Burn injuries are extremely painful, severe, and often require extensive medical attention, depending on the severity. While many may believe these injuries are rare, the American Burn Association reports that every 2 hours and 41 minutes, one civilian dies in a fire-related accident in the United States. When a burn injury requires extensive medical treatment and forces you to undergo surgeries, experience disfigurement, and take time off work, the losses you suffer may place a heavy burden on your shoulders. In these cases, taking action fast and pursuing a burn injury claim is vital to hold the responsible party accountable for their actions.
With over 20 years of experience fighting on behalf of San Diego clients, Attorney Pajman Jassim and Attorney Parisima Jassim of Jassim Law are prepared to do whatever it takes to recover the compensation you deserve. We have built a stellar reputation on our commitment to clients, honest guidance, and expertise. By taking on powerful entities that failed to prioritize safety, we work to make our communities safer and provide clients with the best possible outcome for their losses.
Does the Type of Burn You Sustain Impact Your Injury Claim?
When Jassim Law evaluates your damages and the potential recoverable compensation, the severity of your injury and the level of treatment required will impact your injury claim. For example, while a first-degree burn may only require ointment, a third-degree burn requires extensive medical treatment and sometimes skin grafts resulting in disfigurement and physical impairment.
Our Jassim Law team will consider the severity of your burn injury and how it impacts your physical, emotional, and financial harms and losses. To best prove the severity of your injuries, our San Diego burn injury attorneys will make sure you have received the best possible medical care, and we will work with your medical treaters to prove the nature and extent of your injuries, harms, and losses to the insurance companies and, ultimately, a jury.
How to Establish the Serious and Severe Nature of Your Burn Injury
Medical records are the primary way to establish the severity and extent of your injury. Additionally, we use medical illustrations, expert testimony, and even testimony of your friends, family, and social networks to prove all the harms and losses you’ve experienced. Effectively, this type of “evidence” demonstrates the severity of the harm and, most importantly, how these injuries have impacted your life in every way. Some of the documentation our San Diego burn injury lawyers will collect include the following:
Medical Records
Medical records, expenses, receipts, and bills provide a detailed breakdown of the treatment you received and the cost of each. Medical records are vital to establishing the nature of your injuries. From there, we work with your medical providers and experts to learn and explain why your injury is serious and life-altering. We create detailed medical illustrations and summaries to effectively educate the insurance companies and, ultimately, the jury about why you require serious compensation for your serious injury.
Below are a few examples of some of the recoverable damages you may recover:
- Past and future physical pain
- Mental suffering damages
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
- Anxiety and Grief
- Physical Impairment
- Disfigurement and Humiliation
- Inconvenience Damages
- Emotional Distress
- Loss of Consortium (damages to the spouse of the injured person)
- Wrongful Death Damages
- Past and Future Medical Expenses, Treatment, and Care costs
- Lost income and lost future earnings
Photos and Video of Your Injuries
While it may seem excessive or displeasing, taking pictures and videos of your injuries is extremely valuable in a burn injury claim. Photographs will provide visual information about your injuries that may illustrate the extent of the harm you suffered. Another valuable asset is taking pictures of your healing process, which may further demonstrate the existence of your injuries and how you are actively attending therapy and rehabilitation.
Video can show how your daily life and activities have been impacted. Videos tell the story of what you must endure in your daily life to perform the basic activities you once performed with ease and which are now difficult and painful.
Injury Journal
While pictures and medical records are great ways to demonstrate the severity of your injuries and financial losses with concrete evidence, they do not encapsulate the harm your injuries have on your mental and emotional state. A confidential Injury Journal prepared for your attorney can explain how these injuries impact you emotionally throughout your recovery. Take note of the following in your writing:
- Your emotional state
- Your current treatments
- Your daily symptoms
- Tasks that you need help with or that you cannot perform
- Accommodations that you need to go about your daily life
- Your scheduled appointments
- Record the medications you are taking, whether they help or not
Non-economic damages are all the damages you’ve suffered other than “economic” losses. For example, these are typically referred to as “pain and suffering,” although they encompass so much more. We refer to “non-economic” damages as the loss of human assets – the things that make our lives worth living. Jassim Law understands the emotional challenges and losses you face and will ensure they are properly conveyed in your claim. We do not evaluate your losses based solely on medical bills, which are negligible when compared to the loss of human assets. We know your injuries are much more than a medical bill.
Who Is Responsible for My Burn Injury?
A focal point of an injury claim is holding the person at fault accountable for their negligence and carelessness. While every accident is unique and requires a thorough analysis to determine who is liable, the following are a few examples of common parties responsible for burn injuries:
- Manufacturers and retailers of products
- Negligent employers and employees
- Government agencies
- Building or property owners
- General contractors on a construction site
- Any individual or entity who acted negligently in any capacity, causing a burn injury
Burn injury accident claims are unique in that they are often severe, permanent injuries that significantly impact your life, emotional state, and health. We do not take a “one size fits all” approach to all injury matters. We focus on proving why your injury deserves full and fair compensation for all the unique harms and losses you and your loved ones experienced.
Find Client-Oriented, Experienced Attorneys at Jassim Law Today
Whether you’re going up against large corporations, product manufacturers, retailers, or government agencies, the Jassim Law team of San Diego personal injury lawyers has the experience and assertiveness to fight on your behalf. We are devoted to our clients and are prepared to do whatever it takes to recover the best possible outcome for your claim. With a proven record of success and a reputation for protecting clients, we have the tools necessary for your burn injury claim.
Schedule a free consultation with our San Diego burn injury lawyers today to learn more about our process and your legal options. You can reach us by completing our contact form or calling (619) 613-2811. Don’t worry about traveling. Our San Diego burn injury attorneys know you are injured and offer video, Zoom, and telephone consultations.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY:
Pajman and Parisima Jassim
October 14, 2024
