When one thinks of all the injuries that might occur or might be addressed in a common personal injury case, usually burns are not the first thing that come to mind. However, burns arise frequently in the personal injury context. These injuries can arise from a number of different mechanisms, but one thing they all have in common is that they are incredibly painful. Often they require skin grafts, scrubbing of the wound, and frequent dressings. Racine Olson has helped people who have these types of injuries. Indeed, we have been helping our neighbors with these types of problems since the 1940s. Don't worry, we'll be here tomorrow and for many more years thereafter.
The Negligent PartyThere are a couple of different parts to a burn injury case. The first part is to establish that someone or some company was responsible for causing the injury. This can be done using the normal negligence standard or by relying on various fire and building codes.
For instance, when establishing negligence through the normal standard, one needs to show that the person who caused the injuries did not act as a reasonable person would under the circumstances. Generally, an expert witness will testify regarding the method that a reasonable person should have acted under the circumstances and will go on to explain that the wrongdoer failed to perform their obligations. In other words, if an electrician failed to wire a house as a reasonable person would, then the expert witness would testify to that so that the jury could make a finding that the wrongdoer was negligent.
The other method by which fault can be established is by relying on building or fire codes which govern a particular contractor. If the person has failed to abide by the fire code or uniform building code, then that automatically shows the person to be at fault and he or she is responsible for the injuries that arise therefrom.
Where do Burns Occur?The simple answer to this question is that burns happen almost anywhere. They can arise from acid or chemicals, fire and/or electrical injuries.
Acid and chemical burns occur more frequently than one would think. These especially arise in the employment context when a person might step into acid or come into contact with it from a splash. These can be so damaging given that acid continues to burn after contact.
Burns are often caused by fire, whether they arise at home or in a building. However, burns also occur as a result of car accidents or even exhaust pipes on motorcycles. All of these injuries can mean lengthy stays in a hospital and lifelong injuries. Electrical injuries can be caused by faulty electrical wiring in a home or even outside where wiring is not done correctly. These types of burns usually cause catastrophic injuries with burns on both the inside and outside of a person's body.
DamagesThe second part of these cases is damages. Although there are several methods by which burns can occur, they all generally have the same types of damages that are available to the injured party. These include medical expenses, lost wages, lost future wages, and even lost future earning capacity. In addition, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and scaring can also be awarded.
Racine Olson has the resources to hire expert witnesses in order to maximize your claim. These difficult cases are not new to us. We know what to do in order to solve these difficult problems. Problem Solved.