Lakeland Burn Injury Lawyers

Being injured in a fire is one of the worst of all possible accident scenarios. Along with car accidents, it’s also one of the most painful, affecting individuals severely on both a physical and mental level.

You might have just experienced a burn injury in a car accident or during a medical procedure. At this point, you know your injury changes your life forever. Some of your burns are perhaps so severe, they’ll affect your ability to function normally ever again.

What do you do to put your life back together? You need legal help soon to get the compensation you deserve. The Lakeland burn injury lawyers at Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys can help.

Causes of Lakeland Burn Injuries

There are many causes of negligent burn injuries, but some of the more common include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Laser Hair Removal
• Cosmetic Laser Procedures
• Electrical Burns
• Building Fires
• Chemical Burns
• Explosions
• Workplace Accidents
• Defective Products
• Plane and Helicopter Accidents

The burn injury attorneys at the Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys have devoted more than 20 years to obtaining the maximum compensation possible for individuals injured through negligence, recklessness, or carelessness. They are experienced in all areas of personal injury law to take on the party responsible for your burn injuries and get you the compensation you need to recover from your injuries, regardless of how the accident happened.

Burn Injury Classification

Healthcare and medical professionals classify burns into three categories:

First-Degree Burns:

These burns cause damage to only the top layer of skin and are considered to be the least severe category. First-degree burns may or may not require medical treatment.

Second-Degree Burns:

Damage to the first and second layers of skin is classified as a second-degree burn injury and could cause blistering of the affected area.  Due to the nature and severity of these burn injuries, they frequently ongoing medical care and treatment.

Third-Degree Burns:

Damage to all layers of skin is the most common characteristic of this classification of burn injury, but it can also include damage to muscles, bones, and tendons. Treatment for third-degree burns often requires multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

Wrongful Death as a Result of Burn Injury

Burns can also affect the lungs and airways requiring breathing assistance. In the most severe cases, third-degree burns can result in an injured victim’s wrongful death. If these injuries were due to someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to pursue legal recourse. In this case, a representative of the deceased person’s estate may be able to pursue a personal injury claim on their behalf. Speak to an experienced burn injury lawyer to learn what your legal options are and how a qualified Florida burn injury attorney can help get you the support and resources you need during this difficult time.

How Do Burn Injuries Happen?

Those above burn injury examples are only a few scenarios of what can happen here in Lakeland. Some of the most common burn injuries we see from our clients include:

Burns in a Car Accident

You may have burns from a car accident that turned into a car fire. Sometimes high-impact crashes hit the gas tank, causing an explosion that causes severe burns all over your body.

Other times, older cars with electrical problems cause fires without even being hit by another driver.

In either case, suffering a severe burn injury in your car is a very scary experience. If trapped in your car, it could become a fatal situation unless someone rescues you in time. Even then, burns might cover the majority of your body, leaving you in serious condition for untold months or years.

Burns From Medical Malpractice

We see more and more cases of people suffering burns from medical mistakes. Sometimes this comes from laser treatments or other cosmetic surgeries.

Not every medical establishment is perfect when it comes to its promised safety procedures. Lax guidelines in some medical facilities endanger your life and skin.

One small technical mishap could cause a burn mark on your face or another body part that affects your appearance. While burns are often treated, the scarring it leaves behind may affect your self-confidence, not including causing health issues.

What Should You Do After Suffering a Burn Accident?

No matter how your burn injury happened, what steps should you take to amend the situation? First, think of yourself and seek medical treatment immediately.

Don’t think a burn is going to go away on its own if you think it isn’t overly serious. All burns are serious, no matter how small they are. Any significant burns on any part of your body need treatment in a medical facility now to avoid worse scarring.

Once you get the medical help you need, it’s time to seek some legal guidance. Those burns are going to affect your life in dramatic ways, including the financial difficulties of getting your bills paid.

This is where seeking a settlement comes in. Frank and Jennifer Fernandez can help you with the claim, which usually involves dealing directly with the insurance company of the organization where your burn accident happened.

It’s here where the true legal process begins to get you the compensation you deserve. Our expert team is committed to helping burn injury victims seek compensation. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you have the money to get your life back to some sense of normal.

How a Burn Injury Attorney Helps You Negotiate With the Insurance Company

You might receive a call from the insurance company that represents the person or company causing your burn injuries. Being in a financial predicament of receiving major medical bills to treat your burns, it’s easy to want to take any settlement you can get right away.

Don’t talk with the insurance company on your own since they often use what you say to them to deny paying you the money you need. They usually start by giving you an overly low settlement offer that might look enticing. Refuse this amount, because you deserve more than what they’ll likely offer.

Also, don’t talk to them about your injuries. Sometimes they ask how you’re doing so they can put on record any answer you give them about your burns. If you ever say anything positive to them, they’ll later twist this by saying your burns aren’t as bad as you claim.

Let Frank and Jennifer take care of the negotiations with the insurance company. Our vast experience helps in knowing every trick insurance companies pull. We also know the art of negotiation to get you the highest possible payout for your burn injury claim.

Much of this depends on the evidence we gather about the burns you suffered through.

Evidence of Your Burn Injuries

Our first step while we negotiate with the insurance company is to gather the evidence at the scene where your burn injuries occurred. What really happened at the site where it happened?

Someone must gather physical evidence as quickly as possible. After you agree for us to represent you, we’ll go to the Lakeland site where you experienced the burns.

If we can gain access to the site, we will. We’ll also talk with witnesses who saw what happened and can corroborate how you received the burns. These witnesses are valuable later if you have to move to a trial to win a settlement.

Some other things we’ll gather in the way of evidence:

Security Camera Footage

Most job sites have security cameras going on all the time. A camera possibly recorded your burn injury as it happened. Gaining footage of this is invaluable, and we’ll work with the company you work for to obtain it.

Security cameras are ubiquitous now, so any public place where your burns occurred might have footage available. Even a medical establishment might have security camera footage we can obtain.

Time is of the essence, though. A company wanting to cover up its negligence could erase that camera footage. It’s why you need to get our legal help as soon as you can.

Remember, gathering evidence on your own is also important, despite not being easy when you’ve just suffered burn injuries moments earlier.

Evidence of Burn Severity

The more severe your burns, the more proof you have of the suffering you’ll endure. Second, third or fourth-degree burns are all very serious burn injuries. Fourth-degree burns, in particular, are often life-threatening because it means muscles, tendons, and bone has been burned.

We’ll examine your medical records and put them into safekeeping for a claim against the insurance company. Keep in mind your burns are maybe different from what others experience.

Friction burns, cold burns, thermal burns, electrical burns, chemical burns, and radiation burns all have different degrees of injury. Almost all, however, cause some kind of scarring that affects physical appearance for years to come.

Intangible Evidence

All the suffering you’ll endure for the rest of your life is known as intangible evidence. It’s the intangibles making up for the mental suffering you’ll experience going forward.

It’s things people can’t see, yet still there and causing major disruptions to your life. We take intangible evidence seriously and include all of it as part of the medical record evidence.

Your inability to work anytime soon and loss of income are other examples of intangible evidence with very tangible outcomes.

Insurance companies frequently try to play down mental suffering in your claim, so you need a lawyer who knows how to document these real but intangible damages and argues that you deserve compensation for them.

Compensation for Burn Injury Victims

If you or someone you love has suffered a burn injury, you’ll no doubt have to reckon with the physical and financial toll brought on by your recovery. An experienced Florida burn injury lawyer can help ensure that you recover compensation for your economic and non-economic damages, including:

• Medical expenses, including hospitalization, medications, surgeries, and long-term care
• Lost wages and earnings
• Permanent injuries and scarring
• Emotional distress
• Pain and suffering

Frank and Jennifer Fernandez are committed to helping those who have sustained burn injuries recover all that they deserve. They will stop at nothing to ensure that burn victims receive just treatment, support, and the powerful legal backing needed to move forward.

What Settlement Will You Receive?

Take a look at Our Results on our website. There, you can see what kind of results we’ve won for our clients. Over the years, we’ve won over $100 million in personal injury settlements, including burn injury claims.

You might not find many husband-wife personal injury attorney teams. The two always work effectively together and often work on cases as a unit, and sometimes separately. We also have multiple locations across Florida, with Lakeland being a prominent spot for burn injuries.

Combined, Frank and Jennifer have over 30 years of experience working in the personal injury legal field with many large payouts to our clients.

Just know all settlements, like all cases, are different from one another. Your case is possibly different from others listed on our page. It’s best not to expect a certain amount, even if we always try to get the settlement figure you want.

Now that you know you’ll be in good legal hands, let’s look at the Lakeland area and areas where burn injuries often happen.

Lakeland Industries Where Burn Injuries Could Happen

The University of Florida Health gives a rundown of ways to prevent burn injuries. They mention everything from smoke alarms to basic fire safety. While practical in a home, having to rely on the safety of others is always a gamble.

Many locations here in Lakeland could cause varying degrees of burns. One notable thing about Lakeland is it’s not rated high when it comes to fire safety. Arson crimes here are especially high, lowering the city’s overall safety rating.

In the medical field, places like Regional Health Orthopedics or Watson Clinic typically have laser procedures that could burn patients when used incorrectly. We continue to see far too many medical malpractice suits due to malfunctioning medical equipment during cosmetic procedures. A major burn on your face is always devastating.

Regular car accidents on Lakeland roads also cause potential car fires.

Some of the worst intersections in Lakeland where this could happen include:

• U.S. 98 North and Griffin Road
• Memorial Boulevard and North Florida Avenue
• Kathleen Road and West 10th Street

Safety measures are always going in place to prevent car accidents in these intersections. We still see far too many car accidents in these and other local areas.

Get Legal Help From Our Lakeland Burn Injury Attorneys as Soon as Possible

The statute of limitations here in Florida is four years, which might seem like a long time before taking legal action. However, you don’t want to wait too long based on the chances of evidence disappearing.

Hours or days make all the difference in proving the details behind how your burn injuries occurred. Frank and Jennifer can go to work as soon as you call us to investigate your case and the chances for a settlement.

Know we don’t charge you any attorney fees unless we reach a settlement or obtain a judgment, giving you peace of mind during your recovery.

Contact a Lakeland Burn Attorney

If you or a loved one has suffered a burn injury in Lakeland Florida, you may be entitled to compensation. Let our Florida burn injury lawyers at the Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys review the facts and circumstances under which you were injured.  The call is absolutely free, we don’t get paid unless you win.

Contact Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys Accident Injury Attorneys immediately at (863) 230-8361 if you experienced a burn injury in Lakeland.