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Burn Injury: Can I Sue My Landlord For Pain And Suffering?

Did you or a loved one suffer burn injuries due to negligence on behalf of your landlord? It's normal to ask yourself questions such as:

  • Could I be compensated for pain and suffering from burn injuries?
  • Is my landlord guilty of negligence if I suffered burns?
  • Should I get a burn injury lawyer after a house or apartment fire?

We can connect you with an experienced burn injury law firm that will be able to answer these and any other questions you may have. As the victim of burn injuries, a free consultation is all that stands between you and the answers you need to take action.

"Burn injuries leave physical and emotional scars. We can help victims get justice." - Paul Anthony

Landlords' Negligence and Apartment Fires

When tenants sign an apartment rental or lease contract, they enter into a lawful agreement with landlords. Such contracts usually indicate which aspects of the apartment must be maintained by the tenant.

For instance, it's normal for a tenant to be responsible for replacing batteries in smoke detectors found throughout a home. As a result, if a fire is not detected because smoke detectors were not functional due to dead batteries, it's unlikely that the tenant will be able to win a case against the landlord of the rental property if they chose to sue.

On the other hand, if at the time that the apartment is "handed over" to the tenant the smoke detectors are not functioning and a fire results in injuries because of the malfunction, then tenants may have a stronger case against landlords if they sue.

This kind of small difference in circumstances is exactly what can make or break a case. Like this example, there are many others which an experienced injury lawyer will know to look for.

Tenants are rarely ever aware of their full rights as renters of a property, so without the help of an attorney whose work revolves around injury and liability laws, they would likely never know that landlords can be held responsible for such negligent behavior.

Fire Injury Attorneys Can Get Justice For Burn Victims

Attorneys Can Get Compensation For Burn Injury Victims

Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer burn injuries each year. Fortunately, a great majority of these victims survive the ordeal; in fact, more than 95% of those injured by fire recover.

Yet, the term "recover" must be used prudently when referring to burn victims. Depending on the extent of the personal injury, some victims may never regain the full mobility they enjoyed before their incident.

Moreover, this kind of personal injury can cause trauma that goes beyond superficial scarring. Indeed, many burn victims must face deep emotional & psychological wounds that remain long after skin damages have healed and scars have formed.

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Young Childs Hand Wrapped In Gauze After Home Burn Injury

Treatment Of Burn Injuries

It is true - the path towards physical and mental recovery from a burn injury is fraught with hardship. Whether it be the initial period spent healing in a hospital under professional care, the long months of physical therapy, or even the process of reintegrating into their old routine, burn injury victims undoubtedly face an uphill battle.

Often, the pain and suffering experienced by victims is exacerbated by the financial pressures that come with treating burn injuries. As alluded to above, recovery from such severe personal injury is a multi-step process. At each step, professional medical care is required for the treatment to be effective.

If the injuries are serious, specialized surgical intervention (such as skin grafts) may at first be necessary. Then come intensive sessions with physiotherapists whose goal is to help patients undo the loss of strength and dexterity that results from lack of activity. Lastly, patients may need the support of a mental health professional to be able to process how the injuries have affected their lives and how they may maintain a positive outlook in spite of their injuries.

All of this medical treatment can be overwhelmingly expensive. It's not abnormal for a burn victim to be greeted by a hospital bill for tens of thousands of dollars upon their return home from the hospital. Health insurance policies may cover some of this, but not all victims are lucky enough to have health insurance. Even fewer have the means to pay for policies that cover such substantial medical bills.

To say that fire injury victims are placed in an unfair situation is an understatement. But the civil justice system gives these individuals the chance to fight for their deserved compensation. Via a burn injury lawsuit, victims can seek to hold liable those whose negligence led to their personal injury.

Should I Get A Personal Injury Lawyer For Burn Injuries?

Soon after learning that a lawsuit can provide an avenue for achieving compensation, victims of fires often ask themselves whether seeking a burn injury attorney is the correct move.

While deciding to hire (or not hire) a personal injury attorney after a fire is a personal choice, it is highly recommended to seek legal advice after a fire has caused personal injury or property damages. This is because filing a fire injury lawsuit is a complex legal process.

Depending on the cause of the fire, an official claim may be presented against one or multiple parties. Commonly, tenants renting or leasing a property have the option of seeking damages from their apartment landlord on the basis of negligence. We've already explored this specific type of case towards the beginning of this page.

Types of Compensation After a Fire

The circumstances in which a victim may file a lawsuit after a fire are dictated by laws that can vary from state to state. Indeed, the situations can be as diverse as the cause of a fire itself, regardless of whether the fire was in a house, apartment, condo, townhouse, or else.

However, the types of compensation that can be sought fall into broad categories. They include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Initial medical bills
  • Cost of ongoing medication
  • Recurring doctor visits
  • Physical therapy
  • Loss of income during treatment
  • Loss of wages due to disability or disfigurement
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

These are only some of the most common types of fire injury compensation. In truth, the only way to know what you're entitled to after suffering fire injuries is by seeking the insight of experienced injury lawyers.

Most injury law firms will gladly provide a free consultation. If you'd like to learn more about your options, or if you're unsure of whose recklessness could have led to your burns, contact us today and we can connect you with the appropriate lawyers.

Should I Get A Personal Injury Lawyer For Burn Injuries?

Soon after learning that a lawsuit can provide an avenue for achieving compensation, victims of fires often ask themselves whether seeking a burn injury attorney is the correct move.

While deciding to hire (or not hire) a personal injury attorney after a fire is a personal choice, it is highly recommended to seek legal advice after a fire has caused personal injury or property damages. This is because filing a fire injury lawsuit is a complex legal process.

Depending on the cause of the fire, an official claim may be presented against one or multiple parties. Commonly, tenants renting or leasing a property have the option of seeking damages from their apartment landlord on the basis of negligence. We've already explored this specific type of case towards the beginning of this page.

Types of Compensation After a Fire

The circumstances in which a victim may file a lawsuit after a fire are dictated by laws that can vary from state to state. Indeed, the situations can be as diverse as the cause of a fire itself, regardless of whether the fire was in a house, apartment, condo, townhouse, or else.

However, the types of compensation that can be sought fall into broad categories. They include:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Initial medical bills
  • Cost of ongoing medication
  • Recurring doctor visits
  • Physical therapy
  • Loss of income during treatment
  • Loss of wages due to disability or disfigurement
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

These are only some of the most common types of fire injury compensation. In truth, the only way to know what you're entitled to after suffering fire injuries is by seeking the insight of experienced injury lawyers.

Most injury law firms will gladly provide a free consultation. If you'd like to learn more about your options, or if you're unsure of whose recklessness could have led to your burns, contact us today and we can connect you with the appropriate lawyers.

Burn Victims Hand Being Wrapped By Nurse

Types Of Burns

Skin burns are graded on their severity, beginning with first and ending with fourth-degree burns, the most severe condition.

1st Degree

First-degree burns are the most common and the least severe. Damage is limited to the outermost layer of skin, the epidermis, one which is very good at regenerating. If you've ever had a sunburn, then you've experienced first-degree burns caused by the sun's powerful rays.

2nd Degree

Second-degree burns occur when the second layer of the skin, the dermis, is injured. This type will often result in red skin that is painful to touch. Scarring is unlikely to form.

3rd Degree

This type of burn is one of the most serious. It is characterized by skin that turns black, brown, yellow, or white. The area will likely not feel painful as nerves encountered in this layer of skin are completely damaged.

4th Degree

Fourth-degree burns are a potentially life-endangering condition where all layers of the skin, as well as muscles and bones, are burned.

Smoke Inhalation

Skin burns are not the only injuries caused by fires. Smoke inhalation can also result in permanent damage to the delicate tissues within our lungs.

In high concentrations, the toxic chemicals found in smoke can wreak havoc on the alveoli ("air sacs") inside the lungs. These delicate respiratory tissues are easily injured and, once wounded, don't always repair themselves completely.

The lungs lose their innate ability to extract oxygen from the air making it very hard for an injured patient to breathe normally. This means that even just a few minutes of smoke inhalation can cause permanent breathing problems.

Burn Injuries Suffered On-The-Job

Burns suffered at work are different from those suffered by a tenant renting from a landlord due to the fact that it may not be possible to sue. A worker's comp claim is often the most effective way for an employee who suffers burns to receive benefits.

The most common types of work burns include friction, chemical, thermal, cold, electrical, and radiation burns.

About the Author
Paul
About Paul
Editor: Paul is a staff editor who focuses on bringing you the most important legal news regarding cases of sexual assault, drunk driving, and preventable violence. Contact Paul: paul@legalherald.com This article was fact checked prior to publishing by this author to ensure compliance with our rigorous editorial standards. We will only use authoritative sources. Our values compel us to provide only trustworthy information. If you find an error, please contact us.
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