Hitchcock Burn Injury Lawyer

Your skin is a living, waterproof organ that will warn you if you touch something hot. Mild burns will sting, but once the heat penetrates below the surface, the damage can be life-threatening and require years of care. Severe burns can result in significant issues, including scar tissue, loss of temperature regulation, infections, disfigurement, and pain.

When someone’s negligence causes your burns, the damage is both physical and emotional. You may also suffer financially if you cannot work due to your injuries.

A Hitchcock burn injury lawyer could help you obtain compensation while you focus on your recovery and physical well-being. Contact a hardworking catastrophic attorney today to learn more.

Negligence and Burn Injuries

In a personal injury claim, legal counsel must prove their client’s injuries resulted from the defendant’s negligence. Legally, this means the defendant had a duty to others to behave reasonably but instead acted irresponsibly, and these acts were the foreseeable cause of an accident that injured the plaintiff. Some of the common burn injuries sustained due to negligence include:

• A car catches fire after being hit by a drunk driver, badly burning the other motorist
• A construction employee improperly uses machinery, injuring several workers
• A property owner fails to repair electric wires, causing fire and injuring several patrons

A Hitchcock burn injury attorney could collect and interpret evidence to build an airtight case for negligence and convince a jury that their client deserves the highest amount of compensation.

Compensatory Damages

Juries award damages for economic and non-economic losses. Economic losses include expenses related to medical care like an ambulance ride or surgery, and lost wages that could not be earned while recuperating.

However, non-economic damages are subjective and include emotional trauma and ongoing mental anguish. Some states cap non-economic damages, but Texas does not unless the award is for medical malpractice.

A knowledgeable burn injury attorney could use strong evidence to explain to jury members why a specific amount of non-economic damages is fair.

Punitive Damages for Burn Injuries

Punitive or exemplary damages are pleaded separately from compensatory damages and are only available if the defendant’s acts amount to gross negligence, according to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 41.003.

Gross negligence refers to a defendant’s behavior that is outrageous, egregious, or blatantly lacking in concern for the plaintiff’s wellbeing. Punitive damages are meant to punish the defendant to deter the actions in the future rather than compensate the plaintiff.

Texas caps punitive damages, and when a case meets the legal conditions, the minimum award is $200,000. The courts generally determine exemplary damages by calculating twice the economic damages awarded, and added to the amount of non-economic damages up to $750,000. A burn injury lawyer in Hitchcock could strategically request punitive damages in a case when warranted.

Contact a Burn Injury Attorney in Hitchcock Who Will Fight for You

Burns are among the most devastating and painful injuries, capable of compromising your entire body. Scars from this type of harm are both physical and emotional, and the toll it takes on your finances can be destabilizing. If your accident resulted from someone else’s negligence, you deserve compensation for their actions.

We understand you will never be in the position you were in before the accident, but our team could ease some of the suffering by stabilizing your financial future. Contact a Hitchcock burn injury lawyer today to discuss your situation.