Kansas City Burn Injury Lawyer

Burns are inarguably among the most painful, terrifying, and potentially life-altering injuries, causing many months of painful recovery and permanent scarring, disfigurement, and in the worst cases—infection and death. Even less serious burn injuries are painful and require expensive medical treatment. The consequences of a burn injury vary depending on the severity of the injury, but when someone else’s negligence, reckless action, or wrongdoing causes the injury, it’s even more traumatic for the burn victim. Although a successful burn injury claim in Kansas City or elsewhere cannot erase the injury and trauma, it relieves the associated financial hardship and helps bring burn victims a sense of justice. Call the Kansas City burn injury attorneys at Miller & Hine for experienced representation that gets results for injured clients.

Why Choose Miller & Hine as Your Kansas City Burn Injury Lawyers?

The Kansas City personal injury attorneys at Miller & Hine take the time to personally get to know every client and witness the impacts of their injuries on their life and their families. This helps us to make a more compelling case for the maximum compensation available to them. Our compassionate, dedicated victim advocacy methods bring significant advantages to your Kansas City burn injury case, including the following:

• Our attorneys and associates at Miller & Hine have an in-depth grasp of Missouri’s laws, civil courts, and insurance system to bring experience, knowledge, and resources to the table
• We are experienced investigators, litigators, and trial attorneys with a history of success that puts a powerful voice behind your burn injury claim
• We put our clients first with a results-oriented approach and individualized strategies to obtain the best possible outcome
• Our over 50 years of combined experience give your claim the best possible chance of success
• A history of obtaining millions of dollars for injured clients

We never charge upfront fees to injury victims. Instead, we offer free initial consultations and contingency-based payment so you pay nothing until we obtain your compensation through a settlement or jury award for your damages.

Types and Degrees of Burn Injuries

Understanding the degrees of burn injuries helps a burn survivor understand the extent of their injuries and what lies ahead for treatment and expected outcomes. Doctors gauge the severity of burns by the depth of the burn’s penetration through the layers of skin, fat, muscle, and bone. Doctors categorize burn severity by the following degrees:

• First-degree burns: This type of burn only affects the top layer of skin, leaving redness and mild inflammation. First-degree burns are painful but typically heal well and leave no lasting scars. First-degree burns are typically treatable at home, but injury victims should seek medical treatment for first-degree burns on the face or genitals.
• Second-degree burns: this category of burn impacts the second layer of skin and is more likely to leave scars. Second-degree burns are painful and may seep or appear moist. The burned area may appear tight and shiny as well as red or darkened. Second-degree burns may blister and peel. Burn victims can treat the injury at home if it covers a small area, but should seek medical treatment if the burn is widespread or affects the face or genitals.
• Third-degree burns: Burns at this degree damage all of the skin layers down to the layer of fat below the skin. Burns at this depth require emergency medical treatment and can be life-threatening if they impact a wide area of flesh. Third-degree burns may not feel painful because they destroy the nerves below the skin. This serious type of burn also leaves permanent scars and destroys the hair follicles and sweat glands in the affected area.
• Fourth and fifth-degree burns: Burns at this level are deadly if not promptly treated in a specialized burn unit. Fourth-degree burns destroy the muscle layer. Fifth-degree burns impact the bone below. Treatment requires removing the dead tissue, packing the burned area with protective coverings, and giving IV antibiotics. Scarring and disfigurement are extensive. In some cases, fourth and fifth-degree burns on the extremities require amputations.

Many victims of serious burns from structure fires, explosions, and scalds, have multiple burns of varying degrees on their bodies.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries In Kansas City

Burns result from exposure to open flames, sources of heat, scalding or boiling water, explosions, electrocutions, and contact with caustic chemicals. Common causes of burns in Kansas City include:

• Structure fires
• Contact with hot surfaces
• Water or steam scalds
• Workplace fires/explosions
• Car accidents
• Electrocutions
• Chemical exposures

Most burns are preventable through proper home or apartment maintenance, functional smoke detectors, and available fire escapes. Burns in vehicle accidents are preventable when drivers follow traffic laws and avoid distractions. Workplace burn injuries are often attributed to negligence or faulty equipment.

Liability in Kansas City Burn Injury Claims

If a person experiences serious burns through no fault of their own but due to someone else’s negligent, reckless, or wrongful actions it adds an additional layer of trauma and distress. Medical bills may pile up at the same time that the painful recovery process prevents a return to work. With third-degree burns or worse, the injury victim may face a lifetime of disfigurement or disability. A successful personal injury claim against the person, business, or other entity at fault for the injury cannot erase the pain, suffering, scarring, and trauma, but it compensates the victim for their medical expenses, pays for future medical care, and brings burn victims a sense of financial accountability and justice for their painful injuries. A liable party in a burn injury claim could be an apartment building owner, a negligent driver, the manufacturer of defective equipment, or a negligent employer or subcontractor, among other possible at-fault parties. Proving liability in most burn injury compensation claims requires proving the following legal premises of negligence and liability:

• The at-fault party owed a duty of care to others to take reasonable actions to prevent causing injuries
• They breached this duty of care through negligent, reckless, or wrongful actions
• Their breach of duty directly caused the burn injuries
• The injury victim suffered economic and non-economic damages from the injury

When burns occur due to a defective product, a manufacturer is held to the standard of strict liability, meaning an injury victim doesn’t have to prove negligence, only that a design defect, manufacturing mistake, or marketing error resulted in a defective product. It takes an experienced investigator to make a compelling case against an at-fault party and carefully calculate damages in Kansas City burn injury claims.

Common Damages Recovered In Burn Injury Claims in Kansas City

Burns range from mild to catastrophic, but burn injury treatment at any level is expensive and painful. A successful claim brings injury victims compensation for common damages such as the following:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost earnings
• Future income loss or diminished future earning capacity due to disability
• Compensation for pain and suffering
• Compensation for scarring and disfigurement
• Emotional damages such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression or diminished quality of life

If a burn injury causes death, family members can recover compensation and justice through a burn injury wrongful death claim in Kansas City.

How Can a Burn Injury Attorney In Kansas City Help?

No one should have to take on the strain of a complex legal process while also dealing with the pain and trauma of serious burns. Call the Kansas City burn injury attorneys at Miller & Hine for the experienced representation you need to get favorable results. The compassionate attorneys on our team are ready to dedicate themselves to helping you obtain the maximum compensation available to you.