Lebanon Burn Injury Attorneys Fighting for Clients
Aggressive representation for burn victims in Mt. Juliet, Cookeville, and across Tennessee
Burn injuries can range from a mild burn, which can be treated with first aid, to a catastrophic injury that requires skin grafts and ongoing medical care. Serious burns also leave visible, often unsightly scars which change a person’s physical appearance, emotions, and sense of self.
Burn injuries are severely painful and they also cause lasting trauma, which also creates psychological damage. When you discover that the burns you or a loved one suffered were because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness, you may be motivated to seek justice in the form of compensation for your injuries. Experienced personal injury attorneys can help you achieve the best possible outcome.
At Lowery, Lowery & Cherry, PLLC, our skilled Lebanon burn injury lawyers are ready to protect your right to recover compensation when another person’s reckless conduct resulted in devastating injuries that will have a lasting painful and negative impact on your life.
What are the common causes of burn injuries?
The National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) describe burns as damage to the skin caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or nuclear radiation. The most common burn injuries are from exposure to hot liquid or steam, a building fire, flammable liquids and gases.
The American Burn Association (ABA) estimates that about 486,000 people receive medical treatment for burn injuries each year in the United States, and 40,000 hospitalizations related to burn injuries with 30,000 of those admitted to hospital burn centers.
Some of the sources of burn injuries include:
- House fires
- Scalding water
- Explosions
- Motor vehicle crashes
- Electrical fires
Categories of burn injuries
The four main categories of burn injuries include:
- First-degree burns, which damage the outer layer of skin, also called the epidermis. A sunburn is an example of a first-degree burn and it will usually heal on its own.
- Second-degree burns, which damage the epidermis and the dermis, which is the secondary layer. These burns might require skin grafts to cover and protect the body as it heals, and they may leave visible scars.
- Third-degree burns, which destroy the epidermis, the dermis and underlying tissues. Third-degree burns always require skin grafts.
- Fourth-degree burns, which can cause damage through the layers of fat and muscle down to the bone. These types of burns are often fatal.
What are potential complications of serious burn injuries?
Some of the long-term complications of serious burns include issues such as scarring, which can be disfiguring, contractures which restrict range of motion and mobility, and infections throughout the slow, painful healing process. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a psychological side effect of any type of burn injury. If the incident or accident related to the burn caused the person trauma, it can leave mental scars which the person re-experiences in the form of flashbacks, phobias, and anxiety.
Burn injury care for Tennessee patients
Burn treatment varies depending on the degree of the injury, patients may need extra fluids to maintain healthy blood pressure and prevent shock. Surgeons may treat large burns with skin grafts, artificial skin products, and skin grown in the lab. Sometimes, surgery is required as is physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Serious burns may require a treatment called debridement, which is a painful but necessary process involving the surgical removal of dead skin and tissues which have been damaged beyond repair.
Along with the physical challenges of dealing with burn injury treatments, those suffering from burn injuries must also face life with tremendous disfigurement of scarring and contractures, which can cause PTSD and other long-term emotional scars from the trauma of the accident, and from the ongoing pain of the injury and the visible reminders from moving through the world in a body covered in scars.
Tennessee has two major burn centers: The Vanderbilt Burn Center in Nashville and the Firefighters Burn Center in Memphis.
Innovations in burn injury care
There is constant innovation in the field of burn injury care. Burn injuries that might have been considered fatal decades ago are now survivable. Two examples of innovation in burn injury care include:
- StrataGraft, a cell therapy therapeutic tissue engineering product which is designed to regenerate skin damaged from thermal burns. It is designed to provide a critical barrier during the wound healing process.
- ReCell is a treatment that can be used in conjunction with conventional procedures to regenerate skin, promote healing, and minimize scarring using the patient's own skin cells.
These are just two of the lifesaving innovations for burn injury victims. The ReCell product has already been used to help wounded members of the U.S. military who suffered burns in the field. There is also innovation for burn injury care using medical lasers to manage inflammation and dissolve scar size and density.
How can our Lebanon burn injury attorneys help?
The way our civil justice system works, if you want to recover compensation from the person(s) who caused your injuries, you will have to prove that they owed you a duty of care, that whatever they did or failed to do that caused the accident was a breach of that duty, that their action was a direct cause of your injury, and you suffered damages because of your injuries. If you are dealing with serious injuries, you might benefit from engaging the services of an experienced Lebanon burn injury attorney team from Lowery, Lowery & Cherry. We have more than 70 years of combined legal experience helping injured people like you recover compensation for their injuries and other losses.
What we can do for you is investigate the incident, prepare a compelling case on your behalf, represent you in negotiations with insurance companies or litigate your personal injury case if necessary.
You never need to worry about how you will afford to pay for a good injury lawyer, because we take cases on contingency. This means that you do not pay attorney fees until we have successfully recovered compensation for you.
What damages can I secure in a Lebanon burn injury claim?
Once you have successfully proven that the defendant’s negligence caused your injuries, there are several types of damages, which is financial compensation for your injuries and losses. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident and the severity of your injuries, your attorney will negotiate a settlement with the insurance company involved, or he or she will pursue a lawsuit. The following types of damages may be available depending on your case:
- Medical costs related to the injury now and in the future
- Lost wages for time away from work for medical care and recuperation
- Diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Other losses
At Lowery, Lowery & Cherry, PLLC we have the experience and the resources to recover fair compensation on your behalf when someone else's negligence or carelessness has caused your burn injuries. We hold those who are responsible for your injuries and losses, and not allow them to escape without liability. We represent your interests and work aggressively to recover the compensation you need.
Schedule a free consultation with a Lebanon burn injury lawyer right away
When you are suffering from the effects of a serious burn injury because of someone else’s carelessness or negligent behavior, you need strong legal representation that you can rely on to obtain the compensation you need. You are welcome to call 615-444-7222 or contact Lowery, Lowery & Cherry PLLC to meet with an injury lawyer who will listen to you and offer valid suggestions for pursuing your claim. We serve clients in Mt. Juliet, Nashville, Cookeville, and throughout Tennessee.