Burn and Scar Injuries

At the Rishwain Law Firm our attorneys realize that victims of burn or scar injuries are often left with physical and psychological scars, overwhelming medical bills and lost wages. When a burn or scar injury results from another’s negligence, the victim may be able to seek compensation for these and other losses. Insurance adjusters work hard to minimize compensation to burn or scar injury victims; therefore, it is important for victims to contact a skilled burn or scar injury attorney as soon as possible after an accident to determine whether they are owed compensation for their injuries.

• First Degree Burn damage is on the outer layer of the skin.
• Second Degree Burn damage is the outer layer and underneath.
• Third Degree Burn damage destroys the deepest layer of skin and tissues underneath.

Damage comes in all shapes and sizes

According to estimates from the American Burn Association, burn injuries affect millions of people in the United States. Many receive medical treatment for burn injuries each year, with tens of thousands of those people having to be hospitalized. The financial impact of these injuries can be devastating. Damage is not just physical scarring; it is also emotional and psychological scarring.

Many people only associate burn injuries with fire. There are many other serious ways that an individual can be injured by burns: smoke inhalation, explosion injuries, and scalding from hot boiling liquids, chemical burns, electrical burns and even excessive sun exposure. While flames can damage a person’s skin, sometimes causing irreparable damage that can result in the need for skin grafts, super-heated air can affect the lungs, singeing an individual’s airway and ultimately affecting a person’s respiratory system.

Negligence is the usual culprit

Negligent actions, whether on the part of an individual or a company, are often the cause of burn injuries.



Water heaters can be faulty and improperly installed. Heating water to temperatures greater than those recommended by the manufacturer can be dangerous and scalding injuries can occur. If a product poses an unwarranted risk of causing a fire, or, as in the case of a faulty water heater, improper function of the product can result in a greater risk to the consumer, then the manufacturer of that product can also be held responsible based on a product liability that results in personal injury.

While explosions may result in fire, thus causing burn injuries as a result, the fallout of an explosion can be more extensive, with heated shrapnel and other debris posing a serious risk of harm that can include burn injuries.

Burn injuries can be exacerbated by the fact that a building’s layout is not optimum in allowing for the safe evacuation of all occupants, children and disabled. Consequently, the owner of such a building can be held responsible based on physical premises liability, and could be legally required to compensate individuals that are injured as a result.

On a more individual basis, dangerous behavior, such as arson, can result in fire injuries, and any individuals that are deemed responsible for such behavior can be held liable for all damages associated with the dangerous behavior.