The Law Offices of Harlan B. Kistler

Burn Injury Attorney in Riverside, CA

At the Law Offices of Harlan B. Kistler, we help burn victims get the compensation they deserve after going through the traumatic events of burn injury in Riverside, CA. For over 30 years, our law office has been able to get burn victims the help they need when recovering from injuries received in accidents caused by someone or something else beyond their control.

When you are ready to discuss your injuries with our personal injury team, give us a call. Our burn accident lawyer in Riverside, CA will analyze your case and help you take it to court. From your initial consultation to seeing you collect your deserved compensation, the Law Offices of Harlan B. Kistler is here for you.

Causes of Burn Injuries

Whether you experienced burn trauma in an accident or because of someone else’s negligence, The Law Offices of Harlan B. Kistler can assist. Our experienced burn lawyer has helped many Riverside, CA residents get the compensation deserved for burn injuries. Below are some examples of the causes of burns we have helped clients with in our more than two decades of helping our community:

• Scalding Liquid: If you are injured while boiling water in the kitchen you work, are splashed by incidental car fluids when working in your friend’s garage, or a co-worker improperly handling hot metals in your workshop spills them on you, it can cause burns and other types of injuries.
• Chemical: In your laboratory, you have to worry not only about your co-workers properly handling dangerous chemicals but also about making sure the company has labeled them correctly. Mixing the wrong chemicals can cause burns and more.
• Vehicular Accidents: Because of the oil and gasoline inside your car, an accident can cause a fire, leading to burning injuries. Explosions can also occur because of sparks between various metal components. You may be entitled to compensation, depending on the reason for the accident.
• Electrical: Burns from exposed wires or electric shocks can cause internal burns as well as external burns. You may not even show an external burn at all. Commonly, this type of burn happens while at work, but other instances include the use of a defibrillator without conductive gels.
• Thermal: Direct heat from flames is a common cause of burn injuries. Thermal energies such as matches, cigarettes, lighters, stoves, etc. all fall into this category. Negligence is often the reason for receiving these kinds of burns.

The Impact of a Burn

Suffering any sort of burn leads to physical marks, but it can also leave mental and emotional ones as well. Depending on the severity of the burn, you may also obtain scars leading to disfigurement. These types of scars can lead to many other mental conditions and ultimately change your attitude and outlook. Mental anguish deserves compensation. The Law Offices of Harlan B. Kistler can help. We want to see our clients living their best lives and getting compensation for more than just their medical expenses.

Treating a Burn Injury in Riverside, CA

Emergency medical care should be sought at the nearest hospital or emergency room for severe burns, such as burns that involve your face, hands, groin, or large areas of your body. A doctor will be able to assess the severity of your injury and prevent the injury from worsening or developing complications. After you have been stabilized, if you require care from a specialized burn injury center, the Edward G. Hirschman Burn Center at Arrowhead Medical Center provides specialized burn care to residents of San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono, and Riverside.

Degrees of Burn Injury

• First-degree burns: This is a burn that is relatively minor. Minor scalding or typical sunburns fall into this group and usually heal quickly.
• Second-degree burns: These burns can permanently alter skin color/pigmentation, and they can sometimes damage enough tissue to require skin grafts.
• Third-degree burns: These burns can destroy nerve endings in the affected area, leading to a burn that causes no pain. Skin grafts are necessary to address these burns, and they cause disfigurement.
• Fourth-degree burns: These burns destroy muscle and bone, can be fatal and may require amputation.

Scarring and Disfigurement

Disfigurement is a permanent physical alteration that impacts appearance. Scars and disfigurements are often unable to be fully repaired. Scar tissue can be painful, and amputations come with a wide variety of potential issues. Disfigurements and scarring can have a heavy emotional impact, and the value of compensation sought should account for psychological damage as well as physical damage.

Burn Injury Statistics

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), fires and burns are one of the leading causes of death in the home. Nearly half a million people are treated in emergency rooms and hospitals for burn injuries yearly, thousands of which died because of their injuries. The American Burn Association reports that admissions to burn centers are caused by the following:

• 44% of fires or open flames
• 33% of scalding injuries are caused by moist or wet heat
• 9% contact with a hot source
• 4% electrical burns
• 3% chemical burns
• 7% miscellaneous sources

How to File a Burn Injury Claim

The first step in filing a burn injury claim is to contact a burn injury attorney who can help you determine whether you have grounds for a lawsuit, what compensation you might be able to receive, and whether legal representation is right for you.

Burn Injury Claim Time Limit

According to the California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, burn injury victims have two years to file a lawsuit from the date of the accident. If the claim is against a state or local government agency or employee, the time limit is six months.

Liability in Burn Injury Cases

The most important factors in assigning liability are evidence and negligence. Many burn victim injury claims are a result of negligence, negligence being a failure to act in a manner that a reasonable person would. To prove negligence, four elements must be demonstrated:

• That the at-fault party had a duty to behave reasonably
• The at-fault party violated the duty to behave reasonably
• The at-fault party’s failure to behave reasonably directly caused your injuries
• The injuries caused resulted in financial losses, such as medical bills, pain, and suffering, and lost income

Recoverable Damages in Burn Injury Cases

The most common types of damages that are recoverable in burn injury cases include:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Travel expenses
• Pain and suffering

Contact Our Burn Accident Attorney in Riverside, CA

Don’t go through these catastrophic events alone. Call the Law Offices of Harlan B. Kistler today and get the compensation you deserve. There is much more to a burn injury than healing physical wounds. Burns can lead to mental suffering as well. If someone else is at fault, we’ll help you get the compensation you need. Contact us today and speak directly with a burn accident attorney in Riverside, CA.