San Antonio Burn Injury Attorneys
At the Wyatt Law Firm, our San Antonio burn injury attorneys represent clients with a wide range of burn injuries. Burn injuries are common, and more than 300 children younger than 19 need medical treatment in emergency rooms each day for burn injuries. Many additional adults seek treatment for severe burn injuries, especially in oil rig and fracking explosions and house fires around San Antonio. Those who sustain serious burn injuries might never return to life as they previously knew it due to disfigurement, impairments, mental trauma, and more.
If you or someone you love has suffered from severe burn injuries, you are probably well-aware of how life-changing the experience can be. Not only will burn victims be faced with the reality of life-long medical treatments and rehabilitation, but they will have to pay for these medical services to avoid further complications, infections, chronic pain, and debilitation. Moreover, many burn injury survivors will live the rest of their lives with permanent disfigurement, scarring, nerve damage, or even paralysis, as well as psychological trauma.
Whether you needed treatment and a few weeks to heal, or you will forever have reminders of your serious burns, we are on your side. We can evaluate whether someone else was responsible for your injuries and your best legal options to file a burn injury claim, so please reach out today for more information.
We have seen first-hand how profoundly burn injuries can affect someone's life. Let us help you. Contact Wyatt Law Firm today to speak privately with our trial lawyers. Our experienced burn injury attorneys aggressively seek results for people throughout Texas and the nation, including the cities of San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Laredo and Corpus Christi.
Choose Wyatt Law Firm To Handle Your Burn Injury Case
Wyatt Law Firm is known for many things. When people come to us for help, they expect a certain caliber of legal representation, and we do all that we can to exceed these expectations. With each client we represent, we aim to set the bar for quality higher. Our awards, recognition, and accolades testify to this.
For example, Attorney Wyatt's AV Preeminent® Rating* by Martindale-Hubbell® and lifetime membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum® are just a few things that signify her reputation in the legal community. Though our team may be smaller than other corporate law firms, our boutique law office fosters a caring and compassionate environment for clients. We are small in size but powerful in reach. Our San Antonio burn injury attorneys are never afraid to fight on behalf of our clients, no matter who or what the opponent.
We Want To Hear Your Story
Sadly, many burn injury victims feel like their voices are not heard. Wyatt Law Firm's personal injury attorneys are here to make sure that your story is heard and that something is done about it. We fight for the compensation you need to recover, both financially and physically, after a severe burn injury. We also fight to effect long-lasting change and to discourage other acts of negligence.
We have successfully handled complex cases involving severe burns, including:
- Building fires, explosions and toxic exposure
- Faulty smoke detectors
- Glowing connection faults in box fans
- Poorly constructed or badly designed space heaters
- Improperly installed electrical wiring
- Liquefied petroleum gas tank explosions
- Burns due to defective industrial equipment failure
- Burns associated with car accidents or commercial truck accidents
- Burn injuries sustained in the workplace, in oilfields or at fracking worksites
- Toxic, caustic, or acidic agent releases resulting in chemical burns to the skin, eyes, or lungs
- Burn injuries resulting in fatality and wrongful death claims
Do not assume the insurance companies are looking out for your best interest. The truth is, they are usually looking out for their own interests. We can evaluate your burn injury claim and determine the true value of your claim and how we might be able to help you secure it so you receive financial compensation from those who are at fault for your medical bills, lost income, and lost peace of mind.
Chemical Burns
Burn injuries can be extremely painful and highly debilitating. Depending on the degree of the burn, you can suffer anywhere from major discomfort to potential death. You should not have to fear for your personal safety when you go into work. However, many individuals suffer from severe burns at their workplace every day due to the wrongful conduct of others. According to the American Burn Association, there are approximately 450,000 patients that are treated every year for burns. Of that number, the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration believes 5,000 individuals are burned at work, with 500 injuries resulting in death.
One of the main culprits for these injuries is a chemical burn. Chemical burns happen when corrosive, synthetic materials touch soft tissues. Soft tissues can refer to skin, muscles, eyes, ears, and internal organs. The main corrosive compounds include acids, bases, thinning agents, and more.
Common chemicals found in the workplace include:
- Nitric acid
- Phosphoric acid
- Sodium hydroxide
- Calcium hypochlorite
- Ammonia
- Hydrofluoric acid
Coming into contact with these chemicals can cause extensive adverse effects.
Preventing Chemical Burns
It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure their workers have a safe environment in which to work. Of course, some occupations are more hazardous than others. There are circumstances in which workers cannot avoid toxic chemicals. In this case, companies should offer the following:
- Extensive training in dealing with chemicals
- Protective clothing and tools
- Emergency protocols
- First aid and burn treatments on site
If you or a loved one has suffered a chemical burn due to someone else's negligence, you may be eligible for compensation. When an accident does occur, your employer can offer your worker's compensation to cover medical expenses and lost wages. However, some employers try to cheat their workers in order to save money.
Burn Injury FAQs
In this FAQ, we'll explore common questions asked about burn injuries, what actions you should take after your accident, and how to begin the process of collecting damages for your injury and losses if you have been severely burned. An oil and gas lawyer can be especially helpful during this process if you suffered burn injuries due to an accident involving a pipeline explosion, fire, or another oil site accident.
When working on an oil rig or pipeline, not only is the job high-pressure, but many things can go wrong even if you do everything right. An oil rig requires a great deal of pressure, as equipment pulls oil from within the earth then injects it into pipelines to transport to consumers. Throughout the pipeline, valves release pressure to prevent explosions and other catastrophes. When these valves and other safety features fail or malfunction, explosions can burn workers, resulting in debilitating injuries.
Oil and gas workers might experience a broad range of different burn injuries, depending on the circumstances. Brief contact with steam can lead to a first-degree burn, which is damage to the outermost layer of skin, of which there are three layers. Greater exposure to heat and pressure can lead to a second-degree burn, which damages the outermost and second layer of skin. Third-degree burns are the most severe and damage not only all three layers of skin, but also the tissues and organs below. When heated oil, air, or liquid make contact with the skin, oil and gas workers can suffer substantial injuries. It is important that injured individuals seek immediate medical attention to ensure adequate treatment.
Recovering from your injury is difficult enough without having to worry about whether you are doing the right thing to protect your legal rights. Read on for brief answers to common questions, and contact our office directly for answers to your specific questions. Our experienced burn injury attorneys can guide you through the legal process.
How Do Burns Happen to Oil and Gas Workers?
When working on an oil rig or pipeline, not only is the job high-pressure, but many things can go wrong even if you do everything right. An oil rig requires a great deal of pressure, as equipment pulls oil from within the earth then injects it into pipelines to transport to consumers.
Throughout the pipeline, valves release pressure to prevent explosions and other catastrophes. When these valves and other safety features fail or malfunction, explosions can burn workers.
Oil and gas workers might experience a broad range of different burn injuries, depending on the circumstances. Brief contact with steam can lead to a first-degree burn, which is damage to the outermost layer of skin, of which there are three layers. Greater exposure to heat and pressure can lead to a second-degree burn, which damages the outermost and second layer of skin.
Third-degree burns are the most severe and damage not only all three layers of skin, but also the tissues and organs below. When heated oil, air, or liquid make contact with the skin, oil and gas workers can suffer substantial injuries, and it is important to seek immediate medical attention following an injury to ensure adequate treatment.
What Should You Do After a Burn?
If you've been the victim of a severe burn injury, you should immediately seek out medical attention and emergency treatment. Burn injuries expose your body to a wide range of stressors, and poorly-dressed burn injuries can lead to infection and further injury and complications.
Immediate medical attention is necessary for second or third-degree burns, in addition to follow-up treatment to ensure effective recovery. Some people might need to spend significant time in the hospital or burn center.
After you seek out the necessary medical care for your injury, contacting a burn injury attorney will help to ensure that you receive the fullest compensation possible for your injury. Insurance companies are often quick to settle an injury claim to cover your immediate expenses, but this might leave your later costs uncovered, which you want to avoid in all situations. An experienced attorney can look out for your rights when seeking compensation for your injury.
Won’t the Insurance Company Help Me?
To seek compensation for your losses, the first step is to file an insurance claim against the coverage of the at-fault party. You might feel like you can file this claim on your own. After all, isn't it the insurance company's purpose to help claimants? Many people in this position learn the hard way that the insurance company puts profits over helping you. It is always important to remember that the insurance companies operate to generate a profit for themselves and do not work for you.
Insurance companies maximize their profits by putting their teams of highly experienced adjusters and attorneys to work so that they settle cases as quickly as possible and for as low as possible. This includes the quick processing of a claim and the issuing of a quick settlement. Accepting an early offer of settlement might be attractive, and it seems like a simple way to get the process over with and out of your day-to-day life, but doing so can be a huge mistake for your financial future.
The role of a burn injury lawyer is to step into your shoes in terms of the settlement process and handle all related negotiations, removing the stress from your life. Recovering from an injury and figuring out how to move forward is difficult enough, and having an attorney on your side to pursue compensation will help ensure that the insurance companies and opposing parties cover your injuries as fully as possible.
When Is It Time to Call a Burn Injury Lawyer?
The time to contact a burn injury lawyer is as soon as possible following your injury. Immediately after your accident, the evidence collection process will begin, with insurance companies and opposing parties seeking to collect information about the accident. For example, after a pipeline explosion or truck accident, the company responsible will have investigators on the scene immediately. You should have someone building your case as soon as possible, as well.
Getting the right evidence to establish another party's negligence to prove your claim is essential, and evidence can quickly fade or disappear over time. The sooner you have a law firm working for you, the better it is for your claim.
The burn injury attorneys in our law offices can:
- Interview witnesses
- Obtain accident reports
- Obtain video footage of the scene
All of this can help us prove liability for your injuries.
In Texas, burn injury victims have two years to file a lawsuit seeking damages for their injuries. Two years might seem like a long time, so you might not feel rushed to start the legal process. However, a lot must happen before you file a lawsuit, evidence can disappear before you have time to preserve it, and time passes quickly. You want your lawyer to get started on your case immediately, and you should never put off your free consultation with an injury law firm. Contact Wyatt Law Firm today for a no obligation consultation.
How Can You Prove My Burn Injury Case?
After a burn injury, the claim process starts with an in-depth investigation of the incident involved in the accident, so we can gather any relevant evidence possible.
We can build a record of what truly happened to best protect your rights, and this can include:
- Copies of relevant police reports
- Any photographic or video footage that might be available of the incident
- Photographic or video footage of the area in which the accident occurred
- Statements of any eyewitnesses who were present at the scene of the accident
- Record books and safety logs that might be relevant
- Employee records if the person responsible was on the job at the time
For example, after a vehicle accident, we can determine what data is available to indicate what happened, such as the “black box” of a large commercial truck. If someone received a citation or faced criminal charges regarding your accident, such as driving while intoxicated (DWI), this is key evidence in your injury case.
Our lawyers know how to obtain all the information we need from law enforcement regarding the criminal matter, so we can use this information to your advantage.
If we can show a criminal conviction occurred in conjunction with an accident and burn injuries, there is no need for any further evidence of liability. It is critical to follow any subsequent criminal cases, and we will handle this for you.
In addition to proving liability, the insurance company will also need evidence to support the damages you seek. We will put together documentation of your physical, psychological, and financial injuries. This can include:
- All medical records relating to your burn injuries
- Future treatment recommendations or plans
- Expert opinions regarding the estimated costs of your future care
- Pay statements and employment documents showing how much income you lost already
- Economic expert analysis of how much income you will lose in the future if you cannot return to work
- Witness statements regarding how the injury changed your life
- Psychological treatment records for PTSD, depression, anxiety, or other related mental injuries
- Journals you keep that describe pain or other daily effects of your burn injuries
You need evidence to prove all of your losses-economic, non-economic, past, and future. You can be sure the insurance company will challenge the amount you demand, so you need a lawyer who can prove the amount you truly deserve for your injuries to secure maximum compensation.
Recovering from a burn injury is difficult enough. The last thing you need to do is worry about evidence disappearing or how to create a record to support your claim. This is why you want our legal team on your side as soon as possible.
Your physical condition is your priority following an accident, but once you are stable enough, reach out to Wyatt Law Firm to discuss how we can get started protecting your rights. You can keep focusing on your treatment while we handle every step of your burn injury case.
How Do Settlement Negotiations Work?
Once we submit your demand package to the insurance company to begin your claim, the insurer will investigate. It will look into liability for the burn injury, the severity of your injuries, and whether you justified your losses.
During this process, the insurance adjuster might throw out an initial settlement offer. This offer is usually quite low, and it would be even lower if you did not have legal representation. The insurer is hoping that you accept this quick settlement that is far less than you deserve, as this resolves the claim right away and saves the insurance company money. Often, making the mistake of accepting an initial offer saves the insurer significant money, which means that you lose out on every penny it saves.
The good news is that you do not have to accept a low offer, and our attorneys will advise you when you should keep negotiating. Negotiations might sound intimidating, but, again, we handle this entire process for you. With our San Antonio burn injury lawyer on your side, you will not have to communicate with the insurer at all. We can present additional information or evidence or challenge the insurer's evidence to negotiate a higher offer.
If the company offers a favorable amount that covers your losses, you can accept it, receive the check, and your claim will be over. However, if the adjuster refuses to offer a fair amount, we can file a burn injury lawsuit in civil court.
If your case requires litigation to protect your rights, you need an experienced injury litigator handling the process. We know how to navigate every step of litigation, always trying to reach a settlement agreement with the defendant and its insurance company. Most injury lawsuits settle before trial, as the evidence presented during the early phases of litigation can convince the insurer that the lawsuit should not go before the jury.
The closer to trial your case gets, generally, the more likely the other side is likely to come to an out-of-court settlement. If an injury case goes to trial, a jury or a judge may award damages far higher than actual damages due to the severe nature of the injury.
To avoid such variability, settlement offers before trial generally grow higher than those before filing a lawsuit. Having a burn injury lawyer on your side from the start supports the full negotiation process and ensures you have an advocate who will keep fighting for the amount you deserve.
Which Burn Injury Lawyer Is Right for Me?
This is a personal question that only you can answer. You must feel comfortable with your attorney and trust that they will support you during the process. Another critical factor is the experience a lawyer has handling burn injury cases.
If you are in the San Antonio area, make sure you call the Wyatt Law Firm. We are ready to help, so contact us today.
Act Now - Call Our Personal Injury Attorneys
Take action before the insurance companies have an opportunity to do so. Call our burn injury attorneys immediately. Upon your first consultation with our legal team, we can begin investigating your claim to discover evidence that can strengthen, prove, and validate your claim.
Contact our San Antonio burn injury lawyers at Wyatt Law Firm. We have extensive experience handling burn injury cases. You can start with a free, confidential case consultation in our private offices.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings TM fall into two categories - legal ability and general ethical standards.
Wyatt Law Firm, PLLC
21 Lynn Batts Lane, Suite 10
San Antonio, Texas 78218