Burn Injury Lawyers in Kansas City, MO, Turning the Heat Up on Negligent Parties

Most people are surprised to learn just how many burn injury accidents occur every day in America. On average, one person dies in a fire every 2.5 hours. This astounding statistic doesn’t even include the number of non-fatal burn injuries in the country—which stands at more than 1 million each year. Such incidents far too often lead to wrongful death, but even when victims survive, they frequently require hospitalization and ongoing medical treatments. Regardless of your specific circumstances, these events can lead to pain and suffering, disfigurement, lost wages, high medical bills, and more. This is why you need a burn injury lawyer in Kansas City, MO, on your side.

At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, we understand the detrimental effect that burn injuries can have on victims. We’ve seen burn victims given the run around by insurance companies, and we frequently witness those who deserve maximum compensation receive pennies on the dollar because they didn’t have representation. Burn injury victims can sustain harm in fires, from heat sources, or even from other causes like chemical exposure. The cause of these incidents matters less, however than holding liable parties accountable for their actions. We can help you do this. Contact Mohlman Gurney Injury Law for a free consultation today.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries

According to the American Burn Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, burns continue to be one of the leading causes of “unintentional death and injury” throughout the United States. Fire, hot objects, radiation, chemicals, electrical currents, and even steam can lead to severe burn injuries. Unfortunately, these hazards exist in various aspects of our daily lives. You could literally become a burn injury victim while simply driving to work one day. The following are among the most common causes of burn injuries:

Automobile fires
Gas explosions
Defective products (e.g., malfunctioning tanning beds)
Building fires
Airbag deployment in car accidents
Accidental spills at work
Improper maintenance by a property owner
Lack of warning for hot beverages
Exposed machinery (e.g., boat engines)

If you’ve been involved in any of the aforementioned incidents—or the many others that can cause burns—you may have a valid burn injury claim. Even if you think negligence wasn’t involved or you were partially at fault for your injury, Missouri liability laws provide protections that may still entitle you to compensation. Don’t make any legal assumptions on your own. Contact Mohlman Gurney Injury Law today. Since we offer free initial consultations, you can secure professional legal advice and gain a better understanding of your situation—all without spending a dime.

Do you Qualify for a Personal Injury Claim?

Many burn injuries are the result of car accidents. A serious truck or car accident can cause an explosion or a vehicle fire—often severely burning the occupants of the vehicles. In these instances—and any other resulting burn injuries—it is important to seek medical care immediately. Our Kansas City burns injury lawyers will be able to piece together the facts of your accident at a later date. Regardless of the way the burn injuries were sustained, a victim is entitled to bring a claim for damages against the responsible party.

Missouri follows the comparative negligence standard of care in pursuing damages for accidents. This is discussed further in the next section, but it essentially means that accident victims need to show that they were not fully at fault for their injuries. A claim for damages will take into account the extent of the victim’s injuries and how those harms have affected their day-to-day life. In severe burn injuries, the victim is often unable to immediately return to work—if they are ever even able to continue their career. Therefore, a claim for damages will not only include medical expenses but also lost wages and future earnings.

Who’s the At-Fault Party in Burn Injuries?

For burn injury victims to receive full and fair compensation, it’s necessary to identify who’s liable for their injuries. In some cases, liability may seem fairly clear. For instance, imagine that a business owner leaves an industrial-strength corrosive cleaner out in the open, where it could easily be knocked over. If a customer accidentally tips over the cleaner and it burns their exposed skin, Missouri premises liability laws would likely hold them responsible. Of course, not every situation is the same. Separate laws dealing with personal injury could affect your case, and in some situations, there may be at-fault parties you don’t even know about.

Fortunately, a personal injury attorney can help identify every potential at-fault party for your injury. While you may think a drunk driver is fully to blame for a car accident that resulted in burn injuries, the bar that overserved them alcohol may also face liability. This is just one example showing the complexity of Missouri statutes that could affect a personal injury lawsuit. Of course, there may also be instances where you contributed to your accident as well. Does such a situation mean you’re barred from trying to recover compensation for injuries, future medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages? Not in Missouri.

That’s because “The Show-Me State” follows comparative negligence rules. This means that—even if burn injury victims contributed to an incident in some way—they can still recover compensation. Courts will merely judge the percentage of fault that the victim holds and then reduce their award by that amount. For instance, imagine a situation where a speeding motorist sustains burn injuries after a drunk driver runs a red light and hits them. A jury may decide that the victim was 10% at fault for the crash since they were speeding. If the jury hands down a $2 million award, it would be reduced by 10% (i.e., $200,000), and the victim would still receive $1.8 million.

Do I Need an Attorney for Personal Injury Cases?

The complexities regarding liability discussed above are a good example of why contacting a Kansas City burn injury attorney may be in your best interest. Of course, you’re not legally required to do so. If you decide to move forward with a personal injury case after sustaining serious burns, you can negotiate a settlement with the insurance company on your own. You can also file litigation in court if you think the insurer’s offer is unfair. By taking this route, though, you’re only hurting your case. That’s because statistics prove that injury victims represented by lawyers receive higher compensation on average.

This makes perfect sense on the surface. Personal injury lawyers have experience dealing with insurance companies, so they’re not going to fall for the industry’s common tactics. Additionally, an insurance adjuster is far more likely to offer a fair settlement from the start if you have legal representation. It’s also important for you to have an attorney on your side if your case goes to court—otherwise, you’ll be sitting all alone across the aisle from experienced insurance company lawyers. Perhaps the most important reason to work with a law firm, however, is that your attorney can handle your case while you focus on healing.

Contact our Burn Injury Lawyers in Kansas City, MO, Today

Anyone who has experienced a burn injury—even one that’s relatively minor—knows that such injuries can hinder even the most basic activities. It’s hard to achieve anything when you’re in constant pain, and for those who were victims of severe burns, it may be difficult to return to any semblance of normalcy after an accident. If you find yourself in such a situation, though, you don’t have to face it on your own. With a Kansas City personal injury attorney on your side, it’s possible to secure financial recovery in court to compensate you for your injuries. In some cases, a settlement may be able to be reached without ever going to trial.

At Mohlman Gurney Injury Law, our personal injury attorneys work tirelessly to ensure our clients receive fair compensation. We can help identify every at-fault party, investigate circumstances surrounding the incident, deal with settlement negotiations, and advocate for your rights in front of a judge. Maybe you’re facing the possibility of permanent scarring. Perhaps you endured emotional distress so severe that you’ll live with post-traumatic stress disorder for years to come. Then again, maybe your injury only kept you out of work for a few months. Regardless of the specific circumstances of your case, you deserve justice.

Contact us at Mohlman Gurney Injury Law today by calling (816) 648-6000 and schedule a free consultation. Our team of burn injury lawyers in Kansas City, MO, will work diligently to ensure you recover compensation that can help you move on with your life.