Philadelphia Burn Injury Lawyer
At Hill & Associates, the Philadelphia burn injury lawyers understand that burns are not only excruciatingly painful, they can do permanent damage to your organs and cause severe physical disabilities, as well as being horribly disfiguring. A burn injury can occur as a result of a workplace injury, an auto accident or airline crash, or on premises where dangerous conditions have been allowed to exist as a result of inadequate security. They can cause scars, contractures, and deformities that can seriously restrict the victim’s ability to interact with others, either socially or in the workplace. Social isolation often leads to psychological problems, including major depression. All burns, except the most superficial, leave permanent scars and cause untold levels of emotional anguish to the victim, especially if they cause facial deformity. Even if the scars are in an area of the body usually covered by clothing, the victim may avoid intimate relationships that would reveal the bodily disfigurement.
Severe burns are catastrophic injuries that destroy lives. Burns often require many expensive and painful surgeries to help reduce contractures, improve the physical appearance, and limit the loss of function. Burn complications include infection, graft failure, skin breakdown, chronic pain, inhalation injury, and corneal damage.
Common Ways Burns Occur
Burns can occur in many ways, including the following:
- Tanker explosions
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Aircraft fires
- Electrical fires
- Defective products
- Chemical burns
- Structural fires
- Locked fire exits
- Scalding water and steam exposure
- Electrical accidents
- Hotel, restaurant, theater, and nightclub fires
- Forest fires and wildfires
Many of these accidents that produce serious or catastrophic burns are caused by negligence or wrongdoing on someone else’s part. If this is the case, a burn victim is entitled to make a claim seeking compensation for economic losses including expenses for medical treatment, surgeries, pain medication, and rehabilitation, along with the quality of life losses that are often so much more devastating to a victim than the financial ones. If you are one of the many that have fallen victim to such a debilitating burn accident you need a Philadelphia burn injury lawyer on your side.
The Economic Cost of Severe Burns
Economic cost of burn injuries include:
- Lost productivity: The National Business Group on Health reports that in the year 2000, burns caused $6.2 billion in productivity losses. When you adjust that figure for inflation, it becomes 8.6 billion in 2010 dollars.
- Cost of treatment: Minimally aggressive treatment for moderate burns typically costs more than $200,000, or more if complications occur. In the case of severe burns without complications, the average cost of treatment is in excess of a million-and-a-half dollars, while a severe burn with complications can cost more than $10 million to treat.
Expect Insurance Denials
Insurance companies typically work hard to deny catastrophic burn claims, because with treatment costs like these, in addition to the extensive pain, suffering, and disfigurement, the effect on their profits from paying these claims can be significant. Their high-paid lawyers will generally use every possible tactic to save the company money, often to the victim’s detriment. For a fair and adequate recovery sufficient to cover all of your losses, you will need your own smart, aggressive, and accomplished Philadelphia personal injury lawyer experienced in burn injuries to fight for you. Although some burn cases can be settled out of court, with catastrophic burn injuries, it may be necessary to try your case before a jury to get you appropriate compensation.
Burn Injury Attorneys in Philadelphia, PA
If you’ve been injured in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, the attorneys at Hill & Associates have the experience, legal know-how, and passion for justice that you need when fighting the corporate insurance giants for your rights. We understand the devastation of burns, from moderate to serious, and will take every legal action necessary to get you the recovery you deserve.
If you’re concerned about the cost of hiring a top Philadelphia burn injury lawyer, you have nothing to worry about. We accept burn and other serious injury cases caused by negligence or deliberate wrongdoing on a contingency basis. We do all the work on your case and cover all the expenses for investigation, court costs, and the many other costs of preparing a rock solid case. You only pay us if and when your settlement check comes in. A delay in filing a claim could cause you to lose your right to compensation, so call our office at (215) 567-7600 or contact us online to learn how we can help you secure financial compensation that will help you pick up the pieces of your life after a burn injury.
