Atlanta Burn Injury Lawyers

What are the types of burn injuries?

While fires are the most well-known cause of burn injuries, there does not need to be a fire for a person to be burned. Different types of burn injuries include:

• Thermal burns: A thermal burn occurs when you touch something hot, like a stove top, or are in direct contact with flames.
• Chemical burns: These occur when the skin comes in contact with an acidic substance. Industrial workers face a high risk of chemical burns, but common household cleaners can also cause serious injuries.
• Electrical burns: These result from an electrical shock and often lead to internal burn injuries.
• Scalding: When your skin comes in contact with a boiling liquid, the water can cause severe burn injuries. Children have a high risk of being scalded.
• Radiation burns: High doses of radiation not only kill off cancer cells but also healthy cells. It irritates the skin and can leave you with open wounds. In some cases, the radiation can also cause burn damage to your internal organs.

How can an Atlanta, GA burn injury lawyer help?

An Atlanta burn injury lawyer can help burn victims recover compensation by investigating the cause of the accident and determining who is to blame. For example, if you suffer a burn from a defective product, the product manufacturer may be responsible. After an investigation, we will send a demand package and conduct other pre-litigation processes to negotiate a fair settlement. HLM prepares every case for trial, even though your case may not always progress that far. If the liable party doesn't want to pay for your injuries and loses in pre-litigation, we will file a lawsuit and continue negotiations until there is a resolution.

What is the classification of burn injuries?

Burns are classified into four general categories:

• First-degree burns are the least serious, usually healing within a week.
• Second-degree burns create significantly more pain and damage, and may leave scarring. Their damage extends past the top layer of your skin, and often present with raw, red blisters.
• Third-degree burns are severe, removing several layers of skin. These burns look white or black (depending) and can lead to nerve damage.
• Fourth-degree burns are the most serious, and the most likely to lead to multiple skin grafts, potential amputations, or death. Severe burns come with a high risk of infection, hypothermia, low blood volume, and a host of other serious medical complications.

What causes burn injuries?

A burn can happen in several ways, including car accidents, medical malpractice, household fires, and more. Depending on the cause, there are different responsible parties and liability concerns. Let's delve deeper into the causes of burn injuries.

Medical malpractice

An act of medical negligence can lead to serious burn injuries. Among the most common causes are radiation burns, chemical burns, and thermal burns, including those resulting from OR fires.

There are millions of cosmetic surgeries each year, and one of the most popular involves laser tattoo removal or hair removal. While these facilities appear safe, they may not be, and you can suffer a burn from a laser procedure resulting in permanent disfigurement. Medical professionals can be liable for these procedures in a malpractice lawsuit.

Household fires

Household fires often happen because of defective products or other mishaps. The most common household items that lead to fires include:

• Clothing and bedding that is made of highly flammable materials
• Smoke detectors that fail to work
• Toys made of flammable materials or with faulty electrical components
• Defective gas tanks for lawn mowers, propane grills, or generators
• Malfunctioning or defective household appliances
• Heating equipment, such as space heaters, furnaces, and boilers
• Faulty electrical wiring in the home or devices/products
• Malfunctioning or defective fire extinguishers

Structural fires

If you live in a condo, apartment, or townhouse, and a third party's negligence leads to a fire in your home, you could be entitled to compensation. If you are at a restaurant or other establishment that catches fire and you suffer injuries, you can also recover compensation. Common causes of structural fires include:

• A neighbor fell asleep while smoking
• A supervisor failing to replace broken smoke detectors
• A building manager failing to keep the structure up-to-code
• Fires that begin in the boiler or furnace rooms
• Fires that begin because of faulty wiring
• Someone setting the fire deliberately
• Mishaps in the kitchen
• Tableware catching fire
• Unattended grills, barbeques, and fire pits
• Unattended candles
• Flammable liquids kept too close to heat sources
• Curious children

Burn injuries are life-altering and may require months to heal. Many burn injuries leave permanent scars and disfigurement, especially if the face is burned. This can affect your ability to find work in the future – provided you can work at all.

Vehicle fires

Trucks and cars that are poorly designed can create fiery collisions that severely injure or kill drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Fires on the road can cause multi-car crashes and burn any victims close to the fire. Some victims suffer fourth-degree burns that may require an arm or leg amputation.

Most car and truck accidents happen due to product defects that can cause single-vehicle fires and collisions with other vehicles due to lost vehicle control. Motor vehicles contain many highly flammable liquids, such as gasoline and oil. This means a fender-bender or "minor" collision has the potential to escalate into a full-scale fire because of a product defect.

Some of the many types of vehicle fire cases we handle are:

• Tires that come apart on the roadways
• Rear-mounted fuel tanks or leaky fuel lines
• Faulty electrical wiring, brake locking, and heating source failure
• Ozone cracking of rubber fuel lines
• Electrical devices that short-circuit
• Exhaust systems that overheat

Construction and industrial sites

Construction sites are full of contractors, equipment, and tools that can cause fires or burns. There are many dangers for construction workers and passersby, and while there are policies to keep people safe, that is not enough. Arc burns, electrical burns, and thermal contact burns are all common injuries. Accidents happen; you need someone to investigate the incident and hold negligent parties accountable.

Industrial settings are inherently dangerous, with substantial risk for burn injuries. Factory workers and electricians are at particular risk for chemical burns, as are pharmaceutical workers. If you work at a company like Shire or H.B. Fuller, you would expect to see toxic materials. What you might not have realized is how many of them are on-site at local construction companies, auto mechanics, trucking companies and the local print shop, too.

More often, a chain of failures on the part of owners, management, and third-parties lead to disaster. If you are ineligible to collect workers’ compensation, you may be able to file a third-party claim for your injuries and losses. Construction and industrial site injury claims can be incredibly challenging because:

• Many workers are often injured or killed. In some cases, a class action lawsuit may be the best option. In other cases, each injured victim needs to have unique representation. When a worker is killed in a fiery explosion, the family members also have the right to demand wrongful death benefits.
• There are often many defendants. Multiple workers, maintenance crews, vendors, and others all may have contributed to the fire.
• There are many different laws that need to be reviewed. Worksites must comply with numerous federal rules and regulations such as standards enacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Companies also must adhere to various state-wide and local building codes, as well as labor laws.
• Not all of the victims were employees. When an incident occurs in an industrial setting that affects non-employees – such as contractors, site visitors, or even local residents – the litigation is necessarily more complex.

What complications can be caused by burn injuries?

In most cases, first-degree and second-degree burns will heal without complications, though infection is always a risk. Third- and fourth-degree burn injuries pose the most serious risk of complications:

• Infections. Any time your skin is open, your body is at risk of infection. Burn victims face the risk of sepsis, an inflammatory reaction to an infection, and tetanus, a bacterial infection. Both of these conditions can be deadly if they are left untreated.
• Blood loss. A body that loses too much blood too quickly is at risk of shutting down. Also called "hypovolemic shock," severe blood loss can cause permanent organ damage, tissue death, or heart attacks and can be fatal.
• Temperature regulation. Severe burns can leave your body unable to regulate its temperature. If your skin fuses with clothing or the scarring is too severe, your pores will be unable to release sweat, which means your body cannot cool itself. Severe burns can also cause your body to lose heat, leading to hypothermia.
• Contracture. Contracture occurs when tissue loses its elasticity. It is a common effect of the severe scarring burn victims suffer.
• Oxygen deprivation. Inhaling smoke, soot and ash can burn your windpipe. However, your throat can swell shut if you sustain a burn injury on your neck. You may need a breathing tube to survive. If the brain is deprived of oxygen for a minute, its cells begin to die. In three minutes, permanent brain damage is likely. At the five to six-minute mark, brain death becomes imminent.
• Circulation issues. Severe burns form scabs, called eschar, as they heal. If the eschar is too tight, it can affect your blood circulation.
• Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is a rare condition that causes fluid to collect in the lungs. It prevents oxygen from reaching your organs. It is often fatal, though it can be treated and managed if caught early. It can also do lasting damage to the lungs.

Who is liable for burn injuries in Atlanta, GA?

To make a successful claim for compensation after a burn injury, you must be able to prove that your injuries were the result of negligence. Negligence could mean a coworker did not follow proper instructions, a product had a defective part or failed in some way, or you received improper medical care. Possibly liable parties include:

• Property owners or managers
• Product manufacturer
• Drivers
• Mechanics
• Contractors
• Subcontractors
• Employers

It is essential to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the burn and who is liable. Our Atlanta burn injury lawyers have the knowledge and experience to fight these negligent parties.

Are there any burn injury centers near Atlanta, GA?

• There are several burn centers in the Atlanta, GA, area; the most prominent are: Joseph M. Still Burn Center in August, the largest burn center in the country
• Emory Wound & Hyperbaric Center in Atlanta
• Walter L. Ingram Burn Center, part of the Grady Health System, in Atlanta

When you call for emergency services, you might not go to a burn center immediately, but they can transfer you to one of these locations after assessing your wounds. The Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation is another valuable resource for survivors during their recovery.

Do you have a burn injury lawyer near me?

Harris Lowry Manton LLP’s Atlanta office is located at 1418 Dresden Drive, in Brookhaven, Georgia, with plenty of local parking just a short walk away. We have an additional office in Savannah.

We serve clients throughout Georgia and offer other options for initial consultations if you cannot make it to one of these locations.

Contact our experienced Georgia burn injury lawyers today

Burn injuries are some of the most serious injuries a person can suffer. With the help of the Atlanta burn injury attorneys of HLM, you can hold the negligent parties responsible for your injuries. We diligently work to secure high-value outcomes for burn injury victims and their families. Call our Atlanta or Savannah office to schedule a free consultation. You can also complete our contact form.

Related Burn Injury Articles

• • I've Been Seriously Burned; What Are My Legal Rights in Georgia?