Burn Injury Attorney

Fishkill Injury Attorney Serving Wappingers Falls, Beacon, Lagrangeville, Brewster, Carmel & Nearby Areas Of Hudson Valley

Burn injuries can be some of the most devastating injuries one can experience with injuries that can cause physical and psychological scars lasting a lifetime. Because the skin is an organ that interacts with other organs throughout the body, a serious burn can cause medical problems that affect the functioning of vital organs attempting to compensate for the physical damage to the body.

Victims of burn injury and their families face formidable obstacles, including staggering medical costs, the inability to earn a living, and emotional suffering.

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Victims of burn injury and their families face formidable obstacles, including staggering medical costs, the inability to earn a living, and emotional suffering. Without legal representation, they may not receive all of the compensation they deserve. At the Maurer Law Firm, Ira Maurer is an attorney with extensive experience representing people in burn injury cases. He works tirelessly to help his clients get full and complete compensation for all losses.

If you’ve suffered a burn injury because of the negligence of someone else, contact us today at 845-244-8343 top schedule your free consultation. We proudly serve those who live in Fishkill, Myers Corner, Beacon, LaGrangeville, and nearby areas of Hudson Valley, NY.

Common Causes Of Burn Injuries

There are many ways that a burn injury can occur. All it takes is for one person to act in a negligent and careless way to cause an accident and your life can change forever. Ira Maurer has experience helping those with burn injuries from a variety of sources and is here to help you in your time of need. He can help if you’ve suffered severe burns as a result of:

In one significant case, Ira Maurer obtained a $1.25 million settlement during trial for a New Jersey Transit employee who suffered second- and third-degree burns on the arms, shoulders, and chest in a high-voltage electrical accident.

Types Of Burns

Ira Maurer works tirelessly to help his clients get full and complete compensation for all losses. His firm represents clients in all types of negligent burn injury cases, including those involving:

  • Thermal burns caused by fire or heat
  • Electrical burns
  • Chemical burns
  • Inhalation burns caused by ingestion of hot air or gases
  • Radiation burns caused by excessive exposure in tanning booths, during X-rays, or cancer treatment
  • Friction burns caused by motorcycle accidents (road rash)

All of the types of burns listed above can have different levels of severity ranging from superficial burns to the top layer of skin to devastating burns that cause permanent scarring, disfigurement, nerve damage, or even death. The classification for burns is as follows:

  • First-degree burns: Burns affecting the first layer of skin
  • Second-degree burns: Superficial partial-thickness burns to the first and second layers of skin and deep partial-thickness burns that injure deeper skin layers
  • Third-degree burns: Burns that injure all the skin layers and tissue under the skin
  • Fourth-degree burns: Burns injuring muscle, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and bones

Chemical Burns

A chemical burn occurs when an acid or base comes in contact with tissue. Acidic and caustic chemicals can be found in the home as well as in industrial settings. The severity of a chemical burn depends on the pH of the chemical, its concentration, length of contact, the volume of the chemical, and the physical form of the substance. Certain chemicals can generate intense heat when diluted or neutralized, causing thermal damage to tissue as well as caustic damage.

With chemical burns immediate effects may include:

  • Pain
  • Irritation of the skin
  • Shortness of breath and headache
  • Temporary or permanent vision loss
  • In severe cases low blood pressure, seizure, cardiac arrest, and death

Electrical Burns

In any given year, up to 1,000 people are killed in electrical accidents in the U.S. Electrical burns are significantly different than thermal or chemical burns in their physiological effects. While an electrical accident can cause tissue damage to the surface of the skin, many of the effects of a high voltage accident occur beneath the surface, including extensive damage to nerves and muscles at both the entrance (electrical source) and exit (ground) points.

The most common injuries associated with electrical accidents are:

  • Burns at the contact point
  • Damage to nerves, muscles, eyes, heart, and other parts of the body
  • Head injuries, fractures, or broken bones from being thrown
  • Thermal burn injuries from clothes catching fire

Electrical currents can cause muscle contractions and in lower voltage accidents it can be difficult for the victim to release hold of the object through which the current is flowing. Accidents that cause the victim to freeze in this manner can be intensely painful and frightening. Nerves, muscles, and tendons can be damaged to the extent that one or more fingers must be amputated. Many low voltage electrical accidents happen to children who touch an exposed wire or electrical outlet, and suffer injuries to their hands or mouths.

What Should I Do If I Get Burned?

If you sustain a burn from a chemical, accident, or another incident, your first step is to receive proper medical care. Emergency personnel may need to be called immediately to provide guidance or direct assistance. Burns must be handled with the utmost care to prevent unwanted worsening of the injury. For example, it is not advisable to apply ice or very cold water to a burn. Oils and ointments should also be avoided. For appropriate guidance, call 911 if necessary.

How Is Burn Severity Diagnosed?

When evaluating burns for treatment, doctors seek to answer a few questions. These include:

  • How deep is the burn (epidermis, dermis, hypodermis)?
  • How large is the burn?

The size of a burn is measured in relation to the body as a whole. The body is broken down into a number of regions, most of which are measured at 9 percent of the total. Multiple areas are added up to reach a total percentage. 

What Are My Treatment Options For Severe Burns?

Severe burns require immediate attention to stop the spread of heat through layers of tissue as quickly as possible. Beyond the immediate remedy for a burn, a doctor may develop a larger treatment program that includes topical and/or oral medications, dressings for the wounds, physical or occupational therapy, or surgery. Each case presents unique challenges that must be addressed with the utmost care.

What Happens If Burns Are Left Untreated?

If you've sustained a burn injury, especially as a result of someone else's actions, it is imperative that you receive proper care. Any type of burn presents a risk of infection, which can be avoided with prompt, proper care. Treating the burn at home, you run the risk of worsening the injury or developing unsightly scarring. If the burn is severe, the risk of complications is elevated. These include breathing difficulties, severe scarring, loss of normal range of motion, and more. Furthermore, if your burn injury can be traced to negligence, the care that you receive from a medical professional serves as documentation that can help an experienced attorney see if you are entitled to compensation for your losses.

What Are The Long-Term Effects?

A burn injury may have a significant impact on your quality of life long after the skin has healed. Burned tissue may not regenerate fully, so there may be contraction that limits full, comfortable movement of the affected area. A burn can damage the nerves, resulting in ongoing pain, itching, or other symptoms. Then there are the cosmetic effects of burn injuries to address. Depending on the affected area, it may be impossible to fully disguise the effects of the burn, a complication that could have both physical and emotional effects.

Can Burns Cause Permanent Damage?

Yes. Burns can cause permanent damage to the skin, the nerves, internal organs (depending on the severity of the burn), and to your ability to perform normal activities. These complications may remain regardless of the proper and extensive treatment for the initial injury.

Compensation We Can Pursue

The effects of severe burn injuries may require extensive medical treatment along with lasting rehabilitation and therapy. At the Maurer Law Firm, Ira Maurer understands that these treatments can be expensive, that’s why he fights on your behalf to pursue compensation from the negligent party to pay for the care you need to get your life back.

Ira Maurer can pursue compensation for:

  • Medical expenses
  • Rehabilitation expenses
  • Lost wages from time missed at work
  • Compensation for diminished earning capacity
  • Psychological/therapy expenses
  • Pain and suffering

Contact An Experienced Burn Injury Lawyer Fishkill, NY

Ira Maurer has more than 30 years of experience representing injured people and has represented numerous burn injury victims during his career. This experience gives him extensive knowledge concerning the medical issues burn victims face, as well as the legal issues that can affect the outcome of burn injury cases and the emotional devastation that often accompanies the physical injury.

To find out if you have a personal injury case because of a burn you received in an accident caused by someone else's negligence, please contact the Maurer Law Firm at 845-244-8343  to schedule a free consultation. You can also book your one-on-one appointment with our well-practiced attorney by filling out the contact form on this page. He helps those who live in and near Fishkill, Myers Corner, Beacon, LaGrangeville and nearby areas of Hudson Valley.

How Can We Help You?

Offering Free Telephone or Video Consultations

845-896-5299

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