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits regardless of who was at fault.
Average Settlements in Burn Injury Cases
Burn injury cases are all different because no two cases are exactly alike. There’s no “average” settlement amount. The factor that may have the most influence on your claim’s value is the severity of your injuries.
Along with the severity and types of burn injuries you sustain, other factors affecting your potential settlement may include:
- Whether you have any lost wages
- Whether you’ll be able to return to work at all
- Whether you will need ongoing medical treatment
- Your loss of enjoyment of life
It’s sometimes possible to seek compensation for pain and suffering in a personal injury case. However, this is not an option when you file a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ compensation benefits cover reasonable and necessary medical expenses, partial wage replacement, and rehabilitation benefits.
How a Lawyer Can Help You
Seeking compensation for burn injuries is a complex task. A Fayetteville burn injuries lawyer can take this burden off your shoulders by:
- Evaluating your case
- Explaining your legal options
- Investigating the accident to determine who is liable
- Gathering evidence
- Assessing your claim’s value
- Filing paperwork
- Handling all contact and correspondence with the insurance company
- Negotiating with the insurance company for a fair settlement
Our burn injury lawyers can review settlement offers to determine if they’re appropriate. We’re ready to file a lawsuit and represent you in court if an insurance company refuses to offer an appropriate settlement.
Legal Fees in Burn Injury Cases
Worries about adding to your mounting bills shouldn’t stop you from benefiting from an attorney’s help. That’s one of the reasons we don’t charge upfront fees for our legal services.
Our personal injury lawyers use the contingency fee model instead. With a contingency fee agreement, our legal fees are a percentage of the compensation we secure for our clients.
Our contract ensures that you won’t pay for our legal services unless you get paid. The contingency fee model also gives us extra incentive to fight for fair compensation.
The Personal Injury Process: FAQs
Here are answers to some additional questions you may have about personal injury cases in Georgia:
How long will my case take?
There’s no way to tell at this early stage. Although some cases take only a matter of months to resolve, more complex cases may last two years or longer, particularly if we must take your case to trial to get the money you deserve.
How long do I have to take legal action after sustaining burn injuries?
We recommend meeting with a burn injury attorney as soon as possible if you’re considering filing a claim. To file a personal injury lawsuit, you have only two years from the time your accident occurred. For workers’ compensation claims, you have a year to file a claim.
What can I do to prepare for my free consultation?
If you have documentation of medical bills and other such losses, bring this with you to your case review. You should also bring any evidence you’ve already gathered, such as pictures of the accident scene.
You can absolutely have a productive session without bringing these materials if you don’t have them. However, it’s still smart to write or record a summary of how your accident happened. You may want to refer to this when describing the cause of your injuries to a lawyer.
Contact a Burn Injury Lawyer in Fayetteville
There’s no need to add to the list of challenges and life complications you may face after sustaining burn injuries by trying to handle your own injury claim. Instead of seeking compensation on your own, enlist the help of a Fayetteville burn injury lawyer. At Jonathan R. Brockman, P.C., we can handle your case while you focus on making a full recovery. Call us at 770-205-2231 or contact us online to schedule your free case review today.