Available Punitive Damages and Settlement Value for Burn Injuries
How Can A Burn Injury Lawyer Help You?
A burn injury is serious. It can put you in the hospital for weeks and months at a time and require you to undergo extensive medical procedures. If your burn injury is the result of negligence on the part of another, then you should hold them accountable.
There are a number of scenarios in which a burn injury accident can occur. If the negligent party failed to exercise a duty of care resulting in physical and emotional harm, reach out to a severe burn injury lawyer in Los Angeles immediately.
The First Critical Moments
Severe burn injuries are both painful and life-threatening. You should receive first aid on the site and then specialized emergency treatment at the hospital.
When to Call a Lawyer
It will take you some time to recover from your injuries. As you are recovering, you will eventually need to deal with the medical expenses that result from your treatment and the loss of income from being out of work. When you are clear-headed and physically strong enough to talk and think, you should contact a legal professional.
The First Meeting
The lawyer will have handled many cases like yours. They will not overwhelm or overburden you with questions in the first meeting. However, they will need to gather some basic facts about the circumstances that led to the accident. This information will be crucial to building a case against the people who owe you money.
The Responsible Party
One of the first things your lawyer will determine is the party responsible for paying you compensation. Depending on the severity of the burns, you may need to seek a sum of money that is well above the standard injury compensation.
Perhaps you were in an auto accident caused by a negligent driver, and their insurance company offered an inadequate amount for your expenses and what you should rightfully receive for pain and suffering. You should not accept any such settlement without first discussing with your attorney. In fact, you should leave all such communications to the person you have hired to represent you.
The Process of Getting Fair Compensation
Fire injury lawyers you hire will consult with you, your physicians, and your family before coming up with a settlement value. This is the amount of money that will be demanded of the responsible party. It will be based on the extent of your injuries, the residual injuries you receive (permanent scarring and disfigurement), your medical expenses, loss of income, and punitive damages.
Punitive damages are available if the party acted in a grossly negligent way. Such damages are designed to punish defendants; they may be asked to pay millions of dollars for their inattention and misconduct.
To get money for punitive damages, your attorney will investigate the facts and circumstances of the accident. They will send private investigators to interview key witnesses and examine the scene of the accident. They will also bring in experts competent to review the forensic evidence left at the accident scene and determine how it unfolded. Accident reconstruction experts can put together a computer simulation of the accident based on the facts, which can be submitted as evidence.
Your personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles will also bring in medical experts who can give sworn statements concerning the extent of your injuries and the long-term effects they will have on your health.
Getting fair compensation for your burn injuries is a process. The party responsible for your pain and suffering will fight such efforts vigorously. They may even stall negotiations to pressure you into accepting a lower settlement. If this happens, you may need to sue them. Legal counsel will use these facts to press your demands for a fair settlement.
If you have been burned in an accident that owes to the negligence of another party, you should contact an attorney in Los Angeles.