Burns are very painful injuries and even a small burn or a scald can cause pain and discomfort for a long period of time. The more serious the burns then the more serious the injury. This may allow you to make a claim for compensation, especially if the accident that caused you to be burnt was not your fault.
Our specialist personal injury solicitors have over forty years of experience in dealing with burns and scalding injuries. They have helped our clients to obtain compensation they deserved as well as necessary treatment for their injury, sometimes not available on NHS. Contact our experts for Free Consultation
Approximately 130,000 people visit A&E departments each year suffering with burns. Some of these injuries include:
Burns are most commonly caused by heat, however, they can also be caused by intense cold and chemicals. Scalds are caused by hot liquids or steam. Burns are classified by severity, and include:
1st degree burns are primarily surface-level, affecting only the epidermis or skin. They are also known as superficial burns, and have a general healing time of 5-10 days on average
2nd degree burns extend deeper into the dermis level and are classified into two levels, either superficial partial thickness or deep partial thickness. These have a general healing time of less than 2-3 weeks, if they are superficial, or 3-8 weeks if they are deep.
3rd degree burns, also known as full thickness, extend through the entire dermis and take prolonged periods to heal, at least months, and are often incomplete in healing.
4th degree burns extend through the entire skin, and into underlying fat, muscle and bone. These often require excision to heal to a degree.
If you have been involved in an accident, caused by another’s negligence, which has resulted in scarring to any part of your body you may be entitled to compensation.
Scars on your face are obviously more visible and therefore attract more compensation. In order to recover compensation we would need to show that someone else is legally at fault or, perhaps partially at fault. To be in a position to value your claim our teams will:
In addition to the claim for scarring, we will review and advise you on compensation for the financial aspects that may be associated with the scarring. For example if the injury means you can no longer work.
Often scarring will occur as a result of other injuries, such as a serious leg injury or the bone has broken the skin, or from a burn.
Also, scarring to the forearms and de-gloving injuries can result in serious tendon damage which can affect the long-term use of the hand and therefore the ability to work.
It is important to take good quality colour photographs of the burns/scarring and keep dates as to when they were taken showing the progress of the healing.
Most workplace burns occur needlessly and could have been prevented if the correct procedures had been followed and the right protective equipment provided. Burns and scalds are relatively common injuries for those working in environments where extreme heat, machinery and chemicals are present.
They are all too common in professional/commercial kitchens and industrial plants.
Common causes of suffering burns or scalds at work:
If you have suffered burns or scalding at work make sure you seek immediate medical advice from your GP or a hospital. The accident should also be recorded in your company’s accident book immediately, or as soon after your injury as possible.
Our specialist personal injury solicitors have been representing people who have suffered workplace accidents over the last forty years and are experienced at dealing with negligent employers. Your employer has a duty to protect you. They are required by law to hold a valid Employers Liability insurance cover to protect you and your co-workers from workplace accidents.
When an employer has been found to have acted negligently, or is in breach of health and safety regulations, their insurer will be required to pay compensation.
As every injury is personal, the amount you can potentially claim for a burn or scalding injury will be personal to you. For personal and confidential advice call our specialist personal injury solicitors today on 0808 250 2129 and they will look into making a claim for you.
A claim must be brought (submitted to the court) within three years of the date you suffered an injury or three years of you being aware that you have suffered an injury. There is an exception for children under the age of 18 years who have until they reach their 21st birthday to submit their claim to court.
The majority of our cases are funded by way of a conditional fee agreement, more commonly known as a No Win No Fee agreement. This means there is no financial risk to you.
Our client was a railway worker who sustained serious injuries as a result of electrocution whilst at work. An unsafe system of work was established. Our Client suffered burns to his body and his face which left him with substantial scarring. He required numerous operations to revise the scarring to his face and upper body. There was also a claim for past loss of earnings, care and assistance and future losses relating to care and earnings.
