Solar Law is experienced in the handling of burn injury lawsuits. The firm’s attorneys have prosecuted fire related claims against automobile manufacturers, chemical companies, refineries, metal die manufacturers, convenience store / gasoline retailers, smoke detector manufacturers, household appliance manufacturers, and commercial and residential landlords.
The successful prosecution of a severe burn case may require an extensive team of private investigators, and forensic fire investigators, engineers, architects and chemists. This requires the knowledge, skill and commitment to identify, assemble and coordinate the work of an interdisciplinary team. The process requires a great deal of time, money and perseverance.
A simple apartment fire may require a private investigator(s) to identify eye witnesses, a forensic fire investigator to develop a working theory of the fire’s origin, an electrical engineer to examine the electrical design and state of the equipment, an architect to review the architectural drawings to identify deviations from applicable fire codes, and chemists to test materials for accelerants.
The National Fire Protection Association statistics in 2015 revealed that 1,345,500 fires were reported in the United States. Those fires resulted in:
- 3,280 civilian deaths, 15,700 civilian injuries, and $14.3 billion in property damage.
- 501,500 were structure fires, causing 2,685 civilian deaths, 13,000 civilian injuries, and $10.3 billion in property damage.
- 204,500 were vehicle fires, causing 500 civilian fire deaths, 1,875 civilian fire injuries, and $1.8 billion in property damage.
- 639,500 were outside and other fires, causing 95 civilian fire deaths, 825 civilian fire injuries, and $252 million in property damage.
- The 2015 U.S. fire loss clock shows that a fire department responded to a fire every 23 seconds. One structure fire was reported every 63 seconds.
- One home structure fire was reported every 86 seconds.
- One civilian fire injury was reported every 34 minutes.
- One civilian fire death occurred every 2 hours and 40 minutes.
- One outside and other fire was reported every 52 seconds.
- One highway vehicle fire was reported every 3 minutes 1 second.
Whether the damage is caused by:
- explosion,
- fire,
- scalding liquids,
- steam,
- electricity,
- radiation,
- chemicals, or
- abuse,
burns are among the most agonizing injuries a person can suffer; and the subsequent wound care is often more painful than the initial trauma. Burn lawsuits, like the burns themselves, require a knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated team of experts to achieve the optimal outcome.
Ideally, severe burn injuries are treated in surgical units, and because it takes different medical specialties to treat them, multidisciplinary burn centers are preferred. The firm’s clients have called upon Solar Law to assist in facilitating transfers to multidisciplinary burn centers, subsequent reconstructive surgical procedures and psychological support.
The treatment of severe burns is difficult for burn victims as well as for their loved ones. Debridement (the removal of burned skin or foreign objects from the wounds) is often performed once or twice daily to promote healing. Severe burn injuries that cannot heal on their own typically require skin grafts. Such wound cleaning and grafting procedures might continue to inflict pain for a period of several months or even years.
The pain resulting from burn treatment can be worse than the initial burn. Additionally, the victim may require home healthcare to provide relief to family members; assist with the application of compression garments used to reduce hypertrophic scarring; and improve overall comfort during the healing process.
Patients and their loved ones, even those with the strongest of coping mechanisms, may require psychological support to endure the ordeal. Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may result in a change in attitude. The caregiver can shift from loving and caring to exhausted and emotionally drained.
Burnout occurs when caregivers cannot access the assistance their loved one requires. Oftentimes this is the result of physical, emotional and financial reserves being overdrawn. Caregivers who are “burned out” may experience exhaustion, anxiety, and depression. A caregivers’ condition may be aggravated by feelings of guilt when they spend time on themselves rather than on their loved one.
The Solar Law has the knowledge, empathy and resources to assist its clients through their journey to recovery. The need for extended home care underscores the challenges presented by these cases. You may require the services of a life care planner to anticipate future needs and arrive at cost projections for trial.