Oklahoma Burn Injury Lawyers

The World Health Organization reports that 180,000 people die yearly from burn injuries, and many more are injured. In Oklahoma, many burn accidents leave the victim with devastating pain, disability, disfigurement, and scarring, and someone’s negligence or recklessness causes a significant number.

When you or a loved one suffers burn injuries caused by another party, you should be fairly compensated for your losses. Severe burns can upend your life, causing horrific pain, mental anguish, and potentially permanent disability.

Our Oklahoma burn injury lawyers at Nix Patterson sympathize with your situation. We can review your case to lay out your legal options and build a strong case to fight for your deserved compensation.

Types of Burn Injuries

Burns are common injuries that cause damage to the skin, killing skin cells. Many injury victims can recover without going to the hospital and don’t have long-term health issues. However, more serious burns may require emergency medical care to prevent severe complications that can be fatal. The three degrees of burn injuries are:

• First-degree burns: Red skin but no blisters
• Second-degree burns: Skin thickening and blisters
• Third-degree burns: Skin thickening over a larger area with white and leathery appearance

In the worst injuries, fourth-degree burns are possible, with damage that can affect nerves, bones, and tendons. These severe burns are often fatal.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries

Some burn injuries are caused at home, such as when someone touches a hot stove or an open flame in the fireplace. Others may occur at work when someone deals with toxic chemicals, while others could occur from electrical burns or motor vehicle accidents. The most common causes of burns are listed below.

• Electrical burns. Electrical current or electricity exposure can damage the skin and underlying tissues.
• Chemical burns. Detergents, solvents, or acids may touch the skin and cause severe burns.
• Scalding burns. Steam, hot liquids, and scalding coffee may burn the top skin layer and sometimes damage tissues underneath.
• Explosions. If a gas line in your area leaks and explodes, the heat from the blast and fire can lead to devastating burns.
• Auto and truck accidents. Motor vehicle accidents may cause severe burn injuries if the vehicle catches fire.
• Radiation burns. Radiation exposure from X-rays, the sun, or a nuclear reactor can cause severe radiation burns.
• Thermal burns. Skin cells can die if they come into contact with a hot substance such as steam, boiling water, or cooking oil.

Any of the above causes of burns could have been due to someone’s negligence. If you suspect that the accident that caused your burns was because of another person’s carelessness, speak to our burn injury lawyers in Oklahoma immediately.

What To Do if You are Injured by a Burn in Oklahoma

The first thing you should do after any burn injury is determine if you need medical assistance. Most first-degree burns can be treated at home with cool water and wet compresses, but if pain and discomfort persist, you should see your doctor. However, any second-degree or worse burn should be treated in an emergency room immediately. A serious risk of a severe burn is infection, so you should always seek immediate medical treatment.

For more severe burns after an accident, there are several things you should do:

• Ensure that the victim is still breathing. Perform CPR if you know how, or call 911 immediately.
• Take off belts, jewelry, and other tight articles. Severely burned tissue will swell quickly.
• If you can, have the burn victim elevate the burned area to reduce swelling. Try to keep the burned area above the heart.
• Observe for signs of shock, such as paleness, fainting, or shallow breathing.

Always ensure you or the burn victim gets immediate medical attention for a severe burn with blisters or worse. The longer you wait for medical attention, the worse the injury can become. Also, winning a personal injury claim or lawsuit could be more challenging if you don’t get medical treatment quickly.

Oklahoma Burn Injury Statistics

Sadly, many Americans are severely burned every year. Fire and burn injuries were the #6 cause of accidental injury deaths in the US between 1996 and 1998, with more than 3,500 deaths each year. Children under the age of five are at the highest risk for severe fire and burn injuries, and those 65 and older are also at higher risk for burn injuries.

Oklahoma also has many burn injury cases each year, with 6,800 people hospitalized for burns or died from burn injuries between 1988 and 2000. Approximately 20% of those burn injuries were in house fires, and 62% of those resulted in death.

What Can You Receive in an Oklahoma Burn Injury Lawsuit?

Severe burns often cause severe pain, especially during the early phases of treatment. The burn recovery process may involve debridement and skin grafting and can be more painful than the burns themselves. Once you begin the harrowing recovery process, it can take months to complete. Your body may reject your skin grafts, possibly causing numbness, infections, and bleeding.

In addition to these awful physical effects, disfigurement and scarring can leave you struggling with depression and devastated self-esteem. Huge medical bills and the ever-present threat of more surgeries needed in the future can make the entire ordeal overwhelming.

In addition, depending on the body parts burned, you may be unable to return to work, or at least in your previous capacity. You may have to take a role that pays less or even stop working altogether and go on disability.

All of the factors above will be considered as your attorney determines what your case is worth. Your lawyer may consult medical and economic experts to testify about your future medical bills and financial losses. This process ensures that a court settlement or jury verdict will provide sufficient resources for your needs today and for years from now.

In your burn injury case, you could receive economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages typically include your medical bills, such as skin grafts, surgeries, physical therapy, prescription drug costs, etc. Also, your economic damages may include lost wages you have incurred and lost future income. For non-economic damages, try to put a dollar value on your intangible losses, such as pain, suffering, and mental anguish. Burn injury victims often receive considerable compensation for their pain and suffering.

Your Nix Patterson burn injury attorney will negotiate aggressively with the insurance company to get the most compensation for you. They also will uncover all potential sources of insurance compensation for your losses. If a fair settlement is impossible, Nix Patterson has the skill and experience to take your case to a jury and win.

Who Can Be Liable For Your Burn Injuries?

Serious burns can throw your life into chaos. Unfortunately, many serious burn injuries could have been avoided and were caused by another party’s negligence. When another person causes an accident that injures you, you could receive compensation in a lawsuit.

Someone’s negligence causes many severe burn injuries. For instance, a car driver could slam into you at an intersection, causing the fuel tank to burst and ignite. Or, perhaps a homeowner hired an electrician who did shoddy work that caused a fire. Regardless of the case details, you can sue for damages if another person or entity was responsible for your burn injuries.

Your Nix Patterson burn injury attorney will review your case to determine all potential liable parties. Liable parties could be people, companies, organizations, or government agencies. For instance, if a faulty part in your vehicle caused a fire to start in an accident, you may be able to file suit against the product manufacturer.

How To Prove Negligence in a Burn Injury Case

If you hire Nix Patterson as your Oklahoma burn injury lawyer, we will take responsibility for your case so you can focus on getting better. Our legal team will dig into the accident and investigate how it happened. If another party caused the accident that led to your burns, you could be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. Evidence that may be relied on to prove negligence includes:

• Accident scene photos and surveillance video, if available
• Police reports
• Statements from eyewitnesses
• Copies of your medical reports and bills
• Estimates or bills for costs to replace destroyed personal property
• Estimated value of your future medical expenses
• Copies of insurance policies and coverage limits
• Accident reconstruction expert testimony

Oklahoma Statute of Limitations

If you were injured in a burn accident caused by another person, you have only a limited time to file a lawsuit for damages. Oklahoma has a two-year statute of limitations, so you must take legal action within that time frame from the date of the incident.

Speak to Our Oklahoma Burn Injury Attorneys Today

Burn accidents can lead to life-long pain, scarring, and disability. If someone’s negligence or intentional act caused your burn injuries, you shouldn’t have to suffer financially after all the pain and suffering you’ve endured.

You should be compensated for your losses by the at-fault party, and our Oklahoma burn injury attorneys at Nix Patterson can assist you. We believe in helping burn victims and their families and will fight for every penny of the compensation you deserve. Contact Nix Patterson’s law office today to find out how we can help.