BURN/FIRE INJURY LAWYERS

While burns resulting from a house or apartment fire are a common cause of this injury, you can suffer a burn in other ways as well. The severity may depend on the heat or size of a flame and how long you make contact with it.

Scalding 

A scald occurs when hot liquids or steam comes into contact with a hand, arm or other exposed body part. Many scaldings occur when an accident causes hot liquid to spill. Steam scalds might also occur when venting a pot on the stove.

Scalding can also occur in the kitchen and bathroom. A malfunctioning water heater in your Michigan apartment building can increase the tap water temperature without warning, resulting in a scald.

Contact With Chemicals 

Many common household cleansers, such as drain cleaners, can cause serious burns when they malfunction. Caustic acids can cause burns upon contact and seriously damage the skin and underlying tissue. Chemical burns also commonly occur on the job, especially if you work in a setting that requires the use of gasoline-powered vehicles and the use of powerful solvents.

Overheated Appliances 

When household appliances malfunction, they can cause burn injuries because some give no evidence that they are overheating. Malfunctioning microwaves, dishwashers and even smaller appliances like curling irons can cause a bad burn. Melted cords and blackened electrical outlets usually signal a problem with overheating, but in some cases, there is little warning.

Electrical Shocks 

The energy discharged during an electrical shock can cause serious burns. Malfunctioning power plugs, incorrect voltage usage and current problems can all result in electrical shocks or sudden power surges. a malfunctioning appliance may overload without warning when plugged in and cause a serious electrical burn.

These types of burns can also affect the internal organs. When you receive an electric shock, the resulting energy travels through your body and damages the kidneys, liver and heart. It could even affect the brain. Depending on the voltage your body takes in, you may also suffer deep tissue damage.

Radiation Burns From the Sun

Did you know that people can suffer from sunburns that are as serious as a burn from a scalding or flame? While sunburns severe enough to cause blistering or affect deeper layers of skin are not common, they may occur if you spend long hours outdoors at your job or a sunscreen product fails to protect you.

Car Accidents 

Serious car accidents may result in a vehicle fire, which can grow quickly due to flammable liquids like gasoline and oil. The inability to escape a car fire can result in life-threatening injuries.

Car accident fires also occur when a safety feature fails. This may result in a vehicle rollover that triggers a fire or an engine fire that spreads fast to the interior of the car. Vehicle manufacturers are responsible for car part defects that result in a fire, as well as your medical bills and pain and suffering.

Healing from a burn is often a complicated process. Complications often occur, some of which can be life-threatening.

Infection

Because burns often affect or remove the top layers of skin on the injured area, the risk of infection is quite high. Bacteria and germs can enter the burned tissue and cause secondary problems. Burn infections can also spread, causing fever, discomfort and a wound that oozes pus or other discolored fluids.

Heavy Scarring 

Even when burns heal, they often leave behind noticeable scarring. Visible burn scars, such as those on the face or hands, can cause you to feel self-conscious and affect your desire to socialize. While certain creams can soften the edges of scarring caused by burns, you may require skin grafting surgery to minimize the appearance of your scars.

When burns occur due to someone else’s negligence and cause scarring, our attorneys can request compensation for permanent disfigurement. For example, if a malfunctioning steam espresso machine at your job as a barista scalds your face and hands, both your company and the manufacturer of the machine may share responsibility.

Sepsis

Because infection is often the result of burn injuries, sepsis may set in after a serious or large-scale burn. During sepsis, the body’s infection-fighting systems malfunction and turn on the organs instead, causing serious damage. Once septic shock sets in, the kidneys and other major internal organs begin to fail. Only a small percentage of burn victims survive when septic shock occurs.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

Burn injuries can affect the mind as well as the body. The memory of the incident that caused your burn can result in the development of anxiety, trouble sleeping, nightmares and intrusive memories that affect your day-to-day life.

This type of mental trauma may affect you for the rest of your life, even if you seek treatment from a qualified therapist. Witnessing a fire or an accident that results in a burn can cause you to relive the moment and damage your mental health. Our attorneys can help you win compensation for mental anguish.

Getting burned on the job can happen in a variety of ways, making work-related burns a considerable problem in Michigan. While some jobs may expose you to a burn risk more than others, knowing how to proceed after a work-related burn may allow our attorneys to build a strong foundation for any burn injury lawsuits that occur later. You can take several steps to protect yourself, including: 

• Reporting the incident right away
• Seeing a doctor or visiting an emergency clinic as soon as possible 
• Taking photos of your burn injury 
• Collecting copies of any medical reports relating to the burn 
• Keeping a running record of medical expenses and treatments. 

The Hartford notes that all public employers in Michigan must offer workers compensation. However, if your employer’s negligence caused your burn injury, our lawyers can review your case and help you gain the compensation you need to cover your expenses, lost wages and punitive damages. 

Our attorneys understand that no two burn injury lawsuits are the same and that your individual circumstances require their personal attention. As we guide you in your Michigan burn case, we will advise you concerning which type of lawsuit best suits it. 

Defective Fire Safety Equipment Claim

Did a fire alarm, extinguisher or breathing equipment malfunction cause your burn? Holding the manufacturers responsible under state laws can help you win compensation for your injuries. For example, if a fire extinguisher fails to function and you are burned attempting to douse the flames, the maker of the product can be held accountable for your injuries.

Negligence Resulting In a Burn Claim 

Negligence is often an underlying cause of burn incidents. Some examples include a landlord neglecting to update the fire safety equipment in an apartment building or a drunk driver causing an accident that starts a car fire. Courts usually punish negligence with punitive damages, especially if the defendant’s actions were extremely careless or reckless.

Product Failure Burn Claim

When consumer products do not function as they should or fail in a way that results in a burn, our attorneys will build your case based on the number of reported failure incidents and whether the company ever attempted to recall those products. Depending on the circumstances, the level of negligence may vary widely.