Burn injury is probably the most traumatic personal injury anyone can experience. It leaves many physical, emotional, and financial consequences on a person.
It can be caused by different reasons – workplace accidents, defective products, or someone else’s carelessness – whatever the reason is, it’s important that you know what steps you need to take to protect your rights.
Making sure that you receive the medical and legal help you deserve can make a huge difference in your recovery and compensation. This article will walk you through the steps you need to take to protect your rights after a burn injury.
Get Medical Help
The first and most important step you need to take is to get medical help as soon as possible.
As a Nebraska burn injury lawyer states, there are three degrees of burn injuries: the first degree causes some pain and reddening, the second degree usually causes redness, pain, swelling, and blistering, while third-degree burns can result in numbness, black charred skin, and permanent scarring.
Whatever the degree of your burn, you should get medical help right away to prevent complications such as infections and to make sure you heal properly.
Also, in the event of a legal case, medical documents can be important evidence of your injuries and the treatments you received. Having medical records will help you prove the extent to which your burns affected your health and strengthen your compensation case.
Report the Incident
Once you receive medical help, it is important to report the incident to the right authorities. If the burn injury happened at the workplace, make sure to inform your employer and that an official report is filed.
If the burn injury happened because of an accident or defective product, inform the relevant parties, such as property owners, manufacturers, or local authorities.
You need to report the incident properly because it will create an official record, which then can be needed for pursuing a legal claim.
Make sure that you keep copies of all reports and communications that are related to the incident. These steps will support your case and help you establish liability.
Document Everything
If you want to protect your rights, it’s important to document everything. Start with taking photos of your burn injuries as soon as possible and keep taking more during your recovery.
Make sure to keep all records of medical treatments, including doctor’s appointments, medications, and any therapy or rehabilitation sessions.
You should also document any expenses that are connected to your injury – medical bills, travel costs to and from appointments, and any missed pay due to time off work.
As additional proof of the injury’s effects, keep a journal and write about the pain you experience, your emotional state, and any limitations that the injury puts on your daily activities.
Documenting these things will help you quantify your damages and support your claim when it comes to negotiating a settlement or presenting your case in court.
Visit a Burn Injury Specialist
Since burn injuries are a serious one, and can have long-term consequences, they need specialized medical care. You should visit a burn injury specialist to make sure you get the best treatment and rehabilitation possible.
Specialists can also help you with your legal case – they will provide expert opinions about the extent of your injuries and the necessary treatments.
They can also help you understand your injury – its potential consequences and complications, as well as the required care. If you have a burn injury specialist involved in your treatment, it will strengthen your case and show that you are truly committed to recovery.
Hire a Lawyer
It’s not easy to protect your rights after burn injuries alone. There are a lot of different laws, regulations, terms, and other things you might not understand. That’s why you’ll need a good lawyer.
A reliable and experienced lawyer can guide you through the process, explain your rights, gather evidence, and negotiate with the insurance companies. They can even represent you in court if it’s needed to make sure that your case is presented perfectly.
Lawyers are also good at identifying and dealing with different strategies insurance companies use to minimize your payout. This means you will get the full compensation you deserve. So, make sure you contact and hire a lawyer in the early stages of the process.
Avoid Early Settlement Offers
As we mentioned, insurance companies have different strategies to minimize your payout. They will probably come to you with a settlement offer soon after the injury.
At first look, this offer will seem like a perfect chance to cover medical costs, however, it’s important to think twice, because these offers are usually much lower than what you deserve.
Before you accept any offer, talk to your lawyer to decide if that settlement is enough to cover your current and future costs related to the injury.
Additionally, if you accept this offer too soon, you can lose the right to seek further compensation if new complications arise. Let your lawyer think about the offer and negotiate on your behalf to make sure you receive a fair and highest possible settlement.
Be Careful About Deadlines
Every state has its own laws, and that also means different deadlines for filing legal claims after a burn injury. If you miss this deadline, it will usually mean you lose your right to compensation, no matter how strong and serious your case is.
This is why you need to inform yourself about the deadlines in your state and be careful about them.
Your lawyer can also help you with this – they are more informed about these deadlines than you are, and they will make sure that necessary paperwork is filed within the right timeframes. He will also keep track of the progress and help you avoid any possible mistakes.
Conclusion
As we have already mentioned, and as you probably know, burn injuries are traumatic and can impact every part of our and our loved one’s lives.
Nothing can remove the trauma you went through, but if you take the steps we mentioned, then you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you have got the justice you deserve for the pain you experienced.