Burns are very common, yet potentially very dangerous injuries. While minor burns require minimal care and typically heal on their own, serious burn injuries can result in coma, disability, or death. Even when their injuries are non-fatal, burn survivors are often left with disfiguring scar tissue and may require dozens of surgical procedures and skin grafts just to live a normal life.
If you or someone you love has suffered burn injuries and it was someone else’s fault, then you deserve to be compensated for the pain and suffering that they have caused. The person or company responsible for the accident is liable to the injured party to pay compensation.
Cases We Handle
The Indianapolis burn injury lawyers of Hankey Marks & Crider understand the unique challenges involved in handling a serious burn injury case. We realize that the important details of a burn injury claim are often determined by the exact type of burn involved:
- Flame Burns – Because they may involve prolonged exposure to the intense heat, they are frequently associated with fires, flammable liquids, auto accidents and ignited clothing.
- Chemical Burns– Perhaps the most dangerous, they are caused by strong acidic or alkali substances that continue to burn, as they react with lipids in the skin.
- Electrical Burns – As electrical current passes through the body, areas other than the contact entry site are burned, so cannot be as readily identified.
- Contact Burns – Often caused by hot metals, plastics, glass or coals, they can result in deep and painful injuries.
- Scald Burns – Caused by hot liquids, such as water, oil or grease, they can cause injury in just one second and a deep burn in three seconds.
- Ultraviolet Burns – This type of radiation damage to the cornea can be caused by the bright reflection of the sun, bright flood lamps, nearby lightning strikes, or welding torches.
- Radiological Burns – Caused by exposure to alpha, beta or gamma radiation, victims must often undergo decontamination to stop the injury process.
Our team of experienced lawyers has had success in winning settlements for these diverse types of burn injury cases. Let us apply our experience and knowledge of how to win handle such cases to get you the compensation you deserve.
Why You Need a Lawyer
Who is at fault for your burn injuries? Is it a property owner who failed to adhere to fire safety regulations? An employer who improperly stored dangerous chemicals? A manufacturer who produced defective tanning beds?
Answering these questions can be difficult without the help of an Indianapolis burn lawyer. Only an experienced professional knows where to look for key evidence relating to your injuries and how to build a strong personal injury case from the evidence recovered.
Common Myths about Treating Burns
There are many “home remedies” for treating burn injuries – some of them more effective than others. Unfortunately, some of the most well-known methods for treating burns can actually cause more harm than good. The following should be avoided as ways to treat burn injuries:
- Butter
- Vinegar
- Cold meat
- Onion juice
- Bleach
- Alcohol
Some of these can actually increase the risk of an infection by exposing a wound to harmful bacteria. The most common, and correct, method for treating a burn is to run cool water over the area and apply a cool compress. In the event of a more severe burn, an emergency room visit should be considered.
It is important to take immediate action after you or your loved one has experienced a burn. Just like any other open skin injury, the risk of infection following a burn is very high. Therefore, it is important to understand safe methods for treating burn injuries.
Classifying the Severity of Burns
The severity of burns can vary greatly from case to case. With some burns, victims will only experience a couple of hours of pain and a small blister. In other cases, individuals may be at risk of long-term skin, muscle, and bone damage. In the medical community, burns are categorized by degrees, with a fourth-degree burn being the most harmful.
Doctors use the following information when determining the severity of a burn injury:
- First degree – Affects top layer of skin. Causes redness and may be painful.
- Second degree (Superficial partial thickness) – Slightly deeper than epidermis, clear blisters, possible infection.
- Second degree (Deep partial thickness) – Extends deeper than superficial skin layer. Causes scarring, contractures, possible necessity of grafting skin from other parts of the body to repair damage.
- Third degree – Burn goes through skin. May cause scarring, contractures, and may warrant amputation.
- Fourth degree – Burn affects skin, muscle, and bone. Amputation may be necessary.
Why Choose Us
Hankey Marks & Crider legal team will work with you, discuss your case honestly with you, and answer all of your questions. We will walk you through every step of the legal process until you receive the compensation that you are rightfully owed. The Indiana legal system can be complex and daunting, especially if you are facing a team of lawyers from a powerful insurance company whose goal it is to save their company money and pay you as little as possible.
Our skilled attorneys will communicate with the insurance adjuster and lawyers for you and work to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf. We recommend not speaking personally with insurance or legal representatives of the party responsible for your burns.
If you are not offered a fair settlement, we will pursue a case in court and aggressively fight for the compensation that is due to you. Let Hankey Marks & Crider take on the legal burden for you, while you focus on your recovery.
Who Is Liable for a Burn Injury
Determining exactly who is liable for a burn injury depends on the unique circumstances of your case. Each case is entirely unique and will require an investigation to identify who is responsible for the accident that caused your injuries. It could involve negligence or wrongdoing. There may be more than one party held liable for your injury.
If the accident that caused the burns happened at work, the employer could be responsible, if they did not enforce safety standards. If the accident was due to a product defect, the manufacturer may be responsible. If the burn accident happened one someone else’s property, then the owner of the property may be held liable if they failed to warn the victim of potential hazards on the premises.
Conducting the investigation and proving liability will take a skilled team of professionals. Hankey Marks & Crider has the expertise and resources to thoroughly investigate every detail of your case and will work to hold the responsible parties accountable for their negligence or their wrongdoing.
Common Causes for Burn Injuries
Hankey Marks & Crider has experience in handling and winning different categories of burn cases. Disasters such as explosions and fires can cause a variety of burns. Some of the most common causes of burn injuries that we see include:
- Cooking accidents
- Construction site accidents
- Fireworks accidents
- Electric shocks from downed telephone or power wires
- Harsh chemicals
- Scalding liquids
- Vehicle accidents
Regardless of how you or your loved one was burned, our compassionate team of lawyers will listen carefully to each story. We are dedicated to pursuing justice for burn victims.
Compensation for Burn Victims
Hankey Marks & Crider works hard to make sure that you get a fair settlement for what you have suffered. Enduring the recovery of painful burns is difficult enough. Having the additional anxiety of financial insecurity is more than people should have to go through. We will fight to get you the compensation that you deserve. The following are the types of economic and noneconomic damages that you may be awarded if your burns were due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Associated medical bills
- Rehabilitation expenses
- Loss of earnings
- Loss of future earnings and earning capacity
- Disfigurement
- Emotional trauma
- Pain and suffering
- Injuries to family members of victims
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship or care
- Punitive damages
If someone else was at fault for the burns that you have received, Hankey Marks & Crider believes that you shouldn’t have to pay for the expenses that were incurred because of your burns. Our dedicated attorneys will do everything possible to ensure that you receive every penny that is due to you for your burn injuries.
Burn Injury Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document and record burn injuries in the United States. They have made available the following disturbing statistics:
- Each year, 1.1 million Americans suffer burn injuries that require medical attention. Roughly 50,000 of these burn victims require hospitalization.
- 20,000 of them suffer major burns that cover more than one-fourth of their body surface.
- Approximately 4,500 burn victims die every year from their injuries.
- As many as 10,000 people die annually as a result of their burn-related infections.
The Centers’ burn experts conclude that most of these burn injuries are preventable. They report that only 60 percent of people in the United States have an escape plan and only 25 percent of those have practiced it. If your burn injuries could have been prevented, but for someone else’s negligence, then call a burn injury lawyer immediately to begin discussing your case.
Contact Us Today
If you or someone you love has suffered serious burn injuries, you deserve compensation for your injuries. Contact Hankey Marks & Crider today at (317) 634-8565 and discuss your case with one of our experienced Indianapolis burn injury attorneys.