shreveport burn injury lawyers

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suffering from burn injuries in shreveport?

In seconds, serious burn injuries can cause irreversible harm. In fact, burns have been a leading cause of accidental injury and death in the U.S. for years, and up to 75% of burns are preventable (sources: American Burn Association, ABA & Stanford Medicine).

Whenever negligence causes preventable burn injuries, victims can depend on Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers for experienced help with their case and recovery. Tireless and highly skilled, our 5-star Shreveport burn injury lawyers know how to get justice when it matters most.

We have represented accident victims and families in several types of burn injury cases, achieving successful resolutions in even the most challenging claims. Whether you need answers about your rights or it’s time to move forward with a burn injury case, our Shreveport injury attorneys are here for you, ready to help.

Doctor's hands holding female hand with second degree burns on white background.

Injured patient showing doctor broken wrist and arm with bandage in hospital office or emergency room.

Woman holding hand with burn under flowing water indoors

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Our burn injury attorneys have recovered millions for the victims of negligence.

We are ready to make your claim and recovery our next victory.

Discover more about burn injury accidents, claims, and compensation with the following FAQs. Click on a link to jump directly to any section below.

What Are the Different Types of Burn Injuries?
What Accidents Cause Burn Injuries?
What NOT to Do After a Burn Injury
Do I Have a Burn Injury Case?

What Are the Different Types of Burn Injuries?

Burn injuries are categorized by type and degree. For different types of burns, the nature of the exposure that causes the injury defines what type of burns occurs. Specifically, types of burn injuries include:

Doctor putting broken leg of young man in plaster

Hand and wrist injury first aid medical bandage during body burn of a young woman in the hospital

Doctor covering patient's burn of hand with cotton pad indoors

Thermal Burns

Cold Burns

Electrical Burns

Chemical Burns

Radiation Burns

Friction Burns

Thermal Burns

Fires, extreme heat, and contact with hot items (like steam, liquids, or metals) can quickly elevate the skin’s temperature, destroying cells and tissues. The worst thermal burns can char or blacken the skin and damage the tissues, muscles, and bones below.

Cold Burns

The opposite of thermal burns, cold burns (frostbite) occur with exposure to extremely low temperatures. These burns can result in white, waxy skin, numbness, and blistering as the skin warms up again.

Electrical Burns

Contact with live currents can cause painful electrical burns. In addition to skin wounds, electrical burns can be associated with heart problems, dizziness, balancing difficulties, and other serious impairments.

Chemical Burns

Abrasive solvents and caustic chemicals can burn the skin, with external exposure, or damage the lungs if inhaled, causing internal burn-like injuries. While chemical burns can result in blistering and black skin, they can also cause breathing problems and permanent scarring when caustic substances are inhaled.

Radiation Burns

X-rays, ultraviolet rays, and medical treatments can expose people to radiation. Prolonged exposure can cause damaging burns, marked by redness, peeling, and blistering.

Friction Burns

The force created between the skin rubbing against a coarse surface can cause friction burns. These types of burn injuries, marked by inflammation and redness, can include road rash and rope burns, for example.

Burn Injury Classifications

Burns can be minor, moderate, or severe. While minor burns can often be treated at home with basic first aid, more serious burns can be medical emergencies. Here is a breakdown of how burn injuries are classified as first, second, third, or fourth degree, based on their severity.

First-Degree Burns

Severity Level: Mild
Characteristics:

Redness
Localized pain
Relatively minor skin damage

Second-Degree Burns

Severity Level: Moderate or Severe
Characteristics:

Significant tissue damage
Redness and swelling
Painful blistering

Third-Degree Burns

Severity Level: Severe
Characteristics:

Nerve damage
Numbness
Whitened or charred skin
Damage to the lower layers of skin

Fourth-Degree Burns

Severity Level: Very Severe
Characteristics:

Charred skin tissue
Damage to the lower layers of skin
Tissue, muscle, ligament, and/ bone damage

At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers,

we are proud to represent burn victims with mild to serious injuries, as well as families who have lost loved ones to fatal fires, deadly explosions, and other life-ending events. Our Shreveport burn injury lawyers understand that different cases come with unique circumstances and challenges, and we are highly effective at crafting strong burn injury cases to help victims win and recover.

Doctors are treating a patient by bandages.

What Accidents Cause Burn Injuries?

Burn injuries can result from fires, explosions, or dangerous exposures that can happen almost anywhere. Commonly, the incidents that cause serious burns involve:

Closeup of burnt cable with burnt electrical appliance

Defective consumer products and appliances

Anything from electric blankets to pressure cookers can malfunction, causing fires or exploding and causing serious burns. Notably, nearly 3 out of every 4 burn injuries occur at home (source: ABA). While some involve house fires resulting from resident negligence, far too many result from faulty products exploding or catching fire.

Construction workers carelessly connect wires causing unconscious electric shocks.

Workplace accidents

On-the-job burn injuries can occur with improper storage of volatile or caustic materials or with malfunctioning industrial equipment (like welders, torches, or ovens). Work settings are the second most common site of burn injuries, with about 8% of burns occurring in an occupational environment (source: ABA).

A semi truck burns out of control on the highway

Motor vehicle accidents

Car fires, explosions, and road rash can all cause serious burn injuries when vehicles collide. About 5% of all burn injuries occur on the roads, making motor vehicle accidents a leading cause of burns in the U.S. (source: ABA).

Fire and black smoke at an oil refinery after an explosion

Unsafe properties

Dangers, like exposed wiring, poorly maintained equipment, and improperly stored flammable substances, can create risks of burn injuries at any property you may visit. These unsafe premises can include grocery stores, retailers, doctors’ offices, schools, government buildings, and many other properties.

Please be aware

that these are not the only circumstances or forms of negligence that can contribute to serious burn injuries. Additionally, it may not be immediately clear how an accident and the resulting burn injuries occurred. There could also be multiple factors that played a role in causing the accident and TBI.

This is where a Shreveport burn injury lawyer can play a vital role,

investigating the incident, uncovering liability, and helping you understand and pursue the available legal remedies.

What NOT to Do After a Burn Injury

If you or a loved one suffers a serious burn, avoid doing the following things that could worsen an already serious injury:

Do NOT rub butter on the burn wound. This home remedy can actually trap heat in the skin, intensifying burns.
Do NOT remove any clothing or items melted onto the burn wound.
Do NOT leave on any restrictive items, like rings or belts. Burns immediately inflame the skin, and restrictive items can cause more damage when this happens.
Do NOT pop or burst blisters. This could elevate the risk of infections that comes with burn injuries.
Do NOT apply ice to the burn. This can cause nerve damage and, depending on the injury, frostbite. Run cold water over the injury instead.
Do NOT immerse or soak larger burns in water baths. This could drop the body’s temperature to dangerously low levels, potentially resulting in hypothermia.
Do NOT put off medical treatment for moderate to serious burns. It’s best to see a doctor ASAP.

It’s also important that you do not put off talking to a lawyer about your rights and a potential burn injury claim. Louisiana law limits the time you have to file a burn injury case. If you wait too long, your claim could expire, which may limit or shut down your options for recovering compensation.

Do I Have a Burn Injury Case?

You may have a burn injury case if another party’s negligence was the primary cause of the accident or event that caused your injuries—and if the one-year statute of limitations has not run out. The best way to get a clear answer here is to talk to a Shreveport burn injury lawyer. An attorney can review the details of your situation, evaluating each key detail and explaining the available legal options.

In general, four key elements form the basis of burn injury cases. These elements, which must exist for you to have a claim, include:

1

Duty of care
2

Breach of the duty of care
3

Injuries
4

Causation

Proving Duty of Care

First, you must prove that the person or party named as the defendant owed you a duty of care. That means they had a legal responsibility to act reasonably and take certain measures to prevent the fire or incident that caused the burn injury.

For example, a product manufacturer has a duty to create and distribute products that are reasonably safe for ordinary use. A property owner has a responsibility to ensure the premises are properly maintained and visitors are warned of any potential risks. Drivers on the roads have a duty of care to comply with traffic laws.

Establishing Breach

Second, you must prove that the defendant breached the duty of care. This can mean proving negligence, carelessness, or recklessness. Specifically, it can involve a distracted or intoxicated motorist, a defective product, or the dangers at a property where a fire or explosion occurred.

Proving Injury

Third, you need to establish that the negligence caused injury and harm. The truth is you won’t have a case if no injury occurred. Keep in mind, legally, “injury” refers to both physical and non-physical damages, meaning psychological trauma and emotional distress.

Establishing Causation

Lastly, you will need to prove that your injuries were caused by the defendant’s conduct. This can mean establishing the connection between the defendant’s negligence, the causes of the accident, and how the burn injuries were sustained.

Talk to a Shreveport Burn Injury Lawyer for More Answers

After a burn injury, what you do or don’t do can make a big difference in your ability to recover. When you want honest answers about your legal options and fierce advocacy for your case, it’s time to contact a 5-star Shreveport burn injury lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers.

We are backed by decades of experience, an outstanding reputation, and a record of securing the maximum available compensation. Plus, we bring exceptional knowledge, compassion, and dedication to every burn injury case we take on. Find out why we are some of the best burn injury lawyers in Shreveport, LA—and what we can do to help you—by contacting us today.

shreveport burn injury lawyers