Austin Burn Injury Lawyers, Texas
Strong advocacy for victims of severe burn injuries in Texas
Burn injuries are different than many other injuries because victims must cope with severe emotional trauma in addition to physical pain. Many burn accidents are life-threatening. Victims of third-degree burn injuries often require skin grafts and other plastic surgeries. Victims often need to be monitored for respiratory failure, heart failure, infections, skin complications, and other dangers. Sadly, many burn accidents cause deaths.
At Slack Davis Sanger, our Austin burn injury lawyers understand the duties of construction sites, manufacturers, drivers, property owners, and others to ensure that burn injuries don’t happen. We work with fire experts and other professionals to show how the accident that caused your burns happened, and who is responsible. Our team works with your doctors and our network of burn injury professionals to show the severity of your burns, the depression and anxiety most burn injury victims need to work through, and all the ways your burns are affecting your life.
"Slack Davis Sanger represents the ultimate in professionalism combined with a true caring attitude.” - Colonel Ray Toler, Client
How often do burn injuries occur?
According to the American Burn Association, every minute of every day, someone in America suffers a serious enough burn injury that he or she needs to seek treatment. More than 25 percent of admissions to burn injury centers are children under 16.
What types of burn injuries are there?
The different types of burn injuries in Austin include:
- Thermal burns. These are heat or scalding burns usually due to direct contact with a heat source. Examples include boiling liquids, fire, and steam.
- Electrical burns. These burn injuries usually occur when a worker comes into direct contact with an electrical source. Examples include power tools, power lines, wires that are exposed, and different types of equipment. Electrical burns are often catastrophic or deadly.
- Chemical burns. Dangerous chemicals and toxins can damage the eyes or skin if they come into direct contact with someone. Workers and others may also be endangered if they breathe in dangerous chemicals.
- Smoke Inhalation. In many fires, the victims can avoid the flames but not the smoke. Smoke inhalation can cause lung damage and respiratory failure. Firefighters are at constant risk for smoke inhalation.
- Gas explosions. Texas is known for its oil and gas industry. Gas explosions at these sites while the energy is being transported can cause severe burn injuries or death.
- Radiation burns. These burn injuries are caused by exposure to X-rays or overexposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
How is the severity of a burn injury graded?
Burn injuries, especially thermal injuries, are classified by their severity. According to the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention:
- First-degree burns. These are the least serious category of burn injuries. First-degree burns affect the top layer of your skin.
- Second-degree burns. These burns affect the top skin layer and the layer underneath. Some skin loss, pain, and reddening are common. Victims should seek medical care.
- Third-degree burns. Our Austin burn injury lawyers often represent third-degree burn victims because these injuries may be life-threatening and life-changing. These burns cause tissue damage in addition to skin damage. Victims usually are sent by ambulance or other emergency transport to burn centers and local emergency rooms. Treatment usually involves surgery, skin grafts, and cosmetic plastic surgery.
Some medical professionals label burn injuries that affect muscle and bones as fourth-degree burns. Fourth-degree burns are often fatal. Survivors often require amputation of a limb.
Why are burn injuries so dangerous?
Some of the major concerns when someone has a burn injury are:
- Saving the person’s life due to respiratory, cardiac, and other dangers
- Treating any damaged skin, tissue, nerves, muscles, and bones
- A major risk of life-threatening infections, which can cause sepsis if the infection gets into the bloodstream
- Damage to the lungs, the esophagus, and the throat
- Damage to sweat glands
- Contracture – a condition where the scars become thick and tight – possibly affecting your mobility and ability to breathe
A major concern, especially if the burns are on the face or a visible part of the body, is depression and anxiety. Many severe burn injury victims have suicidal thoughts. Many burn injury victims have difficulty maintaining relationships and engaging in everyday life.
What are the causes of burn injuries in Austin?
At Slack Davis Sanger, our Austin personal injury lawyers represent victims who suffer severe burn injuries and families when a loved one dies due to burns. We are skilled and respected throughout Texas for our ability to handle burn injuries caused by:
- Aviation accidents
- Car and truck accidents
- Worksite accidents
- Construction accidents
- Oil field accidents
- Defective products such as flammable children’s products, gas tanks, fire extinguishers, space heaters, and smoke detectors
- Accidents at hotels and restaurants
- Medical malpractice
- Any other type of accident that causes burn injuries
Home fires, according to US FEMA, cause 107 deaths a year in Texas. Some of the factors contributing to residential fires include grease fires, candles that fall, and grills that explode. The Consumer Product Safety Commission identified fireworks as causing more than 15,000 ER visits in 2020. Sparklers are another common danger – especially for children.
What healthcare providers treat Austin injury victims?
Most Austin burn injury victims need immediate medical treatment at a local hospital that has a burn unit. General surgeons help to save their lives. Plastic surgeons help improve a victim’s appearance.
Many burn injury victims, after surgery, treat with:
- Infectious disease specialists
- Rehabilitation nurses
- Pain management doctors
- Physical therapists
- Occupational therapists
- Vocation therapists
- Respiratory therapists
- Internists
- Psychologists
- Dieticians
Some victims need care for the rest of their lives. In Austin, Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas is a verified burn center by the American Burn Association.
Who is liable for your burn injuries in Austin?
At Slack Davis Sanger, our personal injury lawyers are respected by former clients, insurance companies, and defense lawyers for our incredible record of strong verdicts and settlements. We file personal injury lawsuits on behalf of the injured, and wrongful death claims on behalf of surviving family members.
The defendants may include:
- The driver or operator of any vehicle who causes a burn accident
- The owners of the vehicles involved in the accident
- The employers of anyone operating a vehicle involved in a burn accident
- A commercial or residential property owner
- A manufacturer, distributor, or seller of a defective product
- Healthcare providers
- Other defendants
Many workers who suffer burn injuries can file a personal injury claim because they’re contractors and not employees, or their employer does not provide workers’ compensation insurance. Such an employer is known as a “non-subscriber.” Anyone, including employees, can file a product liability claim against a third-party manufacturer.
Our lawyers review the federal, state, and industry regulations and standards that govern industries where burn injuries are possible. This includes understanding the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. We work with workplace safety, fire safety, product safety, and other liability professionals.
How much is my burn injury case worth?
Our Austin burn injury lawyers demand all the compensation you deserve. We understand the unique challenges burn injury victims face. Our team builds your claim step-by-step and detail-by-detail. Burn injury personal injury victims can claim compensation for:
- All of your medical expenses, current and future
- Your lost income and benefits, current and future
- Your daily physical pain and emotional suffering, for your lifetime
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Inability to use any body part
- Inability to function and enjoy life’s pleasures
- Loss of consortium
If the burn injury was due to gross negligence, we seek punitive damages.
We also demand funeral and burial expenses for spouses, children, and parents when an Austin burn accident causes the death of a loved one.
Do you have a burn injury lawyer near me?
Slack Davis Sanger has an Austin office located at 6001 Bold Ruler Way, Suite 100. We have Dallas and Fort Worth locations too. When necessary, we meet clients at their homes, a burn center, or a hospital.
Call our Austin burn injury lawyers today
At Slack Davis Sanger, our Austin burn lawyers are ready to investigate the accident that caused your burn injuries from the day you hire us. We have the skill, persuasiveness, resources, and tenacity to hold liable defendants accountable. We represent catastrophic injury victims, including burn injury victims. To discuss your rights to compensation, call our Austin trial lawyers at 866-531-1657 or complete our contact form to schedule an appointment.
Austin Office
6001 Bold Ruler Way
Suite 100
Austin, TX 78746
Main Austin Practice Areas