Treating a Burn Injury
If you have been seriously injured due to a fire or other type of burn injury, you will need proper medical attention right away. Not treating a burn injury immediately could lead to serious consequences. If you have been injured and are seeking compensation, please contact our Houston burn injury lawyers today to schedule a free consultation.
Treating a Burn Injury | Medical Attention
With proper medical attention, the survival rate among people who suffer from burns is almost 97 percent, and the American Burn Association highly recommends that anyone injured seek help from a doctor or a hospital as soon as possible. Though seeking medical attention is the highest priority after an injury, it is also important to recognize the signs and symptoms.
If your skin is red and painful to the touch, it is likely that you have developed first-degree burns. This degree of burn is limited to the outermost layer of skin, and as such, these burns can usually heal within a few days after the injury. First-degree burns that cover much of the body warrant attention from a doctor but burns that are smaller in size can benefit from home remedies involving cool compresses and sterile bandages. Sunburn is a common and easily recognizable first-degree radiation burn, and though Texas is one of the states with the lowest risk of skin cancer, Houston’s residents should keep the sunscreen handy.
Second-degree burns require medical attention, and unlike first-degree burns, these burns should not be treated by anyone other than health professionals. This type of burn can manifest as blisters or deep red skin, and there may be severe pain and even some skin loss. Third- and fourth-degree burns may be painless but sustaining either type of burn can result in permanent disfigurement. Only care from an emergency medical technician or doctor will prevent further complications.
Treating a Burn Injury | Filing a Claim Under Texas State Law
Countless personal injury cases in the United States have negligence as their basis, and Texas is no exception. Though the exact definition of negligence varies slightly from state to state, all courts in the Greater Houston metropolitan area follow the same standards. According to the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, one of the 31 fundamental statutes that constitute Texas state law, negligence is a general dereliction of duty to protect other people from harm. Despite the simplicity of the definition, negligence is applicable to a wealth of situations. If the circumstances that led to your burn injury match any of the details below, you may have the grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.
Plaintiffs and their attorneys, under Texas state law, have to prove that the plaintiffs were injured as a direct result of another party’s failure to obey common-sense safety standards. The attorney must show that this failure was a breach of that party’s responsibility to adhere to those standards, and any negligence on the part of all plaintiffs cannot account for more than 50 percent of the responsibility for the injury.
No one should have to suffer from serious burns, and a burn that happened as the result of someone else’s negligence merely adds insult to injury. The guidance of a Houston burn injury lawyer can be instrumental in helping you to receive compensation following your trauma. Experienced Houston burn injury lawyer Hector Longoria has years of experience helping clients throughout Texas seek the justice that they deserve. If you are actively seeking attorney representation or merely want a consultation, contact our law firm today for support in your case. Start protecting your rights now.