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Kentucky Burn Injury Lawyer

A serious accident on a Kentucky interstate only gets more dangerous when a vehicle involved catches fire. A trip to the store or a restaurant turns hazardous when someone is exposed to bare electrical wires or the harsh chemicals of a commercial cleaning solution. These are all instances that can leave victims with severe burns.

Burns don’t always involve an open flame, but any burn injury will leave victims with a long, painful medical recovery. And when these frightening incidents occur, it’s usually someone’s carelessness that puts victims in harm’s way. It’s only fair that those at fault should be front-and-center when it comes time to pay hospital bills.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Kentucky Burn Injury Lawyer

Victims who suffer burn injuries in Kentucky personal injury accidents are entitled to know every benefit available to them as they recover. They may end up in an emergency room or even a Kentucky Burn Center and face enormous physical and financial challenges. Insurance companies for at-fault parties should be called on for full financial support to pay for hospital bills, to replace lost paychecks at work, and for many other hardships burn accident victims experience.

Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, offers a free consultation to all Kentucky burn injury accident victims. If you or a loved one have suffered a traumatic burn injury, contact us to schedule a free case review. It’s an easy, no-risk way to determine how much your injury may be worth and how to hold an insurance company completely liable.

Burn Injury Risks in Kentucky

Burn injuries occur just about everywhere and it’s often someone else’s negligence that puts victims at risk. A burn injury can occur on a Kentucky highway. Burns can happen in the workplace, at a restaurant, or even in the home.

Burn injury patients often end up in Louisville and Lexington emergency rooms and trauma centers. Those suffering the very worst burn injuries are usually sent to the UofL Hospital Burn Clinic in Louisville. It’s the only dedicated adult Burn Center in the State of Kentucky. They treat over 300 patients a year.

Young children are commonly the victims of burns. They can get themselves into hazardous situations and their skin is thinner making it more susceptible to burns. Victims may be sent to UK HealthCare’s Makenna David Pediatric Emergency Center after an accident and to UK HealthCare’s Pediatric Wound Care Clinic in Lexington for recovery.

Here are just a few examples of common personal injury burn incidents in Kentucky that send victims to local hospitals each year:

  • Fire and explosions – Being allowed too close to an open flame, could leave a victim with severe wounds. A firework injury or dangerous exposure to any fire in a public place or the workplace could leave you dealing with a severe burn injury. Store owners, employers, and property owners are liable when they don’t fix fire hazards and don’t provide clear paths to escape a fire.
  • Chemical Burns – Contact with a harsh chemical can cause second and third-degree burns. Chemical fumes can also be inhaled to burn internal organs. A store like Target may leave a dangerous cleaning agent out where customers can come in contact with it. A theme park could expose parkgoers to harmful fluids used to maintain machines. The strong chemicals used on a construction site or on a farm could easily harm workers.
  • Thermal Burns – These burns occur when victims come in contact with something superheated. Property owners, theme park operators, and employers could be found liable if they allow tenants, shoppers, customers, and clients too close to hot machinery, tools, and surfaces.
  • Scalding Burns – Hot steam or hot liquids can harm victims and damage several layers of skin. A hot latte, coffee, or plate of food could also cause a serious burn. Machinery at a business or workplace might also give off scalding steam.
  • Electrical Burns – Coming in contact with a frayed power cord might send a current through your hands and into your entire body. Victims may experience damage to the skin, to internal organs, and have their heart rhythm disrupted. These accidents often happen in the home with a faulty appliance or an improperly installed device. An electrical arc is another burn threat. Arcs travel between two sources and victims nearby can be burned by intense heat or suffer harm from an explosive force. Electrical accidents also commonly spark fires that harm those close by.
  • Burn Injuries In the Elderly — Older members of our families can be much more vulnerable to burn injuries and will take longer to heal.
  • Car Accidents Burns – Traffic collisions expose victims to many different burn threats. Burns are commonly suffered when a car crash sparks a vehicle fire. Chemical burns are possible when victims come in contact with the many harsh substances contained in a car. An electrical burn occurs when a vehicle’s electrical system is damaged. Those who travel by motorcycle, by bike, or by foot as pedestrians may be knocked to the ground to suffer a friction burn or “road rash” as they come in contact with a roadway.
  • Workplace Burns – Employees at worksites or the office often suffer burn injuries that leave their employers liable. Companies and corporations are liable for the harm done to employees when they don’t provide proper safety gear and training and properly maintain equipment. Burn victims can file for Workers’ Compensation but this compensation can run out and it doesn’t provide support for the physical and emotional pain a victim experiences.

How Can I Get the Most out of My Burn Injury Claim?

Your Kentucky Traumatic Injury Lawyer will fully investigate your accident and prepare a strong case to present to an insurance company. However, your lawyer won’t have access to the evidence that will be found on the scene of your accident right after it happens.

To get the most out of your burn injury claim, it’s wise to gather as much proof from the scene as possible. The hazard that caused your burn will likely be cleaned up or repaired as soon as you leave the site. So, if you are left physically strong enough, you should try to collect these details:

  • Call 911 even if you feel your burns are minor. The shock of what’s happened could be masking pain from a serious wound. Let paramedics fully examine your burn. Go to the emergency room or a burn center if necessary. If you must leave the scene, request that someone with you or a helpful witness gather evidence for you. After a car accident, tell responding officers everything you can remember about what led to the crash. They’ll be creating an important collision report.
  • Take pictures. Before it’s cleaned up or repaired, use your cellphone to capture images of the hazard that left you burned. This might be a piece of machinery at a theme park, at the worksite, or in a store. Show the source of any chemical or electrical burn you received. Note any caution signs or the lack of signs around. Take photos of your burn. After a car accident, take pictures of the damage to vehicles and lane markings.
  • Alert a manager. After suffering a burn at a public place like a restaurant, a theme park, or at work, alert a manager or an employer about what happened. They will have to file an incident report. This report will be valuable evidence later.
  • Don’t state that you’re okay or that the fall was your fault. The truth is, you may not know how serious your burn injuries are for a day or two after the incident when the shock of the accident wears off. You also may have no idea how an accident occurred. Your statements can be twisted by an insurance company and used against you later.
  • Get contact information from witnesses. Your Kentucky burn injury lawyer will need to contact them for testimony later.
  • See your doctor. Make an appointment with your personal physician. Get all pain that arises in the days after a fall examined. Follow your doctor’s instructions and see recommended specialists.
  • Speak with a burn injury lawyer. Insurance adjusters will take every chance they can to devalue your injury and your financial hardships. Your lawyer neutralizes these tactics and works to see that you receive all the support you require now and in the years to come.

Deadlines and Compensation Available for Kentucky Burn Injury Victims

Another way to make sure you remain eligible for compensation after a burn injury is to keep Kentucky’s statute of limitations on injury claims in mind. Kentucky burn victims only have a year from the date of the accident to file a claim over their injuries.

This is a shorter time limit than many states offer, so it’s important to have a Kentucky personal injury lawyer look over your case as soon as possible. The sooner you act the easier it will be to secure fresh evidence and keep track of witnesses.

Another way to maximize the settlement check you’ll receive from an at-fault party’s insurance provider is to make sure every damage you’ve absorbed since your accident is listed in your claim.

Your attorney will be helping you document every physical, emotional, and financial hardship you and your family have endured. These are just a few of the items that can factor into how much you’ll receive in a burn injury settlement check:

  • Hospital bills and any expenses for medical care expected in the years to come.
  • Lifelong costs associated with a permanent physical disability like medical equipment, physical therapy, and career training.
  • Support for physical pain. This can include additional compensation for any chronic pain you face.
  • Emotional Distress. You may be dealing with depression or anxiety and just a loss of enjoyment of life after an accident and through a difficult burn injury recovery.
  • Damage or destruction of personal property.
  • Income and benefits you’ve lost while missing work.
  • Travel Costs. Any travel you must do as you visit different doctors and therapists in different cities. The expenses can be enormous when you are off your feet and can’t drive.
  • Wrongful death benefits. Kentucky allows families who have lost a loved one to a burn injury to seek support from an at-fault party. This would include support for funeral costs and remaining medical bills. The financial support the deceased would have continued to provide to the family in the years to come would also be reimbursed.

Contact a Kentucky Burn Injury Lawyer

After you or a loved one suffers a traumatic burn injury due to someone’s careless act, talk over your options with a skilled personal injury attorney. Insurance companies try to work fast so that you don’t have time to learn about every benefit available to you and your family. Don’t sign off on any settlement offer until you know how much your injury may be worth.

Talk to a Kentucky Burn Injury Accident Lawyer you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation. To discuss your case in a free consultation, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today. You’ll talk with a real Kentucky attorney. And if we can help you earn the most for your injury claim, you won’t need any money. We don’t get paid unless we win your case.

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