South Florida Personal Injury Blog

Burns are among the worst injuries the human body can receive, says Palm Beach personal injury attorney Andrew Alitowski. Even relatively minor burns can be extremely painful. Burns also have a tendency to leave particularly bad scar tissue behind, even after the burn has fully healed.

Burn injuries can be inflicted a number of different ways. West Palm Beach injury lawyer Alitowski says that many serious burn victims may have a cause of action against the individuals or the entity – such as a business or the government – that is responsible for their injuries in whole or in part. For example, if a neighbor carelessly sets fire to his home, causing yours to go up in flames late at night while you were asleep, you may be able to recover civil damages against the neighbor for his negligent behavior that led to your serious burns. Similarly, landlords who do not maintain their rental properties in compliance with the local building standards may have liability if you are injured as a result of a fire that started in one of their units. For example, if a landlord does not have smoke alarms properly installed, the tenants may not be alerted to the fire until it is tool ate. Similarly, the fire code has other restrictions regarding safe electrical wiring and other building procedures.

Burns can also occur from car accidents, says injury lawyer Alitowski. Unfortunately, motor vehicle accidents can cause explosions and fires under the right circumstances. In these cases, the person who caused the car accident and/or the manufacturer may be liable to you for damages related to your injuries, including lost wages, compensation for your expenses such as medical care, and pain and suffering. Famously, the Ford Pinto was built with a gas tank that exploded during some motor vehicle collisions. There are also other situations in which a manufacturer may be liable for damages caused by burns resulting from problems associated with their products. For example, kitchen appliances, such as wafflemakers, can malfunction if made incorrectly or defectively designed. The manufacturer of these types of products may be liable for to you for your injuries, including burn injuries.

Chemical burns can also cause serious, lifelong injuries, says Fort Lauderdale injury attorney Alitowski. These types of burns are most likely to happen from faulty products or at work. Chemical burns can occur from certain defective batteries or, for employees, during the manufacture of products containing harsh chemicals.