Burns rank among the most painful and traumatic injuries a person can endure. Beyond the immediate physical agony, burn injuries often leave permanent scars and require extensive medical treatment. They can also fundamentally alter your appearance, mobility, and quality of life. The emotional and financial aftermath can be equally devastating: prohibitive medical bills, lost income, and the psychological impact of disfigurement can create overwhelming pressure during an already challenging recovery period.
At Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP, our San Mateo burn injury lawyers understand the profound impact these injuries have on every aspect of your life. We have over four decades of experience protecting the rights of seriously injured individuals throughout California, and we have secured many multimillion-dollar recoveries for our clients.
Our professional, aggressive, and knowledgeable attorneys are ready to put our experience to work for you right now. Contact CHM Law Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options.
Why You Should Hire a Burn Injury Attorney in San Mateo for Your Case
After suffering a severe burn, you want to focus on healing. The last thing you need is the additional stress of dealing with the headache of a complex legal claim. A San Mateo burn injury attorney at CHM Law Firm can handle every aspect of your claim, including all negotiations with insurance adjusters and communications with the at-fault party’s legal team.
The following is what we have to offer when we handle your burn injury case:
- Skilled Investigation – We can thoroughly investigate the circumstances that caused your burns, gathering crucial evidence before it disappears.
- Access to Specialists – We can work with medical experts, fire investigators, and safety specialists who can document exactly how the injury occurred and who is responsible.
- Accurate Valuation – We know how to calculate the true lifetime costs of your injury, including future surgeries, rehabilitation, and psychological treatment.
- Recovery Support – We can connect you with top medical providers, rehabilitation facilities, and support services.
- Contingency Fee Arrangement – You pay nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
Our burn injury lawyers in San Mateo take on a limited number of cases. Doing so allows us to dedicate significant attention to seeking the compensation you need and deserve. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you.
What Compensation Can I Get for My Burn Injury?
A successful burn injury claim can provide substantial compensation for both current and future needs, such as the following:
- Medical expenses, including emergency care, hospitalization, surgeries, medications, and specialized burn treatments
- Rehabilitation costs, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological counseling
- Reconstructive surgeries, which can entail multiple procedures over the course of several years
- Long-term care, including home health assistance and professional nursing care if needed
- Lost income from missed time at work, as well as diminished future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress, including psychological trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Calculating the amount of burn injury compensation you might be eligible for involves considering several factors. These include the severity of your burns, their location, your age, and your pre-injury occupation. Our team is committed to working tirelessly to secure the full compensation you deserve.
Who Could Be Liable for a Burn Injury in San Mateo?
Identifying all responsible parties is crucial to maximizing your compensation. Potentially liable parties include the following:
- Property owners who fail to maintain proper fire safety systems or let dangerous conditions go unaddressed
- Employers, when workplace safety violations lead to burns
- Product manufacturers whose defective products cause fires, explosions, or chemical burns
- Vehicle manufacturers, if defective fuel systems rupture in accidents
- Chemical companies that fail to include adequate warnings on hazardous substances
- Construction companies that are responsible for electrical code violations or unsafe work practices
- Transportation companies that fail to handle flammable materials properly
- Government entities that are responsible for unsafe conditions in public buildings or spaces
Our dedicated attorneys can conduct a thorough investigation to identify every party that may share responsibility for your injuries, allowing us to seek compensation from every available source.
What Are the Medical Costs for Burn Victims?
Burn injuries often result in astronomical medical expenses that can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars over the course of several years or decades. The following are examples:
- Ambulance and ER services alone may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Extensive burn injuries typically require one to two months of inpatient care at thousands of dollars a day.
- Specialized burn center treatment may exceed $6,000 per day.
- Surgical procedures, such as multiple skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries, can cost up to $200,000 each.
- Physical and occupational therapy for months or years may cost hundreds of dollars per session.
- Ongoing therapy for trauma and adjustment may also cost in excess of $100 per session.
- Medications for pain management, infection prevention, and other drugs can cost thousands of dollars monthly.
- Special compression garments to minimize scarring can cost thousands of dollars annually.
- Home modifications for burn survivors with mobility limitations can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
With all of these factors in mind, severe burn treatment can easily exceed $1 million in a lifetime. Our firm is ready to work diligently to pursue compensation for you that accounts for these extensive costs.
How Long Do I Have to File a Burn Injury Lawsuit in California?
In California, strict deadlines apply to injury claims:
- Personal Injury Lawsuits – You generally have two years from the date of injury to file a burn injury lawsuit.
- Government Claims – If your case involves a government entity, you must file a formal claim within six months.
- Product Liability Claims – You generally have two years from the date of injury, but exceptions may apply.
- Wrongful Death Claims – You have two years from the date of death if burns resulted in a fatality.
Missing these deadlines can permanently prevent you from recovering compensation. This is why it’s important for you to contact our firm promptly after an injury to protect your legal rights.
What Are the Common Causes of Burn Injuries?
Understanding the following typical causes of burn injuries can help identify liable parties and strengthen your claim:
- Vehicle accidents involving fuel-fed fires
- Residential fires, often resulting from faulty wiring, defective appliances, or negligent maintenance
- Workplace accidents in industrial settings with burn hazards from chemicals, electricity, and machinery
- Scalding incidents involving hot liquids or steam, particularly in restaurants or care facilities
- Chemical exposure from industrial chemicals, household cleaners, and other substances
- Electrical accidents involving contact with power lines or faulty electrical systems
- Defective products, such as malfunctioning appliances, lithium-ion batteries, or e-cigarettes
- Gas explosions from natural gas leaks or propane tank failures
Our firm has extensive experience handling burn injury cases arising from all these causes and can develop a strategy tailored to your specific situation.
What Are the Types and Degrees of Burns?
Understanding the types and degrees of burns helps communicate the severity of your injuries. Some of the most common types of burns include the following:
- Thermal burns are caused by contact with flames, hot objects, steam, or hot liquids.
- Chemical burns result from contact with acids, bases, or other caustic substances.
- Electrical burns are caused by electrical current passing through the body.
- Radiation burns occur due to excessive exposure to radiation sources.
- Friction burns result from the skin rubbing against hard surfaces.
- Cold burns (frostbite) result in tissue damage from extreme cold.
Burns are classified by degree, as follows:
- First-degree burns affect only the outer layer of skin (epidermis), causing redness and pain.
- Second-degree burns extend into the second layer of skin (dermis), causing blisters, severe pain, and possible scarring.
- Third-degree burns destroy all layers of skin and damage underlying tissues, appearing white or charred.
- Fourth-degree burns can extend through the skin into fat, muscle, and even bone.
More severe burns often require skin grafting, carry higher risks of infection, and can lead to life-threatening complications. Our attorneys work closely with medical experts to document the full extent of your injuries and their long-term implications.
