Caring Oklahoma City Burn Injury Lawyers Protect Your Rights

Helping workers, residents and visitors who have sustained severe burns because of someone else’s negligence

According to the American Burn Association, 43% of people admitted to burn centers are hurt in a fire or from flame burns. Most burn-related deaths are due to residential fires and vehicle crashes. Sadly, too many burn victims die causing their loved ones a lifetime of pain. Victims of serious burn injuries often require multiple skin graft surgeries. Even in the best circumstances, many survivors suffer disfigurement which often can’t be hid with clothing or makeup.

Our Oklahoma City lawyers understand how devastating burn injuries can be. The attorneys at Cunningham & Mears fight to get burn injury victims and their families the compensation they deserve. While money can never replace a life or take away your pain, damages do compensate victims for their financial loss and their medical bills, and can help you protect your family. Let us put our 105 years of combined experience to work for you, so you can focus on a better future.

Categories for burn injuries

There are four different degrees of burns, which are categorized by their severity. They are:

• First degree. This type of burn affects the skin’s top lawyer and the epidermis. First-degree burns should heal with a week or two.
• Second degree. This kind of burn penetrates down into the underlying skin layer – the reticular dermis. Signs include severe redness and blisters. Most patients feel intense pain because the burns affect the nerves.
• Third degree. Signs include charred skin. The burn goes deep down into the subcutaneous tissue level. In one sense, they are less painful than second degree burns because the burns often kill the underlying nerves. Victims shouldn’t be fooled though. Third degree burns are more serious than second-degree burns. Victims of third-degree burns usually require multiple skin grafts.
• Fourth-degree burns. These are often fatal. They often reach into the bone, and may necessitate an amputation.

Many burn injuries suffer depression and other emotional disorders as they attempt to manage their pain and live with their disfigurement especially if their face is scarred. Severe burns also pose a risk of infection, and scarring can lead to contracture – a condition where the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, etc.) shortens and hardens, leading to decreased mobility and deformity.

Why burn injuries occur

Determining how the accident caused your burns is necessary to determine who should pay for your burn injuries. Some of the common reasons burn injuries happen in residential areas, at work, and on the road are:

• Fire. Many deaths and injuries happen because a homeowner failed to properly maintain or use a home fireplace, a grill, propane gas, heaters, and other flammable devices.
• Scalding. Exposure to excessively hot liquids such as hot coffee or boiling water can cause severe burns. Exposure to gases can also scald someone. Deaths due to the scalding of infants are all too common. Contact with hot glass or metal can also cause scalding.
• Electrical burns. If an electrical current strikes any part of the body, the victim can die or suffer severe shock. Electrical failures often happen because a product was defective, improperly used, or because the user wasn’t properly trained. Electrical burns often happen at construction sites, other work sites, and the home.
• Chemical burns. If toxic or hazardous materials contact your skin, the burn injuries can be catastrophic.
• Vehicle crashes. If a fuel line erupts, the gas can ignite causing a fiery explosion.
• Ash and soot inhalation. It is possible to inhale burning embers and hot ash, which can lead to permanent scarring in the nose, throat and mouth. If the throat swells shut because of the injury, a person can suffocate if not treated quickly.
• Medical malpractice. Burns can also happen at medical offices when health professionals fail to take X-Rays, MRIs, or other tests properly.

Who is liable for your burn injuries?

When you sustain a severe burn injury because of the negligence of another person, you can make a claim for compensation against the responsible party. Generally speaking, our team may file a claim against:

• Property owners and operators. We bring negligence claims against people and companies that fail to follow safety guidelines and fail to take reasonable steps to protect their occupants. Whether it is an unsafe store or a dangerous workplace, we can file a premises liability claim alleging negligence.
• Manufacturers and other sellers of defective products. If a product was poorly made or designed and the defect caused your burns, we bring lawsuits against the makers of the product. This could include faulty electrical wiring, defective smoke detectors, flammable children’s clothing, defective grills and barbeques, and so forth.
• Employers. If you were burned due to a workplace accident, you have the right to claim your Oklahoma workers’ compensation benefits.
• Medical practitioners and facilities. If you sustained burn injuries during a surgical procedure, or from radiation, we can file a claim against the negligence practitioner or against the facility itself. We may also be able to file a defective product claim, if it was the medical device which proved failed to work as indicated.

If a fire was started intentionally or recklessly, we demand that the wrongdoers pay punitive damages

Speak with a respected Oklahoma City burn injury lawyer today

We are compassionate about helping burn injury victims. Our lawyers work with experienced burn professionals who are dedicated to helping burn injury victims heal, work and enjoy their lives. We also work with investigators, the police, and fire experts to determine exactly what caused a fire or the accident that resulted in your burns. For help now, please contact us or phone us at 405-232-1212 to make an appointment. We see burn injury victims away from the office if they aren’t mobile.