Being severely burned is always a painful and traumatic experience. Burn injuries can also leave you with mounting medical bills and missed time at work. If you were burned in an accident, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention. Even if your injuries do not appear to be severe, receiving the care of a medical professional is vital.

After seeking medical attention, it is best to reach out to a Wausau burn injury lawyer to schedule a consultation. A skilled catastrophic injury attorney could help you collect the monetary damages you need to pay for your losses or pain and suffering.

Various Types of Burn Injuries

Severe burns could affect a plaintiff in many ways. Along with the damage that fire could do to one’s skin, the inhalation of smoke could also have unfortunate side effects. The four categories of burn injuries include:

  • First-degree burns – these injuries only affect the outer layer of skin and produce a red and painful injury without blistering
  • Second-degree burns- this kind affects the epidermis and dermis layer of skin, and the site is sore, red, and blistered
  • Third-degree burns- these injuries damage the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue of the skin, and the region may appear black or charred
  • Fourth-degree burns – these severe burns go through all layers of skin. They could penetrate the person’s bones and muscles and destroy the nerves in the affected area

Categories of Inhalation Injuries

Meanwhile, Inhalation injuries are acute damage that happens when someone breathes in smoke, chemicals, and gas.

  • Heat inhalation injury- occurs when a person breathes in hot air, which affects the upper airway structures
  • Smoke inhalation injury- these injuries occur after breathing in irritants or chemicals that damage the respiratory tissues
  • Systemic toxins damage- happens after breathing in toxic chemicals that cause someone to get poisoned.

After an accident, a seasoned Wausau attorney could examine medical records to determine a plaintiff’s degree of burn injury and symptoms.

Proving a Defendant Caused a Burn Injury

To demonstrate a defendant’s blame and collect financial compensation for a burn injury, the claimant and their attorney must prove the existence of “negligence and cause.” Under Wisconsin Jury Instructions 1001, the plaintiff must show that negligence caused the accident and reveal they sustained verifiable injuries because of the defendant’s reckless actions. The evidence they use must transparently demonstrate that defendant failed to provide a duty of care to the plaintiff.

Failing to provide a duty of care means the defendant did something that a reasonable person would not have done in the same situation. For example, if a negligent building owner caused an apartment fire, they might face consequences for breaching this duty of care. A seasoned attorney in Wausau could help build a solid claim for burn injury damages and establish that the two fundamental elements of fault were present.

Call a Wausau Burn Injury Attorney Today

Severe burns on large portions of the body are some of the most painful injuries a person can sustain in an accident. When a person’s careless actions cause you to suffer burn injuries, you have every right to hold them financially accountable for the accident. An award for financial compensation could cover medical bills, future expenses, current and future loss of salary, pain and suffering, and mental anguish.

A dedicated legal professional could handle the work on your claim while you focus on recovering. Getting started immediately is essential, so contact a Wausau burn injury lawyer to schedule your consultation.

Contact a Wausau Personal Injury Attorney Today

If you are recovering from an injury, you need to focus on regaining your health. You should not have to negotiate with stubborn insurance companies or compromise with a defendant.

A Wausau personal injury lawyer could lessen the stress and complications associated with collecting compensation, allowing you to recover fully. Call today to learn more about your options.

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