Burn injuries can cause severe damage to the body and intense emotional distress. Burns do not affect just the skin, but also a person’s respiratory passages, lungs, mouth, and esophagus. The healing process can stress every system in the body.
Recovering from severe burn injuries is a slow and painful process that may require extended time in the hospital and multiple surgeries or procedures over the course of many years. In certain rare cases, a person could lose the functions of the afflicted body part. Fortunately, a seasoned Sandusky burn injury lawyer could help you recover compensation to pay for all of your damages.
Contacting a dedicated catastrophic injury attorney could put you on the path to filing a claim and holding the negligent parties accountable for your accident.
Consider Options for Legal Action Early
The law does not allow injured people much time to sue for personal injuries. The statute of limitations in Ohio Revised Code §2305.10 says that a plaintiff suing for damages for personal injuries due to negligence must bring a lawsuit within two years of the accident.
If the burns are a result of alleged medical malpractice—for example, from a botched laser surgery or improperly applied radiation treatment—the time limit is just one year from receiving or discovering the injury.
An advantage of working with a Sandusky severe burns attorney soon after an accident is that the claimant can focus on recovery and moving forward with life. Meanwhile, the attorney could concentrate on gathering evidence and handling negotiations with insurance companies.
Seeking Economic Damages
Economic damages are fixed costs that are easy to prove or to estimate. Economic damages might include:
- Lost earnings, including vacation or sick time during recovery, as well as lost earnings from family members who cared for the injured person
- Reduced future earnings if the person is unable to continue their current employment or will lose employment opportunities because of their injury
- Medical expenses, past and future, including copayments, unreimbursed drugs or medical equipment, physical therapy, or occupational therapy
- Costs of treating the psychological effects of the injury and its aftermath
- Expenses associated with modifying a home or vehicle for the benefit of the injured person
A local lawyer could help a family calculate the true costs of a loved one’s burn injuries and work to win damages from the at-fault party that adequately covers the costs.
Recovering Non-Economic Damages
Those who suffered severe burns might also seek non-economic damages. These are monetary awards for the effects of the burns that are subjective and not easy to calculate, such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. Loved ones may seek non-economic damages for loss of companionship and loss of consortium. An empathetic attorney could suggest appropriate grounds for claiming non-economic damages in a particular case.
Damage Caps
Ohio law limits non-economic damages to a maximum of $350,000 per plaintiff and $500,000 per incident. However, these limits rise to $500,000 per plaintiff and $1,000,000 per occurrence if the injuries were deemed catastrophic, meaning they resulted in permanent physical deformity, loss of a limb, lost functioning of an organ system, or permanent inability to care for oneself.
Allow a Sandusky Burn Injury Attorney to Review Your Case
In the months after a serious burn there will be many decisions to make. It is important to have a reasonable expectation about whether you can expect a financial settlement that will help your family make realistic plans for the future.
A knowledgeable attorney from Tittle & Perlmuter could advise you about your legal options and your best path forward. If you or a loved one has recently suffered a burn injury, contact a Sandusky burn injury lawyer today for a no-cost consultation.
