Orlando Burn Injury Lawyers

Did you suffer burn injuries in a preventable house fire, vehicle accident, or another dangerous incident in Orlando, Florida? A serious burn injury can happen in an instant and change your life forever. The medical costs, wage losses, and other unexpected expenses that accompany many burn injuries add up quickly and are often financially devastating. Orlando burn victims have the right to demand monetary compensation from responsible parties when they get hurt due to other people’s bad behavior.

The Orlando burn injury lawyers at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., provide high-quality legal services to injury victims and their families throughout the area. If you sustained burns in a fire, explosion, or work accident that wasn’t your fault, we’re here to help you seek justice, accountability, and a fair recovery. When you’re ready to discuss the details of your burn injury claim, contact us for your free initial case review.

Why Choose Michael T. Gibson, P.A.?

Attorney Michael T. Gibson, P.A., and his team of talented legal professionals have years of experience serving injury victims in Orlando. We believe that if you get hurt due to someone else’s bad behavior, you deserve fair compensation for your losses and the effective representation necessary to get it.

We take a client-first approach to every case we handle. When you come to us after an unexpected burn injury, we’ll take the time to listen closely to your story and understand your needs. That way, we can handle every aspect of your case with your best interests in mind and develop smart legal strategies on your behalf.

Due to our firm’s tireless work ethic and particular focus on the people we represent, we have won numerous awards and widespread recognition in our community. We also have a strong track record of successful case results to back up our reputation. When insurance companies see that we’re handling a case, they know better than to try taking advantage of our clients.

You have better things to do than stress over legal filing requirements or administrative deadlines in the aftermath of an unexpected burn injury. Let the team at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., take on the time-consuming and complicated elements of your claim while you focus on healing and moving forward.

Don’t hesitate to contact us when you are ready to discuss the details of your burn injury case. Our compassionate team is available to speak with you 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide free initial case reviews in English and Spanish with no strings attached. You can also visit our Baldwin Park office during business hours to chat with us in person.

Compensation for Preventable Burn Injuries

The value of your Orlando burn injury claim will vary depending on the severity of your burns, your ability to work after you sustain the burn injuries, and numerous other factors.

With a trusted attorney on your side, you can file a strong claim seeking compensation for burn-related losses, such as:

• The costs of any medical care you need to treat your burn injuries
• Projected costs of burn-related medical care you will need in the future
• Incidental costs, such as the costs of traveling to medical appointments
• The value of wage losses you incur while you are too hurt to work
• Projected losses in earning potential due to permanent impairments
• Subjective losses, such as pain and suffering you feel due to the burns

The costs of any medical care you require after a burn injury typically make up the largest portion of a burn injury claim. From emergency room visits to skin grafts to possible surgeries, these healthcare expenses can add up quickly. That’s why it’s so important to work with an experienced burn injury lawyer like Michael T. Gibson, P.A., who can identify all your compensable losses and demand the recovery you deserve.

Orlando Burn Injury Facts and Statistics

According to a recent article from Nature Reviews Disease Primers:

• Burn injuries are widespread in the U.S., especially among young children under 16 and working-age adults between 20 and 59.
• Childhood burn injuries are equally common among American boys and girls, but as men age, they sustain twice as many burn injuries as women.
• About 41 percent of burn injuries in the U.S. are flame burns. The next-most common burn injuries are scald burns. Another 3.5 percent are chemical burns, and 3.6 percent are electrical burns.

Unintentional fires and burn injuries occur all too often in Orlando and throughout the Sunshine State. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services points out that nearly half of our state is home to forested land at risk for wildfires.

And as our state’s population continues to grow and sprawl, more homes and businesses are popping up along vulnerable wildland-urban borders. Florida is also the lightning capital of the U.S., and many local wildfires occur when lightning hits dry, hot surfaces.

State-specific data from the U.S. Fire Administration reveals:

• In one recent year, Florida fire departments reported 335 fire incidents statewide.
• That year, there were 2.1 deaths for every 1,000 fires in the state, on par with the national average of 2.3 deaths per 1,000 fires.
• There were also 10.5 injuries for every 1,000 Florida fires that year, over 30 percent more than the national average of 7.9 injuries per 1,000 fires.

If you know or suspect you have grounds for a burn injury claim after an unintentional fire incident in Florida, there are a couple of state laws you should know.

First, there’s our state’s comparative negligence doctrine, which could apply if someone else claims you are partially at fault for your burn injuries.

You should also know about Florida’s personal injury statute of limitations, which applies to nearly all injury claims. This law gives you only four years from the date when you sustained your burn injuries to sue an at-fault party. But depending on the circumstances, you could have the right to extend the usual deadline, or you might have even less time to file than usual.

The best way to determine which laws apply to your situation and how to proceed with your case is to speak with a knowledgeable burn injury lawyer. The attentive legal team at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., can evaluate your case for free during an initial consultation, so don’t hesitate about lawyer consultation costs contact us now.

Types and Degrees of Burn Injuries in Orlando

Burns range from mild surface wounds to severe, life-changing injuries.

Physicians classify burn injuries into degrees to differentiate them by relative severity. They also categorize burn injuries based on the source of the burns.

Common types of burn injuries that occur in Orlando include:

• Thermal burns from exposure to extreme temperatures
• Flame burns from open fires or accidental explosions
• Scald burns from exposure to hot steam or liquids
• Inhalation injuries from breathing in hot air, ash, or smoke
• Friction burns, such as road rash and carpet burns
• Chemical burns from exposure to caustic substances
• Electricity burns from contact with open electrical circuits
• Radiation burns from exposure to sources of radiation

Burn Injury Severity

The severity of a burn injury is determined by how deep it penetrates the surface of the skin. Burn injuries are generally classified into three categories:

First-degree Burns

First-degree burns are superficial burns that affect only the epidermis (the top layer of the skin). The burn injury is red, painful, and dry but has no blistering.

Second-degree Burns

Second-degree(or partial thickness) burns damage the first layers of skin, the epidermis and the dermis. Second-degree burns often do cause blistering and may require skin grafts if the injury is deep enough.

Third-degree Burns

Third-degree(full thickness) burns destroy the first two layers of the skin and may also cause damage to underlying nerves, bones, and muscles. Third-degree burns commonly require skin grafts and long-term use of compression garments to reduce scarring.

Filing Insurance Claims for Burn Injuries

When you sustain burn injuries in Orlando due to someone else’s careless, unlawful, or intentionally harmful actions, you have the right to file a personal injury claim against them. In many cases, you’ll begin your case by demanding compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance provider. You could also have grounds for an insurance claim with your employer’s workers’ comp provider if you suffer burn injuries at work.

Any time you file an insurance claim, even if it’s with your own provider, you must submit evidence supporting your demand for compensation.

Common types of evidence you might use in an Orlando burn injury claim include:

• Photos of the area where your burn injuries occurred
• Photos of your burn injuries as they heal over time
• Entries from a “pain journal” documenting your recovery
• The clothes you had on when you sustained the burns
• Medical records of your burn diagnosis and treatments
• Hospital bills and other proof of burn-related expenses
• Statements from eyewitnesses who saw you get hurt
• Testimony from firefighters and medical professionals
• Fire incident reports and other reports of your injuries
• Records of previous fire incidents in a given building
• Past fire safety inspection results for a given building

You can find some of these types of evidence on your own, but for others, you will likely need help from a knowledgeable lawyer. The Orlando legal team at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., is ready to help you obtain hard-to-find evidence and support your burn injury insurance claim in many other ways.

We could help by:

• Conducting an independent investigation into the causes of your burn injuries
• Communicating with insurance companies and other parties on your behalf
• Interviewing eyewitnesses and medical experts for compelling case testimony
• Managing important case documents, details, and deadlines on your behalf
• Filing claim paperwork and negotiating aggressively to maximize your settlement
• Taking your case to court and representing you at trial, if the other side won’t pay

What to Do if You Suffer Preventable Burn Injuries

Seeking medical attention and contacting a trusted personal injury lawyer are two of the most important steps you can take after a burn injury to protect your health and legal rights.

You can also lay a solid foundation for your injury claim if you:

• Follow the care plan your doctor prescribes for your burn injuries.
• Record your healing journey every day in a “pain journal.”
• Collect case evidence, such as photos and witness statements.
• Get copies of key documents, like medical bills and proof of lost wages.
• Watch what you say to other parties before you speak with a lawyer.
• Avoid sharing messages or photos online while your claim is pending.
• Bring your case and all relevant information to an attorney right away.

Seeking Compensation for Orlando Burn Injuries

Victims of burns in Orlando deserve compensation when their injuries resulted from someone else’s careless, reckless, or intentionally harmful actions. Below we summarize who may owe victims legal liability, and the types of compensation that burn victims may seek through legal action.

Legal Liability for Orlando Burn Injuries

Florida law protects Orlando residents, visitors, and workers from harm caused by the wrongful actions of others. Generally speaking, an individual, business, organization, or government entity in Orlando will face legal liability for damages to any person harmed by that party’s unreasonably dangerous decisions or actions. That principle serves as the basis for personal injury law, which is an area of legal practice that focuses on holding parties accountable for wrongful actions that hurt others.

As described above, people can suffer severe burns in Orlando through a wide variety of circumstances—far too many to list here.

Instead, here are a few examples of the parties who may owe money damages to Orlando burn victims:

• Motorists may face legal liability for burns inflicted in an auto accident caused by their careless or reckless actions behind the wheel.
• Property owners and their contractors may owe damages to victims of building fires on the at-fault party’s property, if those owners failed to implement or maintain proper fire safety systems to keep visitors and residents on the property safe from harm.
• Manufacturers of a wide range of consumer and industrial products could owe compensation to people who suffer burns while using their products, if those products posed an unreasonably dangerous risk of causing a burn, even when used as intended.
• Medical providers will face legal liability to patients who suffer burns in connection with receiving radiation treatment, if the providers fail to administer that treatment according to minimum medical standards of care.
• Utilities may owe money damages to members of the public that sustain injuries because of the faulty installation or maintenance of electrical lines.

These are just a few of many examples of parties who could owe legal liability to victims of Orlando burn injuries. To learn who may have a legal liability to you for a severe burn that you or a loved one suffered, contact Michael T. Gibson, P.A., Auto Justice Attorney, and his team today.

Compensation for Orlando Burn Injuries

Orlando burn victims who have legal rights against a party for causing burn injuries can typically seek compensation for a wide variety of expenses and losses. Every case differs, of course, so the types and amounts of damages that a victim can reasonably hope to recover will vary.

However, in general, a legal action seeking damages for an Orlando burn injury may secure compensation to pay for:

• Medical costs associated with treating a burn injury and its long-term complications, including emergency care, hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, follow-up care, and medication.
• Other costs the victim has as a result of the burn injury, such as the expense of modifying a home to accommodate a burn-related disability, or of hiring help with everyday tasks while healing from a burn injury.
• Lost wages, both past and future, due to missing work while healing from a burn injury, and to any inability to return to work because of a disability caused by the burn injury.
• Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life and relationships caused by the burn injury, especially the psychological trauma of enduring the burn injury and living with disfiguring scars.
• In some cases, punitive damages, which are intended to punish and deter especially outrageous or reckless conduct that led to the burn injury.

Burn Injury FAQs

Here are some of our most frequently asked questions about burn injury claims:

What Happens if I Was Burned at a Friend’s Home?

If you suffer burn injuries at a friend’s or family member’s home, you might hesitate to file a claim against them. But know that the property owner is unlikely to pay anything out of pocket. You should have grounds for a claim against their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, so there’s no need to worry about bankrupting someone close to you.

Can I File an Insurance Claim or Personal Injury Lawsuit Without an Attorney?

You could, but unless you know without a doubt that you can get full coverage for your claim, it is unwise to do so. An experienced attorney will know how to estimate an appropriate value for your claim, adhere to the relevant filing requirements, and demand fair consideration from the insurance company. And if an insurer won’t pay, your attorney can help you take them to court using the casework they have produced from the beginning of your claim.

How Long Will My Burn Injury Case Take?

It depends. If you suffered first- or second-degree burns and your injury claim is relatively uncomplicated, you could nail down a settlement within days or weeks. Claims involving more severe burns and higher dollar amounts could take months or longer. Regardless, a good lawyer will tell you that it’s better to wait for an offer that meets your needs than to accept quick cash in a lowball settlement.

Contact Our Burn Accident Injury Lawyers in Orlando

If you have questions or wish to discuss your burn injury case with a seasoned personal injury attorney, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Orlando legal team at Michael T. Gibson, P.A., at (407) 490-1271. We can evaluate your situation and provide the answers you need when you contact our firm for your free initial consultation session.

Michael T. Gibson, P.A., Auto Justice Attorney
2420 S. Lakemont Avenue
Suite 150
Orlando, FL 32814
Phone: 407-422-4529