Acworth Burn Injury Attorneys

If you or a loved one have suffered a second or third-degree burn, you know the tremendous physical and emotional pain these injuries can cause. The costs of treating severe burns can be equally difficult to bear.

Others may not fully understand the pain and inner turmoil you’re experiencing, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone.

Compensation is available for accident victims whose injuries were caused by another party’s thoughtless actions. Pursuing a claim with the help of an Acworth burn injury attorney is a crucial first step in your overall recovery. Contact Kaufman Injury Law today to learn how our attorneys can assist you during this difficult time.

Types of Burn Injury Claims We Handle

Medical professionals classify burn injuries based on their causes and degree of severity. Some of the most common types of burn injuries include:

Thermal Burns

Any temperature-related injuries you sustain after coming in contact with an open flame, heat source, or hot object are considered thermal burns. They could be caused by a stove, grill, or a pot of hot water. Thermal injuries are often preventable and occur because a negligent property owner failed to address dangerous conditions.

Electrical Burns

Electrical burns result from contact with an open electrical source. They most often occur when using an outlet with faulty wiring or touching an electrically charged object. Approximately 5% of all burns treated in medical settings like Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center in Marietta are electrical burns.

Chemical Burns

Not all burns result from fire or heat. They can also happen when the victim’s bare skin comes into contact with certain chemicals. Acids and cleansers, for instance, can cause significant burns if they splash or spill on unprotected skin. Inadequate labeling and improper storage are some of the most common reasons for these incidents.

Radiation Burns

Anyone who’s had a sunburn has experienced a radiation burn. These injuries occur when the skin is exposed to an external radiation source. Aside from the ultraviolet light from the sun, radiation therapy and X-ray machines can also cause burns if medical personnel aren’t adequately trained or supervised.

Knowing the type of burn you’ve sustained allows your attorney to explore the causes of your injury and identify the parties responsible. This knowledge is essential to holding negligent or reckless individuals accountable for the harm they’ve caused.

First, Second, and Third-Degree Burns

Burn injuries can also be classified by degree based on the extent of damage. 

First-degree burns are superficial, affecting only the outermost layers of the skin. Most sunburns are first-degree burns. While they can be painful, they usually heal without needing anything more than first aid.

Second-degree burns penetrate down into the dermis, the lower layer of skin, and require medical attention. Fire, chemicals, and radiation can all cause second-degree burns.

These injuries can require skin grafts and leave scars, even with treatment. Extensive second-degree burns are emergencies that require immediate medical intervention.

When heat, radiation, electricity, or chemicals burn all the way through the skin down into the muscles or bones, it’s known as a third-degree burn.

The damage associated with these burns is extensive and can include nerve and muscle damage. Third-degree burns can be life-threatening, so prompt treatment is vital. If you think you’ve sustained a third-degree burn, contact Kennesaw Acworth 911 without delay.

Compensation Available to Burn Injury Victims in Acworth

Burn injury accident victims in Acworth can file a claim for compensation if they suffered harm due to another person’s careless actions. Through such a claim, they can pursue damages to address their financial losses, as well as their pain and suffering and emotional harm.

Economic damages include compensation for financial losses you’ve already experienced or will experience in the future. Common examples of the losses economic damages cover include costs like:

• Emergency room bills and the costs of initial treatment
• Reconstructive surgery to address scars or lost limbs
• Ongoing necessary medical procedures
• Rehabilitative, physical, or other forms of therapy
• Lost wages due to time missed from work and reduced earning potential
• Medication and assistive devices

You may also be eligible to seek non-economic damages, which are meant to compensate you for your physical, mental, and emotional harm. These damages can be awarded to address the following effects:

• Physical pain and discomfort
• The emotional toll that physical pain and limitations can cause
• Emotional and mental trauma from the accident, such as PTSD
• The overall impact of your injuries on your quality of life

Following a burn injury, you may have trouble fully grasping the extent of the harm you’ve suffered or what that harm is worth in financial terms. By working closely with an experienced Acworth burn accident lawyer, you can rest assured that your claim will address the full impact of your injuries and resulting condition.

Liability for Burn Accidents

When you hire an attorney, one of their primary duties will be to investigate your accident and determine who bears legal responsibility. In even the simplest of accidents, multiple parties could have played a role.

Here are some of the parties who might be liable for your injuries:

Individual Actors

Every individual is legally responsible for their negligent, reckless, or malicious behavior. As such, a person who intentionally sets a fire or causes a burn is liable for damages. So is anyone who carelessly caused you to suffer a burn because of their mishandling of dangerous chemicals, radiation-emitting equipment, or heat sources.

Business and Property Owners

If your injury happens while you’re shopping or visiting another person’s property, the property owner may be liable for your injuries. This liability could apply even if they didn’t cause your injury themselves. For example:

• A business owner can be liable for their employee’s negligence
• A store owner must make reasonable inspections of their property to look for dangerous conditions that could cause burns
• Any property owner should warn guests or invitees of hazards that can cause burns
• No property owner can deliberately injure a trespasser

The laws surrounding a property or business owner’s legal liability are case-specific and can therefore be confusing. Your Acworth burn injury attorney’s investigation will reveal what, if any, responsibility they might bear in your case.

Witnesses and “Good Samaritans”

Georgia’s “Good Samaritan” law protects bystanders and witnesses who attempt to help those in need. However, there are important exceptions to this general rule that could lead to such an individual bearing liability.

This includes the person who started the fire, someone who injured you through extreme negligence and then attempted to administer aid, and someone who begins to help you but doesn’t follow through.

Manufacturers

If you sustained a chemical burn, your attorney will check the product’s warning labels to determine liability. Manufacturers of dangerous chemicals must provide instructions for safe use and warn consumers about potential hazards. These manufacturers may be responsible for your injuries if their warnings are incomplete or missing.

Speak With an Acworth Burn Injury Lawyer From Kaufman Injury Law

Your legal right to compensation has a time limit. In Georgia, this window is only two years, thanks to the state’s statute of limitations. To preserve your ability to pursue a claim, contact Kaufman Injury Law as soon as possible after a burn injury. Our team will quickly identify those responsible and advise you of your next steps. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced Acworth burn injury attorneys.