- Personal Injury
We’ve all burned ourselves, maybe by spilling our morning coffee or touching a hot dish right out the oven. There’s no one we can blame but ourselves and our injuries can often be treated using items from our medicine cabinet. In a week or so, we forget all about the incident. Unfortunately, some people sustain burn injuries that are much more serious, and they’re caused by someone else’s negligence. Burns can be due to several types of incidents and accidents including fires, traffic crashes, explosions, and chemical spills. Sometimes the injuries leave large scars behind.
If you suffer a disfiguring burn injury that’s someone else’s fault, you deserve to get compensation. Building a successful case is difficult to you’ll need to hire a Maryland burn injuries lawyer. This doesn’t mean your case will go to trial since your attorney will attempt to negotiate a settlement out of court. Contrary to what you may see on TV, that’s how most personal injury cases are concluded. No matter what happens, your lawyer will work hard to help you get full compensation.
Why You Need a Maryland Burn Injuries Attorney
You have the legal right to represent yourself. However, few victims want to do this. You’re much more likely to recover your losses if you have help from an experienced lawyer. You’ll also have all the time and energy you need to focus on your recovery. It can be very difficult to handle medical and legal challenges at the same time. The paperwork, evidence gathering, and negotiations can all be overwhelming. Many insurance claims are delayed or rejected before there are errors on the form or some of the supporting documents haven’t been included. When you hire a lawyer from the very beginning, they will assist you in filing a solid claim that’s backed by evidence.
Lawyers also play a big role in helping clients to get the amount they really deserve. Burn injury victims don’t typically know what a fair settlement would be. The insurer will use this their advantage and make you a really low settlement offer. Victims who don’t have lawyers often take the money since they believe it’s the only offer they’ll get. They also don’t know how to stand up to a big insurance company. However, an experienced Maryland burn injuries attorney will know exactly how to deal with the insurer. They’ll be prepared for all the usual tactics.
Damages You Can Recover Following a Disfiguring Burn Injury
Depending on your specific losses, you’ll be able to claim a range of damages. These include:
- Medical costs. Disfiguring burn injuries often require expensive medical treatment and in some cases, victims need multiple surgeries. Because of the psychological impact of such an injury, many victims also need counseling and other interventions. The at-fault party should have to compensate you for all your current and future injury-related expenses.
- Lost wages. You won’t be able to work for some time while you recover. The nature of your injuries may mean you can never work in the same capacity again or worse, ever work at all. This will naturally affect your finances. Fortunately, you can claim compensation for lost wages and lost earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering. You can also claim non-economic losses. A disfiguring burn injury may be physically painful, and it will affect your mental health. You may experience anxiety or depression especially if the burn is in a highly visible location.
Steps to Take After A Burn Accident
What you do after you get injured matters. Even though your attorney will do lots of important work to recover damages on your behalf, you can also help yourself. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, your attorney won’t be present. However, the things you do can impact your case either positively or negatively. To give yourself the best chance of getting compensation, you should:
- Report your injuries to the relevant authorities. You’ll notify the police about a car crash, your employer if you got injured at work, and a property owner if the incident happened on their premises.
- Get medical attention right away and follow the doctor’s orders.
- Take pictures of your injuries or ask someone to do it for you
- Get the names and contact details for any eyewitnesses
- Don’t talk to anyone about your injuries or sign any related documents without first talking to a lawyer.
Contact a Skilled Attorney at Pinder Plotkin LLC
If you sustained a disfiguring burn injury in any type of accident, don’t delay in seeking help from a burn injuries lawyer in Maryland. At Pinder Plotkin LLC, we’ll do everything we can to help you recover your losses. Call us today to set up a free case review.
