Impact of a Burn Injury in Nashville

Burns are staged in degrees. A first-degree burn is a mild burn. Compared to the others, it might just be a little of a reddening of the outer layer of the skin. Second-degree burns could be superficial or deep second-degree burns. Second-degree burns will have a partial thickness burn that will affect the outer skin and the dermis, which is the layer below the outer skin.

Second degree burns typically cause swelling, redness, and possibly some blistering. A third-degree burn is when the burn goes all the way through the epidermis, the dermis, and deeper tissues, and might create charred skin or numbness. It can be critical to speak with an experienced burn injury attorney about seeking damages for your injuries.

Common Causes of Burns

The most common cause of burns is fire. There are also a lot of burns that result from hot liquids or steam. In construction cases, people will get burns from electrical currents, hot metals, or other materials. There could be radiation burns, as well as burns from some type of chemicals like acids or paint thinners.

What to Share with an Attorney

For the purposes of contacting a lawyer, the injury generally needs to be some type of permanent injury. Not every burn is severe. A lot of them can just result in redness or will disappear within a relatively short period of time through the use of ointments or other methods a doctor may prescribe. To warrant having a law firm involved, it probably needs to be severe enough that it is going to leave at least some permanent scarring or require some type of surgical intervention.

How Can a Severe Burn Impact a Person’s Life?

A person who has received a severe burn is going to have physical limitations. They might lose motion or movement. It can result in a tightening of the skin, depending on where the burn occurs. The individual might lose the ability to sweat, so they would have to avoid hot climates. A lot of times, they constantly have to apply lotion or moisture to the skin. All of those are really limiting factors.

Burns can also cause someone to have surgeries or skin grafts. the impact of a burn injury in Nashville is not only from a physical level, but can hurt the individual financially. Medical expenses are high for these types of treatments for these types of injuries. An individual can have, psychological impacts from these injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. It impacts not only the person but their whole family.

Importance of Contacting an Attorney

Burn injury cases are very complicated cases and very expensive. It is not as easy as simply showing a jury the injury. An individual needs a lawyer who understands burn injuries, understand the economic damages of those injuries, understands the psychological components of the case, and knows how to present that to a judge or a jury.

These can be devastating to not only the injured person but the family, and an experienced lawyer will be able to explain that and put that together in a case. Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other types of psychological trauma can result from both the initial injury and the constant pain and struggles that arise from burn injuries, so an individual needs a lawyer who understands and knows the impact of a burn injury in Nashville.

Author Bio

Jim Higgins, founder of the Higgins Firm, is a seasoned personal injury attorney with deep roots in Nashville, Tennessee. A 4th generation Nashvillian, Jim carries on the legal legacy of his father, a judge for over 30 years. After graduating from the University of Memphis School of Law, Jim’s career began on the other side of the courtroom, defending insurance companies and learning their tactics for minimizing settlements. However, he soon realized his true calling was fighting for the rights of the injured, and for the past several years, he has exclusively represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases.

Since then, his dedication and skill have earned him membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization limited to attorneys who have secured million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for their clients. Licensed to practice in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia, Jim focuses on personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation cases. His exceptional work has been recognized by his peers, earning him a spot on the Super Lawyers list from 2021 to 2024, a distinction awarded to only a select group of accomplished attorneys in each state.

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