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Are You a Victim of Burn Injuries?

Houston Burn Injury Lawyers

Burn injury photo by Nava Law Group
Throughout the United States, burn injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of unintentional death and injury. Burn injuries are some of the most painful injuries an accident victim can endure and require an extensive amount of time to heal.

Even when the healing process nears completion, many burn injury survivors will sustain serious scarring, life-long physical disabilities, and adjustment difficulties that require expensive and traumatic ongoing care.

At the Nava Law Group, P.C., our Houston, Texas burn injury attorney focus on pursuing the financial recovery our clients need to not only heal but adjust to life as a burn survivor who has full access to a committed care plan that provides the confidence they need to move forward.

You are more than your injuries, and our Houston personal injury attorneys want to help you regain the quality of life you deserve.

How Common Are Burn Injuries Throughout The United States?

Accordingly to the Centers for Disease Control, burns and fires are the fourth most common cause of accident deaths in the United States.

Throughout the country, fires account for:

  • Nearly 4,500 adult and child deaths each year
  • One burn injury victim every 23 minutes
  • One burn injury death every two hours
  • Over one million burn injuries require medical attention annually
  • Approximately 50,000 burn injuries require hospitalization each year
  • 20,000 major burns involving at least 25% of their total body surface yearly
  • Up to 10,000 deaths caused by burn-related infections annually

At the Nava Law Group, P.C., our Harris County, and Houston burn injury lawyers want to help you hold the negligent party who caused your accident responsible for your medical care, ongoing treatment, lost wages, and permanent damages.

What Are The Most Common Causes of Houston Burn Injuries?

Mass trauma and disasters such as explosions and fires can cause a variety of serious injuries, including burns.

Houston, Texas is heavily reliant on the petroleum extraction, production, processing, and transport industries which can lead to thermal burns, chemical burns, and electrical burns that cause severe and life-changing injuries, and even death.

There is no limit to the types of accidents that can lead to an explosion or fire when negligence is involved, including burn injuries that occur in the workplace. If you have suffered a burn injury, our Houston burn injury lawyers can help you pursue the negligent party for the complete costs associated with your accident, so you get the care you need to move forward.

How Are Burn Injuries Different than Other Accident Injuries?

Burn injuries, no matter where they occur, are often catastrophic because they affect the skin.

The skin is the largest organ of the body and is made up of several layers, with each layer having specific functions.

In addition to serving as a protective shield against heat, light, injury, and infection, the skin also:

  • Is a sensory organ that indicates when there is a feeling of pain or enjoyment
  • Prevents entry of bacteria into the body
  • Prevents water loss to decrease the risk of dehydration
  • Regulates body temperature
  • Stores water and fat

Within and beneath the skin, there are important vessels, glands, and nerves that are integral to the body’s overall health.

They include:

  • Blood vessels
  • Collagen bundles
  • Fibroblasts
  • Hair follicles
  • Lymph vessels
  • Nerves
  • Sweat glands

When an individual sustains a burn injury, it impacts more than just the skin, but the important functions that lie beneath, which can cause significant and permanent damage.

Unfortunately, that is why physicians say when individual sustaining burns is labeled as a burn patient, he or she maintains that title for life, as he or she is scarred going forward.

When someone suffers severe burns, they may be left with a loss of certain physical abilities. That may include the loss of limb(s), loss of mobility, disfigurement, scarring, and recurrent infections because the burned skin has decreased ability to fight infection.

In addition, severe burns can penetrate deep skin layers, causing muscle or tissue damage that may affect every system of the body.

What’s more, compared to other traumatic wounds, the signs of burn injuries are more obvious, and symptoms of itching and pain are severe enough to hamper any burn victim’s daily routine.

If you or someone you love has suffered burn injuries, the road to recovery is going to be more than long and arduous. It is going to be costly. You should not have to pay for these extensive costs out of pocket. We can help. Contact our skilled burn injury attorneys in Houston today to learn more about your legal rights and options to pursue the liable party for your full financial recovery.

What Are The Costs Associated With Burn Injuries In Houston?

According to the American Burn Association, approximately 96% of those treated in burn centers will survive.

Unfortunately, burn survivors face a long-term, costly recovery process that can include the following expenses:

  • Extended medical care, including skin grafting procedures
  • Rehabilitation and therapy
  • Long-term medical device and prescription costs
  • Lost wages and diminished work capacity
  • Loss of mobility
  • Disfigurement and scarring
  • Temporary or permanent disabilities
  • Short or long-term disabilities

The sheer nature of a fire or explosion can cause permanent physical, emotional, and psychological trauma that our clients must live with long after their injuries have healed on the surface.

At the Nava Law Group, P.C., our Houston burn injury attorneys know that no amount of money can return trauma victims to their previous life, especially when they have suffered permanent damage. But pursuing the best financial recovery available for your burn injuries will allow you to seek the best treatment options available, so you can make informed decisions about your future. Let us help get you there faster.

The Emotional Impact of Burn Injuries

Outside of the pain and suffering burn victims endure in medical treatment, patients often require long-term treatment in the form of pressure garments, silicone gel sheets, and massage to relieve them of their symptoms.

This means ongoing rehabilitation and physiotherapy are essential to their recovery.

As burn injury patients continue to receive care — long after the burns have healed on the surface — the emotional scars remain. Often labeled postburn psychosis, this well-known trauma leaves burn patients scarred not only physically but also mentally.

Burn victims are at risk for increased emotional problems, including depression, nightmares, or flashbacks from the traumatizing event.

The reality is, when someone suffers scarring from severe burns, their personal and social lives are negatively impacted going forward. This often leads to isolation and loneliness that impacts their future in nearly every way.

This requires significant counseling, therapy, and support from professionals, friends, and family members who can provide encouragement to help increase the burn victim’s overall quality of life.

At the Nava Law Group, our skilled Houston burn injury lawyers understand the overall impact of each of our client’s injuries – including the physical, emotional, and financial fallout. We can help build your personal injury case, so no detail is left to chance, giving you the legal support you need to pursue real results.

Texas Burn Injury Victims Deserve a Team of Medical and Emotional Professionals to Help Get Their Lives Back

Severe burn injuries impact many functions and systems of the body, which makes the need for rehabilitation even more crucial.

Since patients are often treated in specialized burn units or stand-alone burn centers, which are designed solely for the rehabilitation of burn patients, they include specialized services provided by teams of medical professionals.

They may include:

  • Case Managers
  • Dietitians
  • Infectious Disease Specialists
  • Internists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Orthopedic Surgeons
  • Physiatrists
  • Physical Therapists
  • Plastic Surgeons
  • Psychologists/Psychiatrists
  • Recreation Therapists
  • Rehabilitation Nurses Who Specialize In Burn Care
  • Respiratory Therapists
  • Social Workers
  • Vocational Counselors

This specialized care requires financial recovery options that may not be necessary for other accident and injury victims, which makes involving a skilled burn injury attorney in Houston even more important.

If you have been burned in an accident in Texas, you deserve access to a team of professionals that can help you get your life back. We want to be part of that team. Contact us today to learn how we can take the lead in your burn injury case.

How Can Help Our Law Firm Nava Law Group, P.C. In A Burn Injury In Houston TX?

At the Nava Law Group, P.C., we understand that our Houston, Texas residents are often employed in different aspects of the oil industries, which are inherently dangerous professions that can lead to burn injuries caused by chemical fires, plant explosions, oil rig accidents, and petroleum transport disasters.

We also know that just because you work in a dangerous industry does not mean that negligence should be a part of your day to day duties, and when it becomes a factor in your injuries, we want to help hold the person, company, or corporate entity responsible for your harm accountable.

Call Our Houston, TX Burn Injury Lawyers for Your Free Consultation Today

If you have suffered burn injuries in an accident of any kind that was caused by negligence, contact our experienced burn injury lawyers in Houston, Texas at the Nava Law Group, P.C. today by calling (713) 661-9900 to schedule a free consultation. If you are unable to meet with us in our offices, one of our Houston compassionate attorneys will come directly to you. Call us now to learn more about your injury rights and financial recovery options.

Frequently Asked Questions for Our Burn Injury Attorneys in Houston, Texas

How Do Medical Professionals Estimate Burn Size?

To estimate burn size, clinicians first use a formula that considers the age of the injured person, to calculate Total Body Surface Area (TBSA). Then establish the percentage of the body that is burned, which is only noted in second degree burns and up. First degree burns are not included in the calculation of percent TBSA burn.

How Medical Professionals Assess the Severity of Burn Injuries?

Medical professionals use multiple factors to determine the severity of a burn injury, including:

  • The degree/depth of the burn.
  • The size/percentage of the skin that is burned.
  • The age of the injured person.

Next, the medical professionals will assess other factors, including:

  • The location of the burn on the body.
  • The inhalation of toxic gases or smoke when the burn occurred.
  • The type of burn.
  • The other traumatic injuries that occurred with the burn injuries, like broken bones or internal injuries.
  • The existing health issues of the patient, including heart problems or diabetes.

The severity of the burns is often more than physical, but emotional and psychological, which is important to understand to ensure the proper treatment plan is put in place.

Why are Infections Common in Burn Injury Victims?

Since burns occur to the skin, the very organ that is designed to prevent infection, infections are of great concern and importance to medical professionals. Not only can burn injuries get infected when the injury occurs, they are common during the healing process. To prevent infection, burn injury victims must follow the complete treatment orders of their healthcare team, including hospital’s infection control guidelines, practicing good hand, and keeping the wounds covered when required.

Do Burn Injury Victims Require a Special Nutritional Diet?

Dietitians are often part of a burn victim’s medical team, as proper diet is an integral part of the recovery process, as healing from a burn injury requires more calories and protein than healing from other types of injury.

How Can Friends and Family Help Offer Support to Their Loved Ones Who Have Suffered Burn Injuries?

Burn injury patients can substantially benefit from constant and encouraging support from both friends and family members — in addition to their existing physical, emotional, and psychological healthcare team. Having a strong support system and at-home caregivers play an important role during the recovery process, as they help lower the risk of isolation and depression, which can help improve the recovery timeline and overall process.

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