Severe burn injuries can be physically painful, financially draining, and emotionally traumatic. Burn victims who suffer complications face serious infections, amputations, expensive surgeries, and even death. When you’ve suffered burn injuries because of a defective product, as a result of a violent motor vehicle accident, or accidental exposure in the workplace in Santa Rosa, California, it’s important to take action to recover compensation from those at fault.
The experienced Santa Rosa burn injury attorneys at Singleton Schreiber can offer the experience, resources, and compassionate care you need to make the most of your fight for compensation.
We’re award-winning trial attorneys with a proven ability to take on powerful corporations and help injury victims recover life-changing monetary awards exceeding $3 Billion in settlements and jury verdicts. Discover how we can help you make the most of your burn injury case by calling our Santa Rosa law office to arrange a free case review today.
What is a Burn Injury?
Burn injuries are characterized by damage to the skin and, in severe cases, subdermal tissues, including tendons, nerve endings, muscle, and/or bone when the body comes into contact with scalding liquids, hot metals, electricity, caustic chemicals, radiation, or fire.
According to the American Burn Association (ABA), 32,540 people across the United States were hospitalized for burn injuries in 2023. Statistically speaking, 1 in 10,000 people will need inpatient treatment for a burn injury every year.
Accident victims will require different levels of care and treatment depending on the severity of their burn injuries:
First Degree Burns
First degree burns, which are also known as superficial burns, only affect the outermost layer of the skin called the epidermis. These types of burns typically present with redness and pain at the site and tend to heal within 5 days. Treatment usually involves topical ointments, cold compresses, and over-the-counter painkillers when necessary.
Second Degree Burns
Second degree burns are also known as partial thickness burns because they penetrate deeper into the skin into the dermis. Second-degree burns present with redness, swelling, a wet or shiny appearance, and pain. It’s common for the site of the burn to change colors and scar after healing. Treatment for a partial thickness burn typically involves antibacterial ointments, bandage dressings, and pain medications.
Third Degree Burns
Third degree burns are called full thickness burns because the injury damages all layers of the skin and begins to move into subcutaneous soft tissues, including muscles, tendons, and, in some cases, bone. It’s common for full thickness burns to appear white and patchy or blackened. Since nerve endings can be badly damaged, victims might be numb to any pain at the site. Treatment for third degree burns is more intense, often requiring removal of dead tissue, antibiotics, skin grafts, and other surgical repairs.
Fourth Degree Burns
Fourth degree burns are the most serious and, in many cases, pose a legitimate threat to the victim’s life. Treatment for fourth degree burns often requires debridement of dead skin and tissue, skin grafts, amputation, antibiotics, IV fluids, and prescription pain medications. Victims who survive fourth degree burns often require extensive rehabilitation to return the affected body parts to normal function.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Burn Injuries in Santa Rosa?
It’s common to suffer serious burn injuries in any accident that involves exposure to high temperatures, fire, scalding liquids, steam, acids and chemicals, radiation, or electricity, including:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents and friction burns
- Truck accidents
- Boating accidents
- Train accidents
- E-scooter accidents
- Exploding lithium ion batteries and other defective products
- Firework explosions
- Gas explosions
- California wildfires
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
Intentional acts of violence or criminal acts can also cause devastating burn injuries, too. If you’ve suffered burn injuries or experienced the wrongful death of a family member because the extent of their wounds were too much to survive, don’t hesitate to call our Santa Rosa personal injury lawyers to discuss your legal rights and options. We’re local lawyers with national resources at our disposal and a proven track record of winning life-changing financial awards for injury victims like you. Members of our team are available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How Can I Get Compensation For My Burn Injuries?
Burn injuries can be expensive, with treatment, alone, ranging from $200,000 for moderate injuries to more than $10 million for catastrophic burns. When you factor in other related financial expenses and the harder-to-value suffering you experience as a burn victim, the costs can be overwhelming.
Fortunately, you have the right to seek compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit when someone else is responsible for your burn injuries.
This can help you recover compensatory damages for things like:
- Current and future medical bills
- Disability
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing assistance
- Funeral expenses if burn injuries are fatal
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Physical disfigurement
- Scarring
- Motorcycle friction burns, also known as road rash
- Reduced quality of life
- Emotional distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Inconvenience
- Loss of consortium
- Chronic physical pain
If your burn injuries were sustained on the job, you may also have the opportunity to collect workers’ compensation benefits for limited economic losses related to medical bills and lost wages.
Call the Santa Rosa Burn Injury Lawyers at Singleton Schreiber For Help Maximizing Your Financial Recovery
Once you’ve suffered burns in a Santa Rosa accident, you’ll have a short window of time in which you can seek compensation from an insurance company or another liable party. Barring any exceptions, you must file your burn injury claim within two years of the date of your accident. You lose the ability to demand compensation once the statute of limitations runs out.
Now is the time to take action and enlist the help of an experienced Santa Rosa burn injury attorney to fight for you.
Choosing Singleton Schreiber puts a team of highly acclaimed trial attorneys with a demonstrated ability to win highly complex personal injury disputes. Our award-winning litigators have won billions for injury victims and families, and now we’re ready to fight to get you a life-changing monetary award, too.
Force the results you deserve by calling our Santa Rosa, CA, law office today. There’s no charge for your initial case evaluation.
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury Overview
- Amazon Delivery Driver Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Brain Injuries
- Burn Injuries
- Car Accidents
- Dog Bite Injuries
- E-Scooter Injuries
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Premises Liability
- Product Liability
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Truck Accidents
- Uber Accidents
- Wrongful Death