West Texas Burn Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has suffered a serious burn injury due to someone else’s negligence, it’s critical to call the West Texas burn injury lawyers at the Hanna Law Firm. We will investigate your claim and fight to recover the money you need to pay your bills as you heal — and, eventually, move on with your life.
Burn injuries can be some of the most devastating of all injuries, excruciatingly painful and often requiring long periods of recovery. The emotional pain can also be enormous, as the victim may be left with significant scarring and disfigurement even after the physical wounds have healed.
Here in West Texas, on-the-job burn injuries are all too common, especially at our booming oilfields, where workers may be severely burned in fires or explosions or by toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, oil companies and other entities operating on oilfields may cut corners and fail to uphold accepted safety standards as required by law, putting every person out there in danger. If you’ve been burned, it’s important to hire an experienced burn injury attorney to investigate your case, determine what party or parties are at fault, and calculate the full scope of your damages.
How Our Burn Injury Lawyer Can Help You
The burn injury lawyers at the Hanna Law Firm are committed to representing clients with professionalism, meticulous attention to detail, and compassion. We are always available to answer questions, explain processes, and listen to your concerns. Initial consultations are free, so you have nothing to lose. To schedule an appointment, call (432) 580-4878 or fill out our online form. We have four offices for your convenience: Abilene, Odessa, Sweetwater, and Midland.
Questions Our Burn Injury Lawyers in West Texas Often Hear
How Do I Know Whether I Have a Burn Injury Claim?
A burn injury falls under the umbrella of personal injury. In order to have a legitimate claim, a few elements must be established.
- You must have suffered damages, or losses. These can include medical bills and other out-of-pocket expenses, lost income, and non-economic losses as well.
- There must be the existence of a legal duty to exercise reasonable care. For example: in the case of an oilfield, a worker’s employer may have a duty to exercise reasonable care by making sure machinery is maintained or see to it that chemicals are properly stored. In the case of a car crash, every person on the road has a duty to exercise reasonable care by driving safely and following the law.
- It must be proven that one or more parties failed in their duty to exercise reasonable care. For example: if the company running the oilfield fails in their duty to properly maintain equipment or store chemicals, or if a driver runs a red light or makes the decision to drive while intoxicated.
- Finally, it must be proven that the defendant’s failure to exercise reasonable care led directly to the victim’s burns.
How Will I Cover My Bills from My Burn Injury?
Suffering a serious burn injury puts you in a real bind. You are suffering physically and trying to recover but are also under an enormous financial burden. You have your mortgage or rent and regular bills to pay, plus other expenses directly related to your accident, like hospital bills and medication copays. And since you are unable to work, you may not be drawing a paycheck.
You may be approached by the party responsible for your injuries, or by their insurance company, and be offered a sum of money to essentially go away. While we understand the temptation, this initial settlement offer will almost certainly not be enough to cover all of your losses. The best way to ensure you will be able to cover all your bills is to hire a West Texas burn injury attorney to represent you.
What If I Can’t Go to Work After My Burn Injury?
The loss of an income is catastrophic — especially when your usual expenses are compounded by hefty medical bills. At the Hanna Law Firm, our burn injury lawyers in West Texas will take lost income into account when calculating the damages you should receive. We will include any wages you lost while recovering from your accident and if your injuries are so severe you likely won’t be able to return to work at all, we can include loss of earning capacity — basically, what you would have been expected to earn had your career not been cut short.
What If My Loved One Died from a Burn Injury?
If your close relative — a spouse, parent, or child — died as a result of their burn injury and it was due to another party’s negligence, you may file a wrongful death claim. A wrongful death claim is similar to a personal injury claim, but damages may include:
- Funeral expenses
- Medical expenses (from before the death of your loved one)
- Loss of the deceased person’s income
- Loss of benefits — insurance, etc.
- Loss of inheritance: what the deceased would have been expected to earn over a normal lifespan and leave to relatives
- Mental anguish and suffering
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium.
What Damages Will My Burn Injury Lawyers Pursue?
As burn and scalding injury lawyers, our goal is to represent your best interests and recover for you the maximum amount we can to cover your losses. In a burn injury, damages can be extensive. How much we recover depends on the severity and nature of your injuries and losses, of course. Every case is different. Generally, damages you may receive include:
- All medical bills, including hospital stay, medication, medical devices
- Therapy and rehabilitation bills
- Future medical bills
- Lost income
- Lost future earnings or loss of earning capacity
- Physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering
- Physical impairment
- Loss of quality of life
- Deformity
Only an experienced burn injury lawyer has the expertise to accurately calculate your past, current, and future losses related to your accident. Call the Hanna Law Firm at (432) 580-4878 to schedule a free consultation. Or book an appointment online.
Why Do I Need a Burn Injury Attorney?
Hiring a lawyer does not mean you will have to go to court. In fact, the vast majority of cases are settled outside of the courtroom. No one wants to go through with an expensive, drawn-out trial with an uncertain outcome unless the two parties absolutely can’t come to an agreement.
But if you’ve suffered burns, it’s just not a good idea to attempt to negotiate with an insurance company yourself. You almost certainly don’t know what damages you may be eligible for or how to calculate them.
The burn injury attorneys at the Hanna Law Firm will carefully research the circumstances of your case and identify responsible parties. We will fight to get you a fair settlement — and we will help you file a lawsuit if the two sides can’t come to an agreement.
The best way to maximize your payout — and ensure you receive the money you need to cover all of your losses — is to hire one of our burn injury attorneys.
Types of Burn Injuries
Burns are classified according to their severity.
- First-degree burns are the least severe, affecting just the first layer of skin. These burns are generally treatable with first aid at home.
- Second-degree burns are more severe than first-degree. Some may be treatable at home, but if in doubt, seek medical attention. While small, they are deeper than first-degree burns, damaging the second layer of skin as well.
- Third- and fourth-degree burns are the most serious. They affect not just the skin, but surrounding tissue and nerves, even down to the bone. These serious burns require prompt medical attention and may necessitate skin grafts or surgery.
Did you know that you can even suffer burns inside of your body? Not all burns are visible on the skin. Inhaling extremely hot air, smoke from a fire, or chemicals and fumes can injure the trachea, lungs, and other internal organs.
Call Hanna Law Firm — Burn Injury Lawyers in West Texas
Burn injuries can happen out of the blue and under any circumstances. Perhaps you were driving and a reckless driver slammed into your car, causing a fire. Perhaps you were hard at work on an oilfield and negligence on the part of your employer or a contractor caused an explosion. Perhaps you came into contact with an improperly stored hazardous chemical. At the Hanna Law Firm, we understand that no matter how a serious burn injury occurs, it can upend your life.
Don’t trust an insurance company to have your back and offer you fair compensation. Our attorneys will thoroughly investigate your case and make sure every responsible party is identified. We will hire the right experts to support your case, and carefully calculate the full value of your losses. And we will fight to win you the compensation you need, whether over the negotiating table or in a courtroom.
You have nothing to lose by calling us for a free consultation. Dial (432) 580-4878 or request an appointment via our online contact form. We will be happy to meet with you at any one of our four offices: Abilene, Odessa, Sweetwater, or Midland.