What You Need to Know About Getting a Settlement in a South Carolina Burn Injury Accident Case

Burn injuries are some of the most painful and traumatic injuries a person can suffer. If you or a loved one has been burned in an accident, you may be entitled to a settlement to cover medical bills, lost wages, and the emotional and physical pain caused by the injury.

Legally, you've got a lot at stake, and due to the complexity of burn cases, there's a lot you need to know. I'll explain the different types of accidents that can cause burn injuries, the degrees of burns and how they affect the body, the medical care needed, the long-term effects of burn injuries, and how you can enforce your legal right to seek compensation.

Types of Accidents That Can Cause South Carolina Burn Injuries

Burn injuries can occur in many ways, but they are most often the result of accidents caused by someone else's negligence. Here are some of the common types of accidents where burn injuries happen:

1. Vehicle accidents. Car accidents and motorcycle crashes can cause burns if a vehicle catches fire or if hot liquids or chemicals are released. Victims may suffer burns from direct contact with flames, hot metal, or steam.
2. Workplace accidents. Workers, especially in industries like construction, manufacturing, and food service, are at risk of burn injuries from fires, hot machinery, chemicals, and electrical sources. This also includes firefighters, who are at risk of burns when responding to emergencies. Most employees who get hurt at work in South Carolina qualify for workers’ compensation.
3. House fires. Residential fires caused by faulty wiring, cooking accidents, or defective products can lead to severe burns.
4. Chemical burns. Exposure to harsh chemicals in household products or industrial settings can cause chemical burns, which damage the skin and tissues.
5. Electrocution. Electrical burns happen when a person comes into contact with a live electrical current. These burns can be severe and cause damage both externally and internally.
6. Defective products. Faulty products, such as malfunctioning appliances or defective space heaters, can catch fire or overheat, leading to burns.

If you or someone you love suffered a burn injury in South Carolina, the clock is ticking on your legal rights. It doesn't stop because you're too hurt to enforce them yourself. Don't risk losing your rights.

Get your questions answered in a free, no-pressure strategy session with a Spartanburg, SC burn injury attorney. Call toll-free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now form.

Degrees of Burns and Their Effects on the Body

The most common burn injuries are categorized into four degrees based on the severity of the burn:

1. First-degree burns. These are the least severe types of burns and affect only the outer layer of the skin (epidermis). Symptoms include redness, mild swelling, and pain. Sunburn is an example of a first-degree burn. These burns usually heal within a few days and do not leave permanent scars.
2. Second-degree burns. These burns go deeper into the skin, affecting both the epidermis and the second layer of skin, the dermis. Second-degree burns cause blisters, severe pain, and swelling. They may take several weeks to heal and result in permanent scarring.
3. Third-degree burns. These serious burns destroy all layers of the skin. In some cases, third-degree burns can extend to underlying muscles and bones. The affected area may appear white, blackened, or charred. Third-degree burns often require skin grafts and may lead to long-term disability, scarring, and a loss of sensation in the burned area.
4. Fourth-degree burns. These burns can destroy tissue down to the bone, leaving skin with a charred appearance. Strangely, they are painless due to a horrifying reason - they burn off nerve endings.

Medical Care Required for Burn Injuries

The treatment needed for a burn injury depends on the severity of the burn. In most cases, immediate medical care is necessary to prevent infection and promote healing.

To make matters worse, some victims describe burn treatment as worse than the injury. Surgery, vigorous wound cleaning, removing dead skin, and handling agonizingly tender new skin, plus stretching it to restore movement, can inflict immense pain and psychological trauma.

Common treatments include:

• Wound cleaning. Burned areas must be carefully cleaned to prevent infection.
• Pain management. Burn injuries are incredibly painful, and dangerously powerful medication like opioids may be required to manage the pain.
• Dressings and bandages. Burn wounds need to be covered with sterile bandages to protect the area and promote healing. They also need to be removed and replaced regularly to preserve sterility, as burn wounds often leak pus. That can be a painful chore endured multiple times a day.
• Skin grafts. For severe burns, especially third-degree burns, doctors may perform skin grafts. This involves taking healthy skin from another part of the body and attaching it to the burned area. This can be a traumatizing experience, as the victim gets two painful surgical wounds instead of just one. Doctors create a surgical wound from a perfectly healthy area of the body to implant it on the damaged one.
• Physical therapy. Physical therapy may be needed to help victims regain mobility and function, particularly if the burn affects muscles, joints, or tendons.
• Plastic surgery. In some cases, burn victims may require plastic surgery to repair damaged skin and reduce scarring.

If you've suffered severe burns in a South Carolina accident, you shouldn't handle your legal case yourself any more than your medical care. Get some advice from a Spartanburg, South Carolina burn injury attorney. Call me toll-free at 888-230-1841.

Long-Term Effects of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries can have long-lasting effects, especially for those who suffer second or third-degree burns. These effects may include:

1. Scarring. Severe burns often result in permanent scarring, which can be disfiguring and significantly impact a person's appearance, self-esteem, mobility, and ability to use the affected limb. These thick raised scars are classified as hypertrophic or keloid. Hypertrophic scars are generally red or pink. Keloids are raised higher from the skin and grow beyond the boundaries of the wound. They are pink to purple in color and can grow over time.
2. Disability. Burns that damage deeper tissues, including muscles and nerves, can lead to a permanent loss of function. Victims may struggle with movement or lose it completely and may be unable to return to work or perform daily tasks.
3. Emotional and psychological effects. Burn injuries can lead to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially if the burns cause visible disfigurement or result from a traumatic accident.
4. Chronic pain. Many burn victims experience long-term pain, even after their wounds have healed. Nerve damage from severe burns can lead to ongoing intense pain and sensitivity that can range from the occasional twinge to agonizing electric shocks and annoying numbness and tingling.

Enforcing Your Legal Rights After a South Carolina Burn Injury

If you or a loved one has suffered a burn injury at work or due to someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek compensation.

Burns at work fall under the South Carolina workers’ compensation law. It offers critical benefits for injured employees, including:

• Free medical care related to your injuries. This is crucial because medical treatment for burns generate some of the most eye-popping bills in all of medicine.
• Partial income replacement while you're out of work. Basically, you qualify for two-thirds of your average weekly wages while you're ordered out of work by the doctor or if your job can't accommodate the doctor’s work restrictions.
• Compensation for permanent injury. You'll qualify for monetary compensation, but workers’ compensation is a limited system of recovery. You won't get compensated for pain and suffering. Settling these cases is extremely complex, especially if you qualify for permanent disability benefits- which isn't the same as Social Security disability. Workers’ compensation insurance companies are notorious for taking advantage of the most severely injured victims.

Injured employees may also qualify to pursue a settlement from any non-employer who caused or contributed to their burn injury. These cases, called “third party actions,” require an experienced professional to protect your rights properly. For example, if you settle your case the wrong way, you can lose your workers’ compensation rights, which you might desperately need.

If you got burned at work in South Carolina, protect your rights and get peace of mind.  Get your questions answered in a free, no-pressure strategy session with a Spartanburg, SC workers’ compensation attorney. Call toll-free at 888-230-1841.

If you suffered a burn from someone else's fault, South Carolina law allows burn injury victims to pursue a settlement for:

• Medical bills. This includes both current and future medical bills for treatment, surgery, therapy, and rehabilitation. Protecting your right to future medical care can be critical, and an experienced South Carolina personal injury attorney knows how to do that.
• Lost income. If your burn injury has caused you to miss work or left you unable to return to work, you may be entitled to compensation for lost income. But you've got to be able to prove it the right way.
• Pain and suffering. Burn injuries are torture and can have a significant emotional impact. You can seek damages for the physical and emotional pain you’ve endured.
• Disability. A burn injury settlement should reflect your disability. In legal terms, “disability” means anything that is harder or impossible for you to do because of the injury. The settlement should include an amount for even the temporary disability you overcame as the wound healed. Of course, if you're left with a permanent disability, you should receive compensation to cover the impact on your quality of life.
• Disfigurement. If you're left with ugly permanent scars to always remind you of the tragedy, which can also affect your mobility and self-esteem, you can get a settlement to compensate you for that.

To enforce your legal rights and get the settlement you deserve, you should take the following steps:

1. Seek immediate medical attention. Even if your burns seem minor, it’s important to get medical treatment right away. Your medical records will play a key role in your legal case.
2. Document your injuries. Take photos of your burns, keep track of your medical appointments, and record how the injury affects your daily life.
3. Consult an attorney. Burn injury cases can be complex, and it’s essential to have a lawyer who understands workers’ compensation and personal injury law in South Carolina. An experienced attorney can help you gather evidence, handle aggressive insurance companies looking out for their bottom line and not you and your family, and, if necessary, take your case to court.

South Carolina Burn Accident Injury Cases Aren't Easy - Get Professional Help

Burn injuries are life-changing events that require extensive medical care and can leave victims with long-term physical, emotional, and financial burdens. If you’ve been injured in a burn accident in South Carolina, you've got a lot to lose, and you've got a tough case in front of you.

Handle your legal case with the same care you're giving your wounded body: get advice from an experienced professional. It’s essential to understand your rights and seek legal help So you don't get cheated out of a fair settlement by a greedy insurance company trying to save a buck at your expense.

I'm a Spartanburg, SC burn accident injury and workers’ compensation lawyer. I offer a FREE, NO-PRESSURE strategy session that I work to make easy on you. To get that set up in the easiest way for you, call me toll-free at 888-230-1841.

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