A Burn Injury Lawyer Houston, TX Trusts
With a burn injury lawyer Houston, TX trusts who can investigate your accident and assist in determining who was responsible for the trauma you have suffered. Call our staff at any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that we can help you with your burn injury.
Burn injuries don’t just cause severe pain and suffering, they also bring about emotional distress, scars to your body and result in long-term medical issues. If you or a loved one has sustained a burn injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to financial compensation. John K. Zaid & Associates will stand up for you and defend your legal rights.
U.S. Burn Injury Statistics
The following statistics are provided by the American Burn Association
In 2016, 486,000 people were treated for a burn injury
Approximately 40,000 people were hospitalized, including 30,000 at special burn centers
Forty-three percent of admissions were caused by a fire or flame; 34 percent scald (hot liquid/steam), 9 percent contact, 4 percent electrical, 3 percent chemical, and 7 percent from other sources.
Seventy-three percent of incidents happened at home
Eight percent occurred at work
Five percent happened on the street or a roadway
Common Types of Burn Injuries
A burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX might see various burn injuries, but the most common ones are:
Thermal Burns - Caused by steam, hot liquids, fire, or heat given off by a very hot source. Welders, boiler technicians, chefs, restaurant staff, and propane handles are more prone to thermal burns.
Chemical Burns - Substances that have a high pH level, such as an acid or alkaline chemical, can cause serious burns on the skin. They are so harmful that they can dissolve the skin and tissue until the agent is neutralized. Chemical plant workers, engineers, researchers, truck drivers, and certain technicians could be exposed to these type of chemicals.
Electrical - When the body is exposed to an open electrical current, and there is no ground, electrical shock can occur. This could happen to anyone around electricity lines, but is most common with those who work around power lines.
Radiation - Some types of radiation, such as gamma or beta, can cause very serious burns. In general, people who work in power plants or certain military occupations are most prone to radioactive burns.
Levels of Burn Severity
First-Degree - Red skin, pain, swelling.
Second-Degree - Affects the layers of skin underneath the surface. Can cause pain and blisters.
Third-Degree - Affects multiple layers and tissues of the skin. Boils, blisters, severe pain, loss of sensation, and infection could result. These burns can be deadly.
Fourth-Degree - The burn affects the tendons, muscles, or skeletal system. These can permanently impair movement.
A burn injury can take months or even years to heal. The scarring can be devastating and there is a possibility that a victim could lose a limb to infection. Burn injuries caused by fire, chemicals or electricity often result in medical complications that require treatment in a hospital from doctors such as:
Infection
Organ failure
Heavy scarring
Cosmetic disfigurement
Possible death
Treating a burn injury is often a slow, lengthy process that can cost thousands of dollars. Hospital care, reconstructive surgery, skin grafting, physical therapy, and so forth may be recommended by doctors. In general, burn injuries cost twice as much as standard hospital treatments, which is why it is so important to ally yourself with a skilled burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX who understands the high costs associated with burn injuries. In doing so you can ensure your settlement takes all of the current and prospective treatment into consideration.
Chemical Burns
When the word "burn" comes to mind, most people will associate it with fire. However, there is another type of burn that occurs when a person is exposed to certain chemicals at home, their job, or after an accident. This is known as a chemical burn.
Chemical burns can happen anywhere; however, those working in the agriculture industry, housekeeping, manufacturing, construction, processing, and research may be most vulnerable to experiencing a chemical burn. While many chemical burns are the result of a mistake or accident, some occur because of negligence. If this happened to you, and you believe your chemical burn could have been avoided had it not been for the actions, or lack of, of another person, please call a burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX.
Exposure to a Hazardous Chemical
Exposure to certain chemicals can cause immediate injuries which could range in their severity. However, most people exposed to harmful chemicals won't notice an initial signs of injury. In fact, some might go through many years before realizing something isn't right. Cancer, lung problems, skin problems, and respiratory issues are just a few common health conditions that can be the result of chemical exposure.
The Signs and Symptoms of a Chemical Burn
As a burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX might explain to you, household and industrial products can contain chemicals that cause burns. Drain cleaner, toilet cleaner, and car batteries contain the same chemical sulfuric acid. Pool cleaners have hydrochloric acid and harmful dyes. Common bathroom tile cleaner has hydrofluoric acid in it. Just breathing around these products can cause internal chemical burns. If they should come into direct contact with the skin, serious wounds may result. Signs and symptoms of a chemical burn may include:
Slowed breathing
Inability to breath
Open wounds on the skin
Blistering
Red rashes
Inflammation
Extreme pain
Shock
Inability to stop the burn on the skin
Fainting
Nausea
Vomiting
Headache
Dizziness
Loss of consciousness
Treating a Chemical Burn
Treating a chemical burn requires special care and attention. The cause of the burn must be removed from the skin, and often it will take another substance, such as vinegar, to neutralize the chemical. Without this, the burn will continue. Emergency services should be sought for any chemical burn. It is also important to remove any piece of clothing or items that may have the chemical on it.
When Negligence is the Cause of the Chemical Burn
Chemical burns can be extremely painful. Often they result in large medical expenses, severe scarring, and emotional distress. A burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX can help you to understand whether or not negligence was a factor. If so, you may be able to recover monetary compensation for your losses. In the event of the burn happening while working, a burn injury lawyer might suggest filing a workers' compensation claim.
Chemical burn injury claims tend to be rife with complications; therefore you should retain a burn injury lawyer who understands these types of cases. For a consultation with a burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX call John K. Zaid & Associates.
Call a Burn Injury Lawyer in Houston, Texas Today
A burn injury is not only excruciatingly painful, but can also leave permanent physical and psychological scars. Whether you have been burned by a chemical product, hazard on an unkempt premise, or while sitting around a campfire, you should speak to a personal injury lawyer who handles burn injury cases.
At John K. Zaid & Associates, we have decades of experience in handling personal injury cases; many of which include victims of burns. If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic burn injury, call a Houston, TX burn injury lawyer from our firm.
If you or a loved one is a burn injury victim, we would like to help you.
You don’t have to fight this battle alone. John K. Zaid & Associates has years of experience standing up for burn injury victims, and we can assist you with your lost wages, hospital bills and other expenses which may arise from the accident.
How Will I Know What Kinds of Things I can Recover for in a Burn Injury Lawsuit?
The law is designed to redress wrong-doings and return people to the quality of life they were in prior to the incident. So this raises two questions: 1) how were you harmed by the negligent party's wrongful conduct and 2) what of their conduct can you prove. These two questions cause a variety of legal, factual, and perceptive obstacles that your burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX must clear in order to recover the most possible in damages. However, in some situations, the law does not allow you to recover for certain categories of recovery. For instance, you cannot seek punitive damages in medical malpractice actions. To understand completely what you can get in a burn injury lawsuit, speak with an experienced Houston burn injury lawyer to better understand your potential award.
Get the Legal Assistance You Deserve
If you have been inflicted with a burn injury as a result of someone else’s negligence you need a team of seasoned burn injury lawyers on your side. You are not at fault. You have been unjustly wronged and you deserve to be compensated. With our experience and knowledge of the legal system, we can help you get what you are owed for your burn injuries. We will work to build a rock solid claim for you with our team of burn injury lawyers.
Reach out to a burn injury lawyer Houston, TX relies on at John K. Zaid & Associates today. You deserve our help and you are not alone.
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