New Port Richey Burn Injury Lawyer

New Port Richey, Florida, is a beautiful riverfront city of the Tampa Bay area, filled with beautiful scenery and endowed with a rich historical culture. Just 35 miles northwest of Tampa, New Port Richey has managed to maintain a small-town feel amid rich and varied sightseeing attractions such as the beautiful Busch Gardens and the fantastical SeaWorld.

Unfortunately, when the carelessness of a New Port Richey driver, property owner, or nursing home leaves you or a loved one with burn injuries, you should know that you are not alone. The experienced catastrophic injury attorneys at the LMD Injury Lawyers are ready to help. We will seek the compensation you deserve to recover from your injuries and repair your personal and financial losses. Contact us today for a free consultation with a New Port Richey burn injury lawyer.

Causes of Burn Injuries in New Port Richey

New Port Richey can pose many dangers to citizens and tourists, perhaps because of its proximity to beauty and adventure. Each year in Florida, between 300,000 and 400,000 motor vehicle accidents occur, causing burns and other injuries to hundreds of thousands of people. Near New Port Richey, dangerous roads, such as the U.S. 19 and S.R. 54, see thousands of accidents each year caused by reckless drivers, drunk drivers, or other acts of negligence.

Car accidents cause many burn injuries in New Port Richey, Florida.

According to the University of Florida, the most common causes of burn injuries in the Sunshine State include:

Fires
Scalding from steam or hot liquid
Touching a hot object
Electricity
Chemicals

As you can imagine, while there are certainly fires in homes or the workplace, fires are even more common after serious car accidents. When your car is in an accident, it undergoes significant stress and damage. If, during an accident, the engine overheats or sparks from frayed wires ignite leaking fuel, your car is likely to catch fire, resulting in a high risk of burn injuries.

Another potential cause of a burn injury is exposure to harmful conditions at work. If, for example, you work in construction or a similar trade with exposure to electrical cords and large equipment, you may be at a higher risk of burn injury.

Regardless of how you were burned, seek help immediately after the accident. Start by seeking medical help, but once you are stable and comfortable, you’ll likely want to seek legal help as well. Burn injuries are usually expensive to repair, and if someone else’s negligence caused them, they should pay for your treatment.

As soon as you physically can, reach out to the LMD Injury Lawyers in New Port Richey to receive a free consultation with a dedicated burn injury attorney and get on the road to recovery.

Types of Burn Injuries

You could suffer from three main types of burn injuries after an accident in New Port Richey:

First-degree burns
Second-degree burns
Third-degree burns

First-degree burns affect only the epidermis, or the outermost layer of skin on your body. These burns are usually light and easier to treat, causing only pain, swelling, and redness. Most of the time, first-degree burns happen when you are at home and touch something hot on the stove or in the oven.

Second-degree burns affect the epidermis and the dermis, the second layer of your skin. Usually, you’ll experience redness, swelling, and blotchy or blistered skin. The pain from a second-degree burn will be much more severe than the pain from a first-degree burn.

Third-degree burns affect the epidermis, the dermis, and the fat layer beneath your skin. Your burned body may appear black, brown, or white, and possibly leathery. Third-degree burns may damage or kill nerves, which means they can be more dangerous, but less painful than second-degree burns because your body can’t feel the damage that has occurred.

If your burn injuries progress, you could experience:

Difficulty moving
Scarring
Infection
Fluid loss
Bone or joint issues from scar tissue

If you experience severe burns after an accident, seek medical help right away. You will need medical records if you pursue a claim against the party who caused your accident, because you will need evidence of the impact the injuries had on your life.

Frequently Asked Questions About Burn Injury Accidents in New Port Richey

To help you better understand your claim, here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions burn injury victims ask us.

Q: Who Can File a Burn Injury Claim?

A: In Florida, anyone injured by the negligence of another party can bring a burn injury claim to seek compensation. In the case of car accidents, all drivers must buy personal injury protection (PIP) insurance to pay for any initial damages and injuries. However, some drivers harmed by negligence can recover further compensation, especially if they suffered severe injuries (like burn injuries) that will affect them long-term.

Q: What Damages Can I Collect in a Burn Injury Claim?

A: In a burn injury claim, you can recover damages for:

Medical expenses, including the cost of emergency room visits, surgeries, ongoing therapy, medication prescriptions, and medical equipment (e.g., wheelchairs).
Property damage expenses, such as those to pay for repairs to your car.
Loss of income for the time you had to take off work to initially recover from your injuries.
Loss of earning capacity and future income if you are unable to return to work in the same capacity as before your accident.
Pain and suffering from physical and personal/emotional damage.
Emotional trauma, including ongoing nightmares, anxiety, PTSD, and similar conditions.
Loss of life enjoyment, especially if you cannot enjoy certain activities because of your injuries.
Loss of consortium if your loved ones struggle to maintain a strong relationship with you due to the injuries you suffered.
Scarring, disfigurement, and the emotional toll that results from such damages.

Burn injuries can be very serious, resulting in long periods of recovery and high medical bills. In addition, many who suffer burn injuries are left with scarring and disfigurement that affects their mobility and personal image for years to come.

Victims of burn injuries can recover substantial amounts of compensation because of the significant damages they sustain. Additionally, if the party who harmed you acted in a grossly negligent manner, you may also be able to recover punitive damages. This means that due to the wrongdoer’s conscious disregard for your life and safety, the court imposes additional punitive fees to punish their behavior. To determine what damages you can recover, a burn injury lawyer from the LMD Injury Lawyers can guide you through the claims process and seek the compensation you deserve for all that you’ve suffered.

Q: How Do I Pursue a Burn Injury Claim?

A: Pursuing a claim to seek compensation after a burn injury is a long and sometimes complicated process. However, with the right lawyer, it shouldn’t be a challenge to get started.

Here is an outline of the claim process when you decide to pursue a burn injury claim in New Port Richey:

Contact the LMD Injury Lawyers to speak with a burn injury lawyer. We will give you a free consultation to help you decide if your case is worth fighting.
Meet with the lawyer in person. There, you will go into greater depth on the details of your case and decide whether or not you want to proceed. If you do, you can sign a contract and permit them to act as your legal representative.
Gather evidence. With help from your lawyer, you will gather the evidence you need to successfully pursue your case, including medical bills and records, photos or video footage from the accident scene, police reports, witness testimony, and anything else your lawyer deems necessary for your case.
Send a demand letter. Once enough evidence is gathered, your lawyer will send a demand letter to the at-fault party detailing the circumstances of the accident and the effect that the accident has had on your life.
Receive a response. The at-fault party (i.e., the defendant) will send you a response that will either reject your claim or make an initial settlement offer in acknowledgment of your claim.
Gather further evidence. Your lawyer will now continue to gather evidence, including anything the defendant’s lawyers have to offer. They will also take interrogatories (written questionnaires) and depositions (verbal statements) from involved parties or witnesses whose testimony will move the case along.
Negotiate for a settlement. During the negotiation process, the defendant will make settlement offers that you can either accept or reject. Each time, you and your lawyer will discuss whether the offer is sufficient and covers all the losses you’ve suffered. If you believe you deserve more, you can reject the offer and ask for a better one.
Go to court, if necessary. If you can’t reach a favorable settlement with the defendant, you can choose to take your case to court to be tried before a judge and jury.
Argue your claim. In court, your lawyer will argue your case for you using the evidence they have gathered. You may be asked to stand trial and testify before the judge and jury about all that you’ve suffered after your accident.
Receive your settlement or judgment. The judge and jury will determine an appropriate settlement amount and award it to you. Your lawyer will then take the percentage you agreed to pay them for their services, and the rest is yours to help you recover and get your life back on track.

Q: What Evidence Do I Need for My Burn Injury Claim?

A: The most common evidence you’ll need to gather to pursue your claim effectively includes:

Medical bills and records.
Receipts from repairs to your car or other damaged property.
The police report from the accident scene, if applicable.
Documentation of lost work and lost income.
Witness testimony from the accident.
Witness testimony from family or friends to your physical and personal suffering.
A journal of your suffering and losses after the accident.
Expert testimony from medical professionals who can testify to the future sufferings you’ll likely endure due to your burn injuries.

Our seasoned lawyers in New Port Richey will help you decide what pieces of evidence are important to your burn injury claim and will help arrange them, building an effective argument.

Your Burn Injury Attorneys in New Port Richey, Florida

If you’ve suffered a burn injury in an accident in New Port Richey, Florida, you are not alone. You should seek legal counsel as soon as possible to ensure you can build a strong case and get the compensation you deserve from the people who caused your suffering.

The LMD Injury Lawyers is here to support you. Our attorneys have decades of experience under their belts, and each one is passionate about serving the Tampa Bay community. We have helped hundreds of victims like you recover from their burn injuries and find the compensation they deserve. We’re here to help you get back on your feet with as little stress as possible.

Contact the LMD Injury Lawyers at (727) 849-5353 for your free consultation with a New Port Richey burn injury lawyer.