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Suffering From Burn Injuries in Fresno?

Burns are among the most excruciating injuries an individual can experience, both physically and emotionally. Burn injuries usually leave victims with numerous questions and concerns about the harm they endured, their future, and what they need to do next.

You do not have to go through this traumatizing ordeal alone. If you choose to work with The May Firm, our Fresno burn injury lawyers will be there to support you every step of the way; answering any questions you may have, providing you the legal help you need to get through this challenging time, and fighting to secure the compensation you deserve. 

About The May Firm: We Help People Like You

The May Firm is a California-based personal injury and accident law firm that fights zealously on behalf of injured victims and their families. Our award-winning attorneys make it a point to approach each case with professionalism and compassion, and we work hard to go after the results our clients want. One of our main goals as a firm is to seek the justice that our clients desire while helping alleviate as much emotional and physical stress as we can.

Since our founding, we have won millions of dollars in settlement verdicts and jury awards for our clients, with some of our most recent awards including:

  • $2.3 million for a car accident;
  • $1.9 million for a wrongful death accident;
  • $1.5 million for a traumatic brain injury accident;
  • $1.5 million for a spinal cord injury accident;
  • $1.475 million for a motor vehicle crash; and
  • $800,000 for a motorcycle crash.

The May Firm focuses on the following practice areas: motor vehicle accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, wrongful death cases, trucking accidents, construction site accidents, public transportation accidents, boating accidents, premises liability accidents, elder abuse, dog attacks, and burn injury accidents.

Table of Contents

The Different Types Of Fresno Burn Injuries

The type of burn injury you experience depends on what caused this burn and how severely the burn damaged your skin.

Burn injuries are classified based on their severity:

  • First-degree burns: These burns only involve the top layer of skin. If you have a first-degree burn, you may experience mild swelling, redness, and pain. You can usually treat first degree burns at home with over-the-counter pain medication, cool water, and wraps.
  • Second-degree burns: Second-degree burns go deeper than first-degree burns, and involve multiple layers of skin. These burns can result in deep redness, blistering, pain, skin loss, and fluid leakage. Second-degree burns should be treated by a medical professional.
  • Third-degree burns: Third-degree burns penetrate all the way through the victim’s skin and destroy underlying tissue. Third-degree burns are quite severe and can turn the skin leathery, dry, and discolored. If you experience a third-degree burn, you must seek immediate medical attention.
  • Fourth-degree burns: Fourth-degree burns go through the skin and the underlying tissue, damaging muscle and sometimes bone. Typically, there is no feeling left in the area since the burn destroys nerve endings. As with third-degree burns, fourth-degree burns require immediate medical treatment due to it being a catastrophic injury.

Anything more severe than a first-degree burn is generally long-lasting and can require extensive medical care and expensive treatments.

Common Types Of Burns In Fresno

Most people assume that burn injuries involve open flames. While fire is one of the most common reasons people get burned, it is not the only cause.

Other common burn injury causes include:

  • Electrical burns: These result when electrical voltage burns the skin.
  • Gas explosions: These burns occur when there is a gas leak that catches fire.
  • Scalding: These burns occur when a hot liquid comes into contact with the victim’s skin.
  • Chemical burns: These burns result from a strong base or acid that comes into contact with the victim’s skin.
  • Radiation burns: Medical treatments, tanning beds, or X-rays can cause these injuries.
  • Thermal burns: These burns result from fire exposure, such as flammable liquid exposure or automobile accidents.
  • Inhalation burns: These burns happen when an individual inhales steam, smoke, or toxic fumes.

How Do Burn Injuries Happen In Fresno?

Burn injuries are all unique, coming in many different shapes and sizes.

Typically, the most common accidents that cause a burn injury include:

  • Motor vehicle accidents, including car accidents and truck crashes;
  • Defective products;
  • Workplace accidents including construction site accidents;
  • Electrical accidents;
  • Fires in public areas (including bars, hotels, restaurants, movie theaters);
  • Scalding pipes or water;
  • House fires; and
  • Apartment fires.

Fresno Burn Injury Lawsuits

Three situations can cause burn injuries that often lead to legal claims.

They are:

  • Negligence;
  • Premises liability; and
  • Product defects.

Each of these situations is described below. 

If You Suffered A Burn Injury Because Of Negligence

When you suffer a burn injury because of negligence, it means that a person or an entity failed to act with reasonable care to prevent harm to you under the circumstances.

Generally, to prove that another party was negligent, the victim needs to show the following elements:

  • The at-fault party owed the victim a duty of care;
  • The at-fault party breached this duty of care; and
  • The victim suffered injuries and damages as a result of this breach. 

If You Suffered A Burn Injury Because Of Premises Liability

Premises liability is a legal concept that comes up when an individual suffers an injury because of some defective or unsafe condition on another person’s property.

In Fresno, to be successful in a premises liability claim, you need to prove the following three elements:

  • Foreseeability: Could the property owner reasonably anticipate that an accident might occur based on the condition of the property?
  • Warn of dangerous conditions: Did the property owner make a reasonable effort to warn visitors of any dangerous conditions?
  • Purpose of the visitor: What was the purpose of the individual being on the property?

If You Suffered A Burn Injury Because Of A Product Defect

Under California’s laws, manufacturers and other businesses in the marketing chain, including designers, are strictly liable for selling defective products. This means that an injured victim does not need to prove that the manufacturer or other business was negligent to prevail in a burn injury lawsuit against them. The victim must simply show that the product was defective and there was a sufficient connection between the liable party, the product, and the victim’s injury.

Typically, one of the following three different types of defects can result in a product liability claim:

  • Manufacturing defect: This type of defect occurs if a product is not assembled properly, is damaged, or does not come through the manufacturing process correctly. If someone is injured because of this, they can generally sue the product manufacturer over the manufacturing defect.
  • Design defect: A product may be inherently dangerous because its design is not safe. Even if the whole manufacturing process takes place according to design specifications, the product is dangerous even when used correctly.
  • Inadequate warnings: If a product is manufactured and designed precisely as expected, sometimes an injury can still result because of insufficient warnings to keep the user safe or ensure that they knew how to use the product correctly.

A defective product can burn people in many ways. Take, for example, faulty wiring in a defective space heater. Even a smoke alarm malfunctioning can lead to a deadly burn accident. 

Fresno Burn Injury Damages

If you suffered a burn injury, you may pursue certain damages. Damages are the money you can receive from a claim following an injury. In Fresno, damages can include economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

Economic damages: These damages are reimbursement for verifiable losses that result from the accident.

They typically include:

  • Medical expenses including past, current, and future medical costs (such as hospital stays, doctor visits, surgeries, and skin grafting procedures);
  • Lost wages;
  • Lost earning capacity;
  • Personal property damages;
  • Replacement service costs (such as cleaning services, child care services);
  • In-home nursing care; and
  • Other accident-related out-of-pocket expenses.

Non-economic damages: These damages are for more subjective losses that do not have a specific monetary value associated with them. As a result, these damages are not as easily quantifiable as economic damages.

They can include compensation for:

  • Pain and suffering;
  • Mental anguish;
  • Emotional distress;
  • Scarring;
  • Disfigurement;
  • Loss of enjoyment of life ;
  • Loss of consortium;
  • Loss of reputation; and
  • Loss of companionship.

Punitive damages: Unlike the other two types of compensatory damages, which compensate the victim, punitive damages punish the defendant and deter them from committing similar egregious acts again in the future. Punitive damages are not available in every case; a victim must show clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with fraud, malice, or oppression to receive a punitive damages award.

5 Steps To Take Following A Fresno Burn Injury Accident

Whether your burn injury happened because of a car accident, a work accident, or due to a dangerous condition on someone else’s property, there are some specific actions you should take, to the extent you can, following the incident.

These actions can not only protect your safety but your legal rights.

  1. Call 911: Always call 911 following a serious accident. It is the fastest way to get your accident on record and get an emergency medical team to the scene. Anytime there is a burn injury involved, it is best to err on the side of caution and get checked out by a doctor. This can help minimize the long-term impact of the burn injury and promptly deal with health issues. In addition, when the police get to the scene, they can begin investigating the accident and record their findings in their police report. This report can link the accident to your injury.
  2. Document everything: If you are able, document everything you can about the accident. Take pictures of the accident scene and your visible injuries. Include photos or videos of any vehicles involved, any dangerous conditions that may have caused your injury, and any other details that can help show what happened. Additionally, try to take pictures of your burn injury as it progresses. This can help provide a jury and judge with a better understanding of your injuries and the harm you endured.
  3. Keep a journal: Make sure to start jotting down daily notes about the accident and your injuries. This journal can not only help refresh your memory about the accident later on, but it can also keep track of what you had to endure because of your treatments and during your recovery.
  4. Get witness contact information: If anyone at the accident scene saw what happened, get their names and numbers. Their statements can provide you with valuable information to substantiate your claims.
  5. Contact a Fresno burn injury lawyer as soon as possible: Many burn injury victims do not understand the full extent of their legal options and what compensation they can pursue following a burn injury accident. When you contact an experienced Fresno burn injury attorney, they can help you figure out your next steps, gather the necessary evidence to show what happened and who was liable for the harm you endured, and help you to go after the compensation you need to make a full physical and financial recovery.

Bringing A Fresno Burn Injury Claim: How Much Time Do You Have?

The statute of limitations is a law that sets the maximum amount of time you have to initiate legal proceedings after your accident. If you do not file a claim within this time, you cannot seek compensation for your injuries. The statute of limitations to file a Fresno burn injury claim is two years from the accident date. However, there are numerous exceptions to this rule that can either extend or shorten the length of time you have to file your specific claim.

That is why you must discuss your case with a knowledgeable Fresno burn injury attorney as soon as possible. When you contact The May Firm, our lawyers can promptly get to work figuring out how much time you have to file your case and ensure that all legal documents and motions are filed accurately and on time. 

Community Involvement

At The May Firm we strive to be involved and connected to our local community. For example, this past holiday season we organized bicycle and Christmas tree giveaways for individuals in our community. Our goal is to be a positive force for good in the local community and give back in some small measure to those we can serve. We receive satisfaction and joy from serving our clients and will continue to look for ways to be of assistance to the community as a whole. We receive positive energy from the community when we are involved.

We have listed a few of the local organizations we support and look forward to growing our outreach in the future. If you have any suggestions for ways we can be of service or support, please reach out to us. 

Where Compassion Meets Experience

We take pride in working hard for each of our valued clients and will help you recover from your injuries and losses, including lost wages, mental anguish, future earning potential, disability or continued health care needs and lost or damaged property.

Our Fresno injury lawyers stay well-informed and up-to-date on all applicable legal changes, so you can be confident that you will always receive relevant, current legal advice.

If you have suffered a personal injury or are a victim of an accident that is not your at fault for, contact our award winning Fresno attorneys 24/7 to schedule your free case consultation. You can also call our Fresno office at 1-(559)-385-2090. Let us be your personal injury and accident advocate.

“My number one goal is to help others. When you step foot into our firm, you’ll be treated like family, period.”
Robert May, Attorney | Founder

Fresno Burn Injury FAQs

If you suffered a burn injury, your number one priority should be getting the medical treatment you need. If this burn occurred because of another person’s wrongful actions, you may also want to consider filing a legal claim.

Burn injury victims often have no idea how to begin this legal process or what they need to do next following their accident. The attorney team at the May Firm wants to provide you with some clarity regarding the process for pursuing compensation after a burn injury accident. Below, we hope to answer some of your most pressing burn injury questions, provide you with a better understanding of the legal options you have, and show you how our law firm can help you get through this traumatizing ordeal. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers provided by Fresno burn injury courtesy of The May Firm
to some frequently asked questions we receive from clients.

If you suffered a burn injury, you can file a claim against any individual or entity that may be responsible for your harm if their intentional misconduct or negligent actions caused your injury. Potential defendants can include product manufacturers, dangerous public or private property owners, worksite operators, apartment complex owners, motor vehicle drivers, and others. To be successful in your claim, you will need to establish that the defendant you name was at fault for the accident that resulted in your burn injuries.

The answer is usually yes. Burn injuries are serious injuries, and you must figure out who may be liable for your injury as soon as possible so that you can go after the compensation you need. Experts, such as engineers, fire investigators, accident reconstructionists, vocational rehabilitation therapists, doctors, and economists, can speak to the issue of liability in your case and can help you quantify your damages, which can be vital to substantiate your claims.

Quite often in a lawsuit, the other side heavily disputes fault and damages. That is why it is often necessary to hire one or more experts to testify to these issues in your case. By substantiating your claims concerning your injuries and the extent of your future bills and care, experts can help you go after maximum compensation. 

Yes. Burn injuries can escalate quite quickly. In fact, one fairly common complication that can result from widespread burns is a serious bacterial infection, which can result in sepsis, low blood volume, low body temperature, and fluid loss. Do not wait to get a medical examination, primarily because the extent of the burn injury may not immediately show.

When your doctor examines you immediately after your burn accident, he or she can confirm the severity of your burns, provide you with any treatments you need, and record your injuries in a medical report. This report will help if you choose to file a claim against the person or entity that caused your injury, because it will show a link between your injuries and the accident, countering any arguments by the other side that your burn injury is not serious or that it resulted from a subsequent event. 

The type of treatment you need will depend on the extent of your burns. For instance, victims may treat mild burns at home with over-the-counter pain medication and cooling creams. In contrast, widespread burns or electrical burns need emergency medical care, often in a specialized burn unit.

Typically, if the burn is a third- or fourth-degree burn, surgeons will use skin grafts to treat the burn area. A skin graft is a thin layer of skin taken from a different unburned area of the body to cover the burned skin. Your doctor will examine your injuries and decide on the best course of action. 

Healing timelines vary based on the type of burn injury. A first-degree burn may take anywhere from a week to ten days to heal. In comparison, a second-degree burn will generally take up to three weeks to heal and may result in some scarring. A third- or fourth-degree burn generally requires surgery, skin grafts, and a lengthy recovery period.

Burn injuries can take quite a toll on a victim physically, emotionally, and financially. Not only do serious burn injury victims require extensive medical treatments and therapy in the short term, but some burn injuries can leave a victim with permanent health effects that will require a lifetime of care.

Some of the long-term medical issues that can result from a burn injury include:

  • Significant nerve damages;
  • Permanent scarring;
  • Loss of a limb due to a burn injury-related amputation;
  • Infection;
  • Numerous restorative surgeries;
  • Cosmetic deformities;
  • The inability to grow new skin;
  • Oversensitivity to individual senses such as cold, heat, or sunlight;
  • Extreme emotional suffering; and
  • Lifelong psychological trauma.

Burns injuries are expensive injuries to treat. That is why, following a burn injury, you need to contact an experienced Fresno burn injury attorney promptly. When an experienced burn injury lawyer takes on your case, they can start investigating your accident and gathering the evidence needed to fight for the compensation you deserve. 

No.

Following some burn accidents, particularly when there is clear evidence that someone else is likely to blame for your injuries, the other party’s insurance company may start calling you right away. Before you pick up the phone, you need to understand that the insurance company is a business that wants to make money. When an insurance company decreases the amount of your payout or denies your claim altogether, they are serving their own best interests by protecting the company’s bottom line. That is why insurance adjusters will often try any tactic they can to get you to admit fault for the accident so that they can reduce the amount of money you receive.

For these reasons, if the insurance company is calling, be careful what you say. Typically, it is best to leave discussions with insurance adjusters to your attorney. When your lawyer takes over conversations with the insurance company, they can ensure that your case is treated fairly and you do not accidentally say anything that might negatively affect your claim.

No. Before you accept any settlement offer, you need to carefully consider whether the settlement fairly accounts for your past and future accident-related damages, ideally with an attorney’s assistance. Once you accept a settlement, you cannot ask for more money later on. Our firm usually recommends that you get as far along in your recovery as possible before you accept any offer. That way, you can better predict the care you will need in the future and the full extent of your accident-related expenses.

If you receive a settlement offer from the insurance company and cannot decide whether to accept it or not, contact The May Firm and let our attorneys review your claim. We can help you determine if the settlement amount offered to you is fair and, if it is not, we can help you negotiate for a settlement that is. 

Unfortunately, no attorney can provide you with an exact monetary figure you can expect following your burn injury accident. Even if you are entitled to damages, there are just too many factors that can affect your claim’s value.

These factors can include:

  • The extent and severity of your burn injuries;
  • The scope of your medical treatments and the medical costs involved now and in the future;
  • Whether your burn injury resulted in a permanent disability;
  • Whether you can work following your burn injury accident and, if not, whether you will ever work again;
  • Your level of pain and suffering; and
  • The credibility of your evidence and witnesses.

When you meet with the lawyers from the May Firm, we can walk you through every aspect of your claim, discuss which factors may influence the compensation you may receive, and prepare the best case in response to these factors by fighting for maximum damages. 

Not all victims are required to go to court to get the compensation they need. Often, a victim’s attorney can negotiate with the negligent party or their insurance company to settle before heading to trial. However, if the other side is unwilling to reach an agreement, it may be in your best interests to head to court and fight for fair compensation. If our attorneys handle your case, we can walk you through the whole court process and ensure you understand each step of the complicated legal proceedings. 

Anyone can suffer a significant burn injury.

Yet, certain groups are at a higher risk of suffering this tragic type of injury.

  • Children: Young children are curious and want to explore new things. However, when this curiosity extends to fire or hot objects, the results can be disastrous.
  • Elderly: As a person ages, they may experience slower reaction times, preventing them from reacting quickly enough to avoid a burn injury.

In addition, certain items around the house can increase the risk of someone suffering an extensive burn injury.

These items include:

  • Defective water heaters;
  • Harsh cleaning supplies that are poorly labeled, such as ammonia or bleach;
  • Faulty wiring; and
  • Certain malfunctioning appliances such as space heaters or stoves.

When someone dies from a burn injury that occurred due to another person’s negligence, the deceased’s family (spouse, domestic partner, child, or another relative who was financially dependent on the deceased) can file a wrongful death claim. A wrongful death claim is similar to a personal injury case. Here, however, the family files a lawsuit claiming that their loved one passed away because of the wrongful actions of another person or entity. If the deceased’s survivors are successful, they may receive money damages for their losses. These damages typically cover funeral expenses, burial costs, and potential income that the deceased could have earned had they lived.

Sustaining a burn injury can result in extensive pain, serious health issues, and numerous short- and long-term problems. Even worse, burn injury accident claims are incredibly complex, requiring detailed evidence proving liability and damages, a solid understanding of the state’s laws, and sound legal arguments. If you work with The May Firm, you do not have to worry about tackling these legal complexities on your own.

Once retained, our attorneys can:

  • Go over your Fresno burn injury case in detail, answer any questions you have, and discuss the legal options you can pursue.
  • Investigate your burn injury accident, interview witnesses, and gather critical evidence needed to show what happened and who was at fault.
  • Ensure critical motions and legal documents are filed accurately and on time.
  • Take over the discussions and negotiations with the insurance company, ensuring you only accept a fair settlement offer.
  • If the defense or the insurance company refuses to negotiate, take your case to trial and fight in court for maximum damages.

If you or a loved one has suffered a burn injury in Fresno because of another person’s or entity’s negligent or wrongful actions, do not wait. Contact The May Firm today at (559) 385-2090 and let us go after the compensation and the damages you deserve.

Call Us for a Free Consultation

Contact us to get started. It is important to have the proper legal representation on your side if you’re involved in a motorcycle crash. Often wrongful blame is placed on the rider in a multi-vehicle collision due to the increased risk that comes with riding a motorcycle. Insurance companies are reluctant to side with the motorcyclist and oftentimes will attempt to place the full or partial blame on them. Don’t accept that blame and the legal repercussions that come with it.

Call (866) 619-6679 to schedule a free consultation with our award-winning motorcycle accident lawyers. We’ll help determine the viability of your case based on your testimony and help you determine the best way to proceed. Working on a contingency fee means our lawyers are only compensated when your case or settlement is won, and our extensive experience and case history allow us to settle most claims out of court, giving you a faster resolution to your case and allowing you to focus on your recovery process. We factor in every possible expense when building your settlement: Medical bills, wage loss, property damage, and emotional suffering are all considered. Our goal is to help you put your life back in order to the best of our ability.

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