Burn injuries are among the most physically devastating and psychologically traumatic injuries a person can survive. The pain is immediate and often overwhelming. The treatment is grueling and goes on for months, sometimes years. The scarring and disfigurement that remain can permanently alter a person's appearance, mobility, and sense of self in ways that no amount of medical intervention can fully reverse.
And yet, despite all of this, insurance companies and defendants routinely attempt to minimize burn injury settlements. They dispute the extent of the injury, challenge the necessity of future treatment, and push for early resolutions that protect their clients long before victims understand what their lifetime of care will actually cost.
At Hamo Law Firm, we were built on serious and catastrophic injury cases. We understand what a major burn injury does to a person and what it costs over a lifetime. We work with the medical experts and life care planners needed to document the full picture, and we fight for the full value of that picture without apology. If a burn injury has changed your life or the life of someone you love because of someone else's negligence, we are ready to pursue every dollar of accountability you are entitled to.
Understanding Burn Injuries and Their Severity
Burn Classifications
Burns are classified by the depth of tissue damage they cause:
- First-degree burns affect only the outermost layer of skin, causing redness and pain. They typically heal without scarring and rarely form the basis of a serious personal injury claim.
- Second-degree burns penetrate the outer skin layer and the underlying dermis, causing blistering, significant pain, and a meaningful risk of scarring. Deeper second-degree burns may require skin grafting.
- Third-degree burns destroy all layers of the skin, including the dermis and its nerve endings. Paradoxically, the most severely burned areas may feel numb due to nerve destruction. These burns require skin grafting and almost always result in permanent scarring and disfigurement.
- Fourth-degree burns are the most severe, extending through the skin into muscle, tendon, bone, or organs. They are life-threatening, often require amputation of the affected area, and produce permanent, severe disability.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Burn Injury?
The party responsible for a burn injury depends entirely on how and where it occurred. Potentially liable parties include:
- Negligent drivers and vehicle owners when a crash caused a fire or explosion that burned an occupant or bystander
- Trucking companies when flammable or hazardous cargo was improperly loaded, secured, or transported
- Employers who violated workplace safety standards, failed to provide adequate protective equipment, or ignored known fire and chemical hazards
- Product manufacturers and distributors when a defectively designed or manufactured product ignited, overheated, or exploded
- Property owners and landlords who failed to maintain safe conditions, comply with fire codes, or address known hazards such as gas leaks or faulty electrical systems
- Restaurants, hotels, and commercial establishments where scalding or contact burns resulted from negligent preparation, service, or maintenance
- Chemical manufacturers and distributors when inadequate warnings, improper packaging, or unsafe products caused chemical burn injuries
What Compensation Can You Recover?
Burn injury cases can involve some of the most extensive damages of any personal injury claim, reflecting both the complexity of treatment and the permanence of the consequences. A thorough claim pursues every category of loss, including:
- Emergency and acute medical care, including transport, emergency treatment, and burn center hospitalization
- Surgical costs, covering skin grafting, debridement, and all procedures performed during the initial recovery period
- Reconstructive surgery, which may be needed repeatedly over many years after the initial injury
- Long-term wound care, medication, and specialist visits related to the burn injury
- Physical and occupational therapy to restore function and mobility
- Lost wages for the period you were unable to work during treatment and recovery
- Loss of earning capacity if physical limitations, disfigurement, or ongoing treatment needs affect your ability to work at your prior level
- Pain and suffering, reflecting both the acute pain of treatment and the chronic pain that may persist long after
- Permanent disfigurement and scarring as distinct, serious categories of compensable harm that go beyond medical expenses
- Loss of enjoyment of life, recognizing that activities, experiences, and relationships the victim valued before the injury have been permanently diminished
- Loss of consortium for spouses and family members who have lost the companionship and relationship they had before the injury
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members when a burn injury proves fatal
Why Choose Hamo Law for Your Burn Injury Case
Catastrophic Injury Cases Are the Foundation of This Firm
Hamo Law Firm was built on wrongful death and serious injury cases. Burn injuries fall squarely within the most serious cases we handle. We understand the medical complexity, the lifetime treatment picture, and what it takes to pursue these claims against well-funded defendants who will fight hard to limit what they pay.
We Document the Full Lifetime Damages Picture
A burn injury settlement that covers what has been spent so far is not a fair settlement. We work with life care planners, medical experts, and economic specialists to document future reconstructive surgery costs, long-term care needs, and the full lifetime value of what the injury has taken. That is the number we fight for.
We Fight for Disfigurement and Psychological Harm as Serious Damages
Permanent scarring, disfigurement, and psychological trauma are not afterthoughts in how we build burn injury cases. They are central to the damages we pursue and we present them to insurers and juries with the weight they deserve.
We Go Up Against Corporations and Manufacturers
Many serious burn injuries involve corporate defendants, whether a vehicle manufacturer, a chemical company, a product maker, or a negligent employer. We have spent decades going up against large corporations and insurance companies, and we are not deterred by the size of the defendant or the resources they bring to the fight.
No Fee Unless We Win
You pay us nothing unless we recover compensation for you. There is no upfront cost and no financial risk to calling us today.
What to Do After a Serious Burn Injury
- Seek emergency burn treatment immediately. Serious burns should be treated at a specialized burn center whenever possible. Do not underestimate the severity of a burn in the immediate aftermath. What appears manageable can deteriorate rapidly without proper care.
- Follow all treatment protocols completely. Gaps in treatment or early discharge against medical advice can be used by insurance companies to argue that your injuries were not as serious as claimed.
- Document your injuries at every stage. Photographs taken throughout the treatment process, from the initial injury through each stage of healing and grafting, create a visual record of what you endured that no written description can fully replicate.
- Preserve all evidence related to the cause of the burn. If a product, vehicle, chemical, or property condition caused your injuries, preserve whatever physical evidence exists and do not allow it to be destroyed, repaired, or altered before it can be examined.
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company without first speaking with an attorney. These statements are used to minimize what they owe you.
- Do not accept any settlement offer before understanding the full scope of your future treatment needs. Early offers in burn injury cases almost never reflect the true lifetime cost of the injury.
- Contact Hamo Law as soon as you are able. The earlier we are involved, the better positioned we are to preserve evidence, retain the right experts, and build the case your situation demands.
What You Have Survived Deserves More Than a Lowball Settlement. We Fight for What It Is Actually Worth.
A serious burn injury is not a case to be closed quickly and cheaply. It is a lifetime of consequences that deserves a lifetime of accountability from those responsible. At Hamo Law, we pursue that accountability with the full force of our experience and resources.
Consultations are free, there is no obligation, and you pay nothing unless we win. Call us today at 810-234-3667, email us at ahamo@hamolaw.com, or visit our office at 614 S. Grand Traverse Street, Flint, Michigan 48502. You can also fill out our contact form and a member of our team will reach out to you promptly.
Relentless Advocacy. Compassionate Counsel.
