On top of being extremely painful injuries, severe burns also often have debilitating repercussions for victims that last for years after the accident that caused them. In situations like this, recovering fair compensation from the party responsible for causing you harm becomes more important than ever—but without support from knowledgeable legal counsel, doing that effectively could be all but impossible.
Fortunately, our Covington burn injury lawyers at O'Connor, Acciani & Levy can help you achieve the case result you deserve. Once retained, our dedicated catastrophic injury attorneys can explain every right you have in your unique situation, help you build a comprehensive case for fair financial restitution, and tirelessly pursue a positive resolution on your behalf both in and out of court.
Recoverable Damages in a Burn Injury Claim
Like any other personal injury case, the value of a civil claim based around a severe burn depends on the specific losses you already sustained and will sustain in the future as a direct result of your injury.
First-Degree Burns
First-degree burns rarely warrant civil litigation at all, as they can often heal completely on their own with basic first aid, and an accident victim must have sustained at least one injury requiring professional medical care to have grounds to file suit.
Second-Degree Burns
Second-degree burns, on the other hand, cause painful damage to multiple layers of skin, and prompt medical attention is often crucial to repairing it and avoiding permanent scarring and/or loss of nerve function.
Third- and Fourth-Degree Burns
Third-degree and fourth-degree burns are even more severe, as they entail the complete destruction of multiple skin layers and may cause life-threatening damage to fat layers, muscle tissue, tendons, and even bone.
Based on your specific burn injuries, our qualified Covington attorneys with O'Connor, Acciani & Levy can offer you an honest appraisal of what recovery options may be available and what damages could likely be factored into a settlement demand or lawsuit.
What Could Potentially Hinder Recovery Efforts?
Even though high-degree burns are particularly severe injuries that can cause permanent and debilitating harm, individuals filing suit over them are still subject to the same rules that apply to people filing suit over less serious personal injuries. For example, in accordance with Kentucky Revised Statutes §411.182, if you are found partially responsible for causing or worsening your own injuries through negligence, you may be subject to a proportional reduction in the compensation you ultimately receive based on the percentage of total fault the jury assigns you.
It is also worth noting that different statutory filing deadlines may apply to burn injury litigation depending on whether you sustained you burn in an auto wreck or in some other type of accident. Our seasoned lawyers at O'Connor, Acciani & Levy can provide further clarification about the restrictions and procedural obstacles that might impact recovery for a specific burn injury in Covington.
Contact our Covington Burn Injury Attorney for Help
No matter what circumstances cause a serious burn to occur, the aftermath of that incident is often crucial to determining what the burn victim’s future prospects are. If you are hurt by someone else’s negligence but fail to enforce your right to civil recovery for your damages, you may find yourself shouldering the various physical, financial, and personal burdens of their injury all by themselves.
Working with O'Connor, Acciani & Levy’s Covington personal injury lawyers can be the key to giving yourself the best chances to recover compensation to help you heal. Call today for a private consultation.
