South Lousiana Attorneys for Burn Injuries

Burn injuries cause severe pain and can easily lead to permanent disfigurement and lifelong injury. This means that burn accident victims often have a long road of recovery and financial losses ahead of them. If you or a loved one has suffered a severe burn injury due to another’s act of negligence, we can help you obtain compensation for your injuries as well as seek justice against the responsible parties. 

The established and experienced personal injury lawyers at Joubert Law Firm, APLC have been serving Baton Rouge residents for over 20 years. We also serve the surrounding area, including Denham Springs and New Orleans. When you reach out to us, we’ll put you in touch with a South Louisiana personal injury lawyer to go over the details of your case and determine if you can pursue a personal injury claim. Give us a call at (225) 777-8853 to schedule your free case evaluation today!

What is a Burn Injury?

Burn injuries are caused when your skin is exposed to extreme elements of heat or radiation. Severe burns can damage the affected tissue and can even cause damage to the bone. Burn injuries can also cause major swelling and immune system responses.

Minor burns, like sunburn, can be treated at home with rest and hydration. However, in much more severe cases, burn injuries can lead to complications like sepsis and multiple organ failure. Unfortunately, burn injury victims are often not fully healed when the affected skin reaches its maximum medical improvement. Scarring and disfigurement may be left behind, and a person’s quality of life is often severely affected by burns.

Burn Injury Degrees

The severity of burn damage is classified in degrees. Your doctor will examine the affected area and determine the extent of the damage. The recommended treatment will depend on the degree of the burn. Below are the four degrees of burn injuries:

First-Degree Burns

First-degree burns are typically minor. This type of burn only affects the outer layer of skin and can be treated at home. There is usually some redness and discomfort. Most first-degree burns are superficial and heal as soon as the skin sheds, usually within 7-10 days. Mild sunburns are an example of first-degree burns.

Second-Degree Burns

Second-degree burns are a little more serious. This type of burn affects the top two layers of skin and causes redness, swelling, severe pain, and blisters. Second-degree burns are characterized by white, splotchy skin. Some scarring can result from this type of burn. Severe sunburns are an example of second-degree burns.

Third-Degree Burns

Third-degree burns are severe and require immediate medical treatment. This type of burn reaches the fat layer beneath the skin. The skin may be white, black, or brown after a burn of this degree. Third-degree burns also typically damage the nerves around the affected area, which causes a numbing effect. Because of this, there may not be any pain associated with this type of burn, but it can lead to severe scarring.

Fourth-Degree Burns

Fourth-degree burns are the most severe type of burn. These injuries are often life-threatening because they burn all the way down to the bone. This type of injury needs extensive and immediate medical intervention to prevent complications like severe infections and multiple organ failure.

Fourth-degree burns also cause severe nerve damage, so, fortunately, injured victims typically cannot feel the extreme pain caused by this type of burn. Surgery and skin grafts are necessary to save as much of the tissue as possible. Scarring and permanent disfigurement are common outcomes of this type of burn.

What Causes a Burn Injury?

Nearly half a million people in America seek medical treatment for burn injuries every year, according to the American Burn Association. Burns can happen in a variety of locations and to anyone who is at the wrong place at the wrong time. Burn injuries also have many potential causes, including:

• Workplace injuries
• Medical malpractice
• Home or building fires
• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Defective products

Types of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries can happen pretty much anywhere, but all burns are not the same. Just as burns can have different causes and different degrees of severity, but they can also have different origins and treatments. 

Chemical Burns

Cleaning chemicals come with a warning about using gloves and protective gear when handling them. This is because some chemicals can cause severe damage if you handle them improperly or ingest them. Chemicals like acetone, drain cleaners, and paint thinner can all cause burns to your skin, eyes, and mouth.

Thermal Burns

Thermal burns come from touching hot objects. Boiling water and hot stoves are both common causes of thermal burns.

Electrical Burns

Coming into contact with live wires can result in electrical burns. This type of burn is highly dangerous because more than just the skin can be affected by the electrical current. 

Friction Burns

Road rash from motorcycle accidents or pedestrian accidents is an example of a friction burn. Carpet burn is also a common friction burn.

Radiation Burns

X-Rays and chemotherapy both use radiation to treat patients. If the equipment is faulty or used improperly, you could receive radiation burns. Sunburns are also a kind of radiation burn, as the burn is caused by the sun’s UV rays. 

Cold Burns

Cold burns like frostbite occur when tissue is damaged after being exposed to cold temperatures. It often affects things like the tip of the nose and extremities first, as those are the areas with the least amount of blood flow to keep them warm.

Do I Need a Lawyer for my Burn Injury?

If you sustained personal injuries due to someone else’s negligence, contacting a personal injury lawyer would be the best step to move forward. In the state of Louisiana, injured individuals need to prove that one party’s negligence caused the injury and subsequent medical expenses in order to pursue damages.

An insurance company will likely try to get you to settle for a less than fair settlement. Burn injury victims often incur thousands in medical bills and lost wages, and if the injury happened at work, workers’ compensation can only provide a percentage of your lost income due to physical injuries. 

Filing a personal injury lawsuit can allow you to receive compensation for the debt you’ve likely incurred following the accident, as well as for things like emotional distress, pain and suffering, and other non-economic damages. At Joubert Law Firm, our Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers know the details of personal injury law and can help you navigate through the legal process. 

What Kind of Compensation Can A Personal Injury Lawyer Get Me?

Financial compensation can be recovered from the responsible party with the right legal representation. Our personal injury lawyers can help you achieve the maximum compensation for:

• Medical costs
  • Medical bills, ambulances, necessary surgeries, physical therapy, etc.
• Property damage
• Permanent disfigurement or disability
• Lost wages and lost earning capacity
• Losses not easily measured
  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Loss of enjoyment in life
• Wrongful death expenses, if applicable

Our Louisiana personal injury lawyers can also work to negotiate with the insurance company to get you compensation without needing to go to court over the matter. Our attorneys make sure to maintain a close attorney-client relationship and keep you up to date on everything happening with your case. 

How Joubert Law Firm Can Help You Obtain Compensation for Your Burn Injury

If you have suffered injuries at the hands of a negligent party, the last thing you want to do is wear yourself out trying to gather evidence and fighting for fair compensation alone. Your primary focus should be receiving proper medical care and healing. At Joubert Law Firm, our focus is personal injury law, meaning we take care of the legal aspects of our client’s personal injury cases while they do just that.

Our Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers can help you through every step of this confusing and complicated legal process. Our team of personal injury attorneys has the expertise needed to handle all types of injury claims that may have affected you or a loved one. Take a look at a few of our successful case results. Our practice areas include everything from dog bites to motor vehicle accidents to wrongful death cases and everything in between. Our combined and diverse experience can get you the most successful outcome for your personal injury claim.

In addition, we also work on a contingency fee basis, which means we don’t get paid until you do. There is no financial risk and no obligation involved until we sign a written retainer agreement. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about your legal options through a free consultation. To get in touch with an experienced personal injury attorney at Joubert Law Firm today, give us a call at (225) 777-8853 or contact us online.

As a thank you to all military members and veterans and to show our appreciation for your sacrifice and service, we would like to offer a discount for your legal cases.