Severe burns are excruciating and often lead to permanent disfigurement. The burns often cause disability, psychological trauma, and financial losses. These injuries also require substantial medical treatment, resulting in extensive bills and time off from work.
If another person’s negligent conduct caused you to get burned, our experienced attorneys could help you seek financial compensation for your losses. Contact a skilled Coeur d’Alene burn injury lawyer at our firm to begin working on your claim.
While any burn injury is painful, people can generally treat the less severe injuries at home. Other more severe burns will require immediate medical attention and care.
First-degree are superficial burns that affect only the outer layer of skin, or epidermis. These burns are painful, red, and maybe dry, but there are no blisters or welts. A mild sunburn, for example, is a first-degree burn. These injuries do not cause long-term damage to the skin, and you can typically treat them at home.
A second-degree burn affects the outer layer and the second layer of skin, or the dermis. The wound will usually look red and swollen, and blisters may develop. Pain from second-degree burns can feel severe and may cause mild scarring. Unless the burn injury covers a large portion of your body, you can usually treat them at home.
Third-degree burns are severe injuries that destroy the skin, surrounding tissue and may affect the individual’s muscle and bones. This type of burn requires immediate medical care and could lead to years of surgeries and skin grafts.
Fourth-degree burns are the most severe and go through all layers of skin, underlying tissue, and down into the muscle and bone. The burn destroys the nerve endings, and the injured party will lose feeling on or around the wound. A person who sustains this injury must seek immediate medical care. The burns usually require years of follow-up care and changes to one’s life. They can even be fatal.
The severity of the burns will determine the impact of the physical, emotional, and financial losses you and your family will face. Second-degree burns that cover a large portion of the body, as well as third and fourth-degree burns, could cause permanent disfigurement, amputations, or worse. Our knowledgeable Coeur d’Alene attorneys could help review the details and evidence to calculate your total losses for the severe burn injury claim.
The statute of limitations sets a time frame in which you must file your case. If you do not file the lawsuit before the statute expires, you will likely lose eligibility to collect compensation. Per Idaho Code § 5-219, an individual who suffers burn injuries has two years to take action. Our experienced severe burn injury lawyers in Coeur d’Alene could help you prepare the case and file it with the civil court before the statute expires.
If you suffered these painful injuries, you need an experienced and hard-working legal professional to help you build your case. A Coeur d’Alene burn injury lawyer at our firm could help you collect the necessary evidence to prove liability and calculate total losses. Call to schedule a consultation and begin right away.
Owens, McCrea & Linscott, PLLC