Mesa Burn Injury Lawyer

Burn injuries can be painfully devastating. They may lead to complications such as infections, scarring, or even extreme conditions, like sepsis or organ failure. If you sustain a burn injury through work or due to someone else’s negligence, a Mesa burn injury lawyer from Luis P. Guerra, L.L.C., can get you compensation for your medical expenses, pain, and suffering.

As any doctor at the Diane and Bruce Halle Burn Center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix can tell you, burns can happen in a multitude of ways. In Mesa, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in the summer, even standing too long in the sun may cause a painful or debilitating burn. Touching something too hot or frigid (like dry ice), touching a downed power line, radiation treatment, or chemicals can all cause burns.

It is important to hire a personal injury lawyer when your burns are someone else’s fault, no matter if that someone else is the public works department, a big business, or an individual.

Burn injuries can have many causes, including:

• Motor vehicle accidents. These can result in burn cases from either car fires caused by the accident or friction burns from the road.
• Chemical exposure. Exposure to certain chemicals can cause burns ranging from first to third degree, depending on the type of exposure (if it touched the skin or was in the air).
• Faulty electrical wiring. Burns can happen if you have exposed wires or if the wiring is not properly grounded.
• Contact burn. Being forced to touch something extremely hot or cold, including pavement, can lead to a contact burn. The burn center at Valleywise Health in Phoenix treated a record number of contact burns last year due to rising temperatures. A man in Phoenix is also filing a claim against the city’s police for restraining him against the hot asphalt.

Scalding. According to the American Burn Association, 56% of all pediatric burn cases in the U.S. are caused by scalding.

If your burn injury case may be due to someone else’s negligence, here are some important steps to take:

1. Get medical care. You must prove that your injury caused you pain, medical expenses, and other losses. The most effective way to do that is to show that you went to get medical care right away.
2. Keep documentation. Maintain copies of all medical appointments, any accident or injury reports, or, if it was at work, any workers’ compensation paperwork you filled out.
3. Photograph or take videos of any injuries and/or evidence of what caused the injury. Your photographic and video evidence can help sway a jury if your case should go to court.
4. Hire a Mesa burn injury attorney. Contact Luis P. Guerra, L.L.C., to gather witness statements, prove liability, and negotiate with the liable individual, company, or entity on your behalf. They can also hire expert witnesses in Mesa to provide testimony in court.
5. Document any losses. This includes economic and non-economic losses. For instance, if you couldn’t work during your recovery, that’s an economic loss. If you have scars that affect your mental health, that’s a non-economic loss.

Following these steps enables your burn injury attorney to assemble your case more quickly. There is a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims in Arizona. Depending on the severity of your injuries, recovery may take up a large portion of that timeframe. Therefore, it is crucial to hire an attorney who can act on your behalf, including pursuing your burn injury claim at the Superior Court of Maricopa County.

What Is the Average Settlement for a Burn Injury?

Burn injury settlements vary widely, as they depend on many factors. These include:

• The severity of your burn
• Whether you lost wages or needed extensive medical treatment
• If and how the burn will affect you long-term
• The party responsible for the circumstances that led to the burn

All these affect the amount you could get in a settlement. The proof you provide will also sway the decision about the person or entity you are suing.

How Much Compensation Will I Get for a Burn?

Every case is different, and past cases are not a guarantee of compensation, but we have won $7M in product liability cases, $2.4M in a gas explosion case, and $5.3M in a motor vehicle and truck collision case. However, the compensation you can get from your case will be determined by the unique factors of your situation.

How Are Burn Injuries Classified?

Burn injuries are classified by the depth of the tissue they damage. Medical professionals are currently using the following scale:

• Superficial. These minor burns damage the top layer of skin and are treatable at home.
• Partial-thickness. These cause damage to two layers of skin and can cause blisters or changes to the skin (other than simple redness). They are often painful.
• Full-thickness. Such burns damage the nerves, so they are not painful in general. They penetrate all layers of skin.

Can I Get Compensation for a Superficial Burn?

While there’s no guarantee, you can get compensation for a superficial burn if it was caused by someone else’s negligence and you can prove it. For instance, your employer is required to provide a safe work environment for you. If your burn is due to negligence on their part, such as failing to keep the temperature reasonable, the state’s burn injury laws may enable you to get compensation.

At Luis P. Guerra, L.L.C., our Mesa burn injury lawyers are highly experienced, so they know how to build a strong case for you. We can gather evidence, take witness testimony, collect medical records, and file a claim on your behalf. We can also consult professionals and put in the time to establish a powerful basis for a personal injury case.

Our firm can get you the compensation you deserve for your medical expenses, your emotional suffering, and any long-term consequences. Contact us today for a consultation. Luis P. Guerra speaks English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.