Burn Injury Lawyer in Riverside, CA

Burn injuries are often some of the most painful, traumatic, and scarring injuries, leaving victims with a lifetime impact. If another person’s negligence caused your injuries, you need to work with a personal injury lawyer in Riverside, CA, to get the compensation you are owed to help with your recovery and medical bills.

At the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we have won over $100 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients, helping them get back on the path to a normal life. Work with our burn injury lawyer in Riverside, CA, to help you get started on compiling your personal injury claim.

Reasons to Start Working on Your Case as Soon as Possible

Timing in your burn injury claim is critical to make sure you maximize your compensation, as well as avoid missing out on any important deadlines. When you contact the Law Office of Fernando D. Vargas promptly, we can act quickly to gather essential evidence and secure your case. The sooner you get started, the more time we will have to strategize and gather the freshest evidence. After all, eyewitnesses’ memories will fade with time, and evidence at the scene of an accident can be cleaned up or thrown out if you wait too long.

Once you sign with us as a client, we will immediately notify the insurance company of the at-fault party that we will be representing you. This redirects all communication to us, preventing you from making common mistakes and helping you avoid pressure from the insurance adjusters. We make sure you do not miss any deadlines and handle the paperwork for you.

California Statute of Limitations: Two-Year Deadline

In California, you typically have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. Even though this may seem like a long time, preparing a strong case requires extensive work. Waiting until you are finished with your medical treatments and recovery may seem like a good idea to ensure you can account for all your medical costs, but you need to make sure that you do not go past this deadline. We will help you estimate future expenses and medical costs so that you have the best chances of maximizing your compensation.

There are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, but these are relatively rare. One example is if the injury victim is a minor at the time of the accident. The clock will not start ticking for them until they turn 18. However much time has passed, consult with a burn injury lawyer to discuss your case. Get started as soon as you can to avoid being banned from pursuing your rightful compensation.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries in Riverside

When you have received a severe injury from a burn, you should work with your legal team to understand how you received your injuries and what negligence contributed to them. Our firm has significant experience with a wide range of accidents that result in burn injuries, including:

Motor vehicle accidents such as car crashes, motorcycle collisions, and accidents with semi-trucks
Premises liability incidents, including building fires, gas line explosions, or scalding water from faulty heaters
Defective products causing fires, electrical shocks, or extreme heat
Chemical spills and exposures

Since 1987, Attorney Fernando D. Vargas and our legal team have successfully handled burn injury cases. We understand the local, state, and overall laws governing these burn injury accidents. We will help you identify the responsible party, gather the evidence to prove their negligence, and work aggressively to get you the compensation you need to move forward with your life.

Why Survivors of Burn Injuries Trust the Lawyers at Our Firm

Choosing the right law firm after a burn injury may make or break your ability to maximize your claim. The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas offers a collaborative approach, where our team of attorneys works together on your case, allowing you the resources and benefits of multiple perspectives and a comprehensive legal strategy.

We Understand the Complexity of These Injuries

Burn injuries are medically complicated and legally challenging. Our team understands both the personal injury laws and the complex medical aspects of these cases. We will work to understand your injuries, anticipate your future needs, and fight to get you the compensation you need.

You Pay Nothing Unless We Win

Our commitment to our clients goes beyond the courtroom. We are dedicated to meeting our community where they are at, offering free initial case consultations, and operating on a contingency fee basis. This means you do not pay us a dime unless we win your case. Our goal is to make sure you can focus on making a full recovery.

Hablamos Español: We Speak Spanish

Communication is the key to a successful case, to the insurance company, in court, but also between lawyer and client. The Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas is proud to offer a fully bilingual staff to better serve our community. We believe in providing accessible legal representation to all.

A Record of Client Success

Our burn injury attorneys constantly receive positive testimonials from clients, and our track record of successful settlements and jury verdicts proves our dedication to helping them achieve the results they deserve.

Understanding Different Types of Burn Injuries

Successfully litigating a burn injury case requires a detailed understanding of both the cause and type of burn. These differences can significantly impact your prognosis and are key to identifying who is at fault. While all burns involve damage to cells and tissue, the way this damage occurs can vary greatly:

Thermal Burns

These are the most common type of burn, caused by a variety of sources, including open flames, scalding hot liquids or steam, hot objects, or even extreme cold that leads to frostbite. These injuries are particularly frequent in kitchen accidents and residential fires, but can also occur in industrial settings or from car accidents involving fires.

Electrical Burns

These happen when an electrical current passes through the body, damaging the cells and tissues along its path. While there may only be a small entry and exit wound, significant internal damage can occur to muscles, nerves, and organs. These injuries are often seen in premises liability cases involving exposed wires, faulty wiring, or inadequately maintained electronics and equipment.

Friction Burns

These occur when something rubs against your skin with enough force to create heat, often referred to as “road rash” in bike or motorcycle accidents. These burns can vary in severity, with some being minor scrapes while others can be deep and extensive, requiring medical attention similar to other types of burns.

Radiation Burns

Burns caused by extended or consistent exposure to radiation, such as from improperly maintained tanning beds, or high doses of X-rays or radiation therapy. The severity of these burns depends on the intensity and duration of the exposure.

Chemical Burns

These are a result of strong acids or alkaline chemicals reacting with your cells. They can happen from a variety of substances, from industrial chemicals to household cleaners.

Our experience with these different types of burn injuries allows us to build a strong case that reflects the full extent of your damages.

Understanding the Degrees of Burn Injuries

While most often thought of as just pertaining to thermal burns, degrees of burn injury can be used to describe any type of burn injury. The degree of the burn simply describes how many layers of skin and underlying tissue have been damaged, regardless of the original source of the burn. These degree stages are:

First-degree burns (superficial) affect only the outermost layer of skin (the epidermis).
Second-degree burns (partial-thickness) damage the epidermis and the layer beneath it (the dermis). Burns second-degree and higher typically lead to hypertrophic scarring.
Third-degree burns (full-thickness) destroy both the epidermis and the dermis, and can extend into the subcutaneous fat layer. Third-degree burns and higher generally require surgical intervention for the wounds to heal properly.
Fourth-degree burns go deeper, damaging muscle, bone, and tendons. Often, injury victims do not even feel fourth-degree burns due to the severity of the injury and the damage that has occurred to nerves.

Severe Burns Have a Long-Term Effect on Victims

While a superficial burn may leave some scarring and take about a week to recover, these are traditionally not the basis for a lawsuit claim. More severe burns take much longer and can impact your life more severely, necessitating time off work to recover, creating long-term complications, and causing traumatic emotional and psychological impact. Pursuing compensation for these types of burns can help you recover financially.

The Dangers of Serious Burn Injuries

Severe burn injuries present a host of serious and immediate health risks. The skin is a vital organ, integral to the body’s well-being. Skin is responsible for temperature regulation and acts as a protective barrier against infections. When this integrity is compromised through extensive burn damage, the body becomes susceptible to a range of dangerous complications.

Complications of burn injuries can include temperature dysregulation, as well as dehydration and the high risk of systemic infection. Seek immediate medical care for any burn that is:

Larger than three inches
Affects the face, hands, or joints
Or, characterized by an absence of pain, as this may indicate a severe, full-thickness burn with nerve damage.

Our Attorneys Consider the Long-Term Impact on Your Life

Burn survivors may encounter a lifetime of challenges that continue to affect their quality of life long after their accident. Our burn injury attorneys’ legal approach is designed to address the full impact of these injuries comprehensively.

We consider the financial, physical, and emotional repercussions you have experienced, building a case that accounts for issues such as permanent scarring and disfigurement, limited mobility and physical impairment, ongoing chronic pain, and associated emotional and psychological trauma. Our firm is dedicated to ensuring that the long-term effects of a burn injury are fully recognized and accurately represented in your claim.

The Value of Your Riverside County Burn Injury Claim

When you suffered a catastrophic injury due to someone else’s negligence, our burn injury lawyers can step in to help you secure the financial compensation you need to recover. Burn injuries are incredibly painful, and treatments can be costly. While the specific damages you may be able to claim will depend on the unique details of your case, you may be eligible to recover for a range of losses, including:

Current and future medical expenses, including hospital stays, surgeries, and medication.
Rehabilitation and therapy costs, such as physical or occupational therapy.
Lost wages and earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from working now or in the future.
Physical pain, suffering, and mental anguish, as well as psychological therapy and counseling if needed.
The impacts of permanent disability or disfigurement.
Loss of enjoyment of life.
Loss of consortium accounts for the impact on your relationship with your spouse or other loved ones.
The cost of necessary assistive and medical devices, home modifications, and transportation.
Funeral and burial services, if the burn injury results in a wrongful death.

The Potential for Punitive Damages

In cases where the responsible party’s behavior was particularly reckless or malicious, a court may also award punitive damages. These damages are not based on your losses but are designed to punish the defendant and prevent similar behavior from happening again.

While punitive damages are not awarded very often, in certain cases, they can help the victim and their family feel like justice was served. A burn injury attorney from the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas can help you understand if your case is the kind to receive punitive damages.

Contact Our Burn Injury Attorneys in Riverside, CA

A burn injury can have life-altering consequences. At the Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we are committed to securing the financial compensation you need to manage the long-term effects of your injury. Our team is available 24/7. For a free case evaluation with experienced Riverside County burn injury lawyers near you, contact our law offices today.