Burn Injury

Burn Injury Attorneys

Serving Kansas City, Independence, Blue Springs & Lee’s Summit

Although hospitalizations for burn injuries represent only one percent of injuries in the U.S., burn treatment costs exceed $10.4 billion annually. As research shows, costs associated with these injuries can range from around $200,000 for moderate burns to more than $10 million for severe burns with complications.

The attorneys of The Horn Law Firm, P.C., realize that few burn victims and their families in Missouri and Kansas can shoulder the costs of these serious injuries. However, if your burn injury occurred on the job or due to the negligence of another, your costs should be covered. Our goal is to help you and your family to obtain this compensation.

We offer free consultations. Our attorneys can answers questions, including:

Who Can You Make a Claim Against For Your Burn Injury?

You can take legal action against anyone responsible for causing a burn injury to occur. Burn injuries happen in different ways including:

  • Vehicles fires – From 2004 to 2006, there were 258,500 highway fires annually in the U.S. This does not include the tens of thousands of fires that commonly result from auto accidents. One in six fires is a highway vehicle fire.
  • Apartment/hotel fires – There were 95,500 apartment structure fires in 2011 and 3,700 structural fires at hotels or motels from 2006 to 2010 in the U.S. One in 12 motels will have a fire each year.
  • Workplace fires – Three percent of workplace deaths in 2011 occurred in a fire. 
  • Scalding incidents – More than 100,000 people annually visit an ER because of scalding.
  • Gas explosions – More than 50 percent of the 2.6 million miles of gas pipeline in the U.S. were constructed in the 1950s and 60s. Most of the pipelines have undergone few structural and safety updates since that time.

Other top burn injury causes include chemical explosions, defective products, and problems with electrical wiring.

These injuries often occur because someone has done something wrong such as:

  • A vehicle was improperly repaired causing a fuel fire
  • A landlord or hotel manager failing to ensure wiring is up-to-code
  • A gas company allowing a pipeline to deteriorate and become dangerous.

If any person, company, or government entity was negligent or broke safety rules in a manner that caused your burn injury, you can hold that individual or entity liable.

If your burn injuries occurred at work, you must make a workers’ compensation claim against your employer. You cannot sue your employer, but third party lawsuits may be possible if a non-employer contributed to causing the burns.

What Can You Expect If You Pursue a Burn Injury Claim?

Kansas and Missouri allow injured burn victims to make workers’ compensation claims or file civil lawsuits against non-employers after a burn. These cases can arise from:

  • Fire or flame
  • Explosions
  • Scalding injuries
  • Electrical burns
  • Chemical burns
  • Radiation burns

If the injury occurred at work, reporting the injury to your employer should be sufficient to secure benefits. If your employer or workers’ compensation insurer denies a claim or refuses to pay medical costs or disability benefits, contact a burn injury lawyer in Missouri or Kansas immediately.

What Types of Compensation Are Available in Burn Injury Cases?

Burns are one of the most costly types of injuries to treat.  You should be compensated fully for all costs.

You will need records of treatments as well as medical testimony estimating your future costs.  Complications that often result in the need for ongoing and expensive care include:

  • Disfigurement, contracture or scarring
  • Psychological complications
  • Skin breakdown or fragile skin
  • Organ failure or infections, including sepsis and pneumonia
  • Delayed wound healing or skin grafting failure.

Cataract, infection, chronic pain, inhalation injuries, and corneal injuries are also common.  You will need experts to prove the extent of medical harm you have suffered.

What Evidence Is Needed to Prove Your Case?

Burn injury victims in Missouri and Kansas must demonstrate:

  • The defendant’s negligence or misconduct directly caused the burn injury, and
  • The burn injury caused significant harm to you.

Fire experts, arson investigators and burn injury treatment specialists typically will be required to make a strong burn injury case. The Horn Law Firm, P.C., works with a network of experts and investigators. This allows us to build the strongest case possible.

Our Attorneys Can Help Burn Injury Victims in Missouri and Kansas

Burn injury victims aren’t alone. You can get help. Our attorneys have represented many clients injured in fires or who lost loved ones to burn injuries. We understand the tremendous costs and losses a burn injury can cause. We are here and ready to seek full compensation for you. Call or contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

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