Burn Injury Lawyer in Rancho Cucamonga, CA

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Burn injuries can be devastating and life-changing, often requiring expensive and time-consuming treatment. If someone else has caused your injuries, you should not have to shoulder the burden of the costs alone. Working with a Rancho Cucamonga burn injury lawyer can help you get the support you deserve.

If you are coping with the aftermath of a significant burn injury, you may find it difficult to return to your normal life. To discuss the incident with an experienced burn injury attorney near you, contact our Rancho Cucamonga law office for a free case review.

Time Is a Key Consideration in Your Burn Injury Case

The decision to hire an attorney can feel overwhelming. While our team at The Law Office of Fernando D. Vargas is prepared to assist you at almost any point in your case, we are most effective when you bring us in early. When you call us promptly, we can quickly intervene and begin to identify and secure key evidence in your case. 

Additionally, when you hire us, we will send a letter of representation to the insurance company, notifying them that you have representation and directing all communication to us. This stage protects you by minimizing contact with the insurance company and helping you avoid common pitfalls. 

California Statute of Limitations: Deadline to File a Claim

A significant consideration for time is the statute of limitations on your case. California Courts implement a two-year statute of limitations. This may vary depending on the specific circumstances of your case, but you should consult with an attorney to determine whether your situation warrants tolling. 

Two years may seem like a long time to file a lawsuit, but there is a significant amount of preparation and work that goes into a successful case. In many situations, we recommend that you complete your treatment before beginning negotiations to ensure we can account for all current medical costs and gain a realistic understanding of what we may expect in future costs. 

The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas is the Superior Choice for Representation in Your Burn Injury Case 

The burn injury lawyer you choose to represent you matters. At the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, you gain the benefit of a collaborative approach. Our team works closely and regularly staffs cases, allowing you to benefit from the diverse perspectives our burn injury attorneys have to offer. 

Burn cases can be uniquely complicated to handle due to the mixture of medical complexity and personal injury law. You need a firm equipped to handle the personal injury law and with the medical literacy to understand your injuries and help you anticipate future needs. 

Hablamos Español: Legal Services in Spanish

The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas values accessibility to the local community, which is why we prioritize hiring a fully bilingual staff. The evidence of our commitment to our clients is evident in our testimonials, and our record of success is reflected in the settlements and jury verdicts we have achieved.

You Don’t Pay Unless We Win

In addition to language access, we want those who are vulnerable to have access to the legal representation they deserve. Therefore, we offer our services on a contingency fee basis. This means we do not charge anything up front or until we recover compensation on your behalf. When we secure a settlement, our fees are typically based on a percentage of your recovery that has been agreed upon. 

Common Causes of the Burn Injuries

When you work with a burn injury lawyer, it is important to know that they can handle the type of case you have. Our firm has extensive experience handling accident cases that cause burn injuries. Some of the more common causes of burns that we have seen include:

As an experienced personal injury attorney who has successfully litigated burn injury cases since 1987, attorney Vargas and the rest of our burn injury lawyers are well-versed in the legal statutes and case law governing various types of burn injury accidents. Our firm can help you identify the party responsible for your accident, gather evidence to prove that their negligence caused your injury, and fight aggressively to secure the compensation you need to return to your daily life. 

Not All Burn Injuries Are the Same 

A significant portion of successfully litigating a burn injury case is a comprehensive understanding of the causes and types of burn injuries, as these differences can change the overall prognosis and may help us identify the cause of the accident. At its core, a burn injury is damage to cells and tissue, but the manner in which this occurs can vary. 

Thermal Burns

Thermal burns occur due to extreme heat or cold. Most often, these are caused by a fire or scalding liquids, although extreme cold can also cause similar damage. Most people have experienced a thermal burn at some point in their lives, typically while cooking, lighting a match, or using an iron. 

Electrical Burns 

An electrical burn happens when electricity causes cell damage. These injuries are common in premises liability cases with loose wires or inadequately maintained wiring and electronics. Electrical burns can also generate heat, resulting in thermal burns as well. Electrical burns can accompany electrocution accidents, compounding the unfortunate nature of those injuries.

Friction Burns 

Friction burns happen when something rubs against your body with enough force to generate heat. Friction burns are not uncommon in car accidents, especially in motorcycle accidents, where it is often referred to as road rash. Other common methods of injury may include accidents involving treadmills or agricultural equipment. 

Radiation Burns

Radiation burns can occur under ultraviolet and X-ray exposure. This may occur as a result of poorly maintained tanning beds or excessive exposure to other forms of radiation. These burns are typically handled similarly to any other type. 

Chemical Burns 

Strong acids or alkaline chemicals can react with your body’s cells, destroying them and causing chemical burns. These can happen on your skin, in your eyes, or inside your body. These burns can happen as a result of detergents, house cleaners, pesticides, hair relaxers, or even wet cement. These should receive immediate medical treatment. 

The Severity of Your Burn Injuries Is Broken Into Four Categories

Partial and full-thickness burns go deeper into the skin. Partial-thickness or second-degree burns typically affect the first two layers. These may cause texture and color changes, which can extend beyond discomfort and redness. These burns can be quite painful and often develop blisters. 

Third-degree or full-thickness burns extend through all the skin layers and may penetrate to the fatty tissue beneath. However, when they cause so much damage, they often also damage nerve endings, meaning they may not hurt initially. 

In very severe cases, you may suffer what some call fourth-degree burns, which extend to the bone. These often appear black or charred, and, like third-degree burns, they typically do not cause immediate pain following the injury because the burn damages the nerve endings. 

The Severity of the Burn Can Impact Recovery

A superficial burn is not necessarily something that will put you out of work or cause more of a problem than a moderate annoyance. They will typically heal in a few days and are not worth pursuing a lawsuit. 

However, when you suffer more severe burns, you may begin to have more intense treatment needs and more severe pain and dysfunction. As the treatment needs increase, the long-term complications and oftentimes, the emotional impact are more severe. As these worsening conditions occur, the amount you need to recover to compensate for the losses also increases. 

Treating Your Burn Injuries Can Be Costly 

The treatment for burn injuries can range from debridement and keeping the area clean to skin grafts done with anesthesia. A skin graft is often used for more severe partial and full-thickness burns, according to the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center MSKTC. For these severe burns, you may need to transfer to a hospital with a designated burn unit and physicians who specialize in burn care. 

If you need a skin graft, physicians must graft healthy skin from another part of your body onto the cleaned, injured skin. While this may be the best option for recovery, it can result in additional scarring in the area where the skin was donated for the graft. 

The recovery time after a burn injury can mean several days or even weeks in the hospital, leaving you out of work, missing time with friends and family, and racking up medical bills. 

Complications from Burn Injuries Can Be Fatal 

Burn injuries are vulnerable to many kinds of complications, particularly when they cover a large portion of the body. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the skin is a vital organ in the human body. It serves countless functions in addition to serving as a protective shield for internal structures. When your skin faces extensive damage from a burn, you are more vulnerable to complications such as:

  • Hypothermia and temperature dysregulation 
  • Dehydration and water loss
  • Infection 

If you have sustained burns that are more than three inches long, cover the face, hands, or joints, or if they have little to no pain, you should seek medical evaluation immediately to reduce the risk of these dangerous complications. 

The Long-Term Effects of Severe Burns 

Once you recover from the initial stages of the injuries, you may still face ongoing effects. When you work with our burn injury attorney in Rancho Cucamonga, we will account for the financial, physical, and emotional impact of your injuries. These can include:

  • Disfiguring scarring 
  • Limited range of motion  
  • Mental health disorders 
  • Chronic pain 
  • Increased risk of disease

Burn injuries do not always end when you leave the hospital, and many burn injury survivors report these problems years after their injury. While the long-term outcome is not something we can predict, it is something that our attorneys will consider while developing your case. 

You May Be Eligible to Recover Several Types of Damages in Your Burn Injury Case

While public accountability is often a bonus of pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, the primary goal of most lawsuits is to recover monetary compensation for the damage the defendant caused. Treating burns is expensive and often incredibly painful. While the details of your case will determine the specific damages you claim, some of what you may consider include:

  • Medical expenses (current and future)
  • Rehabilitation costs
  • Occupational therapy if your injury requires you to switch fields
  • Lost wages
  • Loss of earning capacity
  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Permanent disability
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Assistive devices and transportation
  • Modifications needed for the home
  • Loss of household services

If your injuries were the result of particularly negligent or even willful behavior, a judge or jury may determine it necessary to award punitive damages as well. These are meant to punish the defendant and deter similar behavior in the future.

Wrongful Death from Severe Burns

If you have lost a loved one because of burn injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit or survival action on behalf of their estate. These lawsuits can be a little bit different in their requirements, but our team can help you determine if this is the right option for you. 

Request a Free Case Review with an Experienced Rancho Cucamonga Burn Injury Attorney

Burn injuries can be life-changing. Even if you can return to your job and your daily life, you may be left with a lasting reminder of what was likely a traumatic accident. You should not have to bear the burden of someone else’s mistakes. We cannot take back what happened to you, but the team at Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas is committed to fighting for the compensation to get the resources you need to continue with your life as close to normal as you can get.

Our offices are available for calls 24/7. You can contact us to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our team members and discover your compensation options. Get the help you deserve and call us today.