A serious burn injury can change nearly every part of a person’s life in a matter of seconds. What begins as a car collision, workplace explosion, electrical accident, apartment fire, or defective product incident can quickly turn into a long and painful medical recovery involving hospitalization, surgeries, rehabilitation, and permanent scarring.
Unlike many other injuries, burn injuries often involve both physical pain and long-term emotional trauma. Victims may face extensive medical treatment, lost income, permanent disfigurement, and uncertainty about how they will support themselves and their families during recovery.
At The Slocum Firm, our Scranton burn injury lawyers help injured people throughout Lackawanna County and across Pennsylvania pursue compensation after catastrophic accidents involving burns, explosions, fires, and electrical injuries. We understand how severe these injuries can become and how important it is to account for both current and future losses when pursuing compensation.
Call (570) 209-7376 to speak directly with our attorneys. We are available 24/7, and you will never pay legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Why You Should Choose The Slocum Firm for Your Burn Injury Claim
Burn injury cases are often medically and financially complex. Many victims require specialized treatment, multiple surgeries, long-term rehabilitation, and ongoing psychological support. Insurance companies frequently attempt to undervalue these claims by focusing only on immediate medical bills instead of the lifelong impact of the injury.
At The Slocum Firm, we work to fully understand how a burn injury affects every aspect of a person’s life—physically, emotionally, and financially. Our team builds detailed claims that account for both current and future damages while helping clients navigate the recovery process.
Seriously injured people throughout Pennsylvania choose our firm because we offer:
- A 95+% success rate for our injured clients
- Millions of dollars in settlements or verdicts recovered across Pennsylvania
- A team with more than 50 years of combined legal experience
- Direct access to our attorneys by phone or text 24/7 for updates and questions
- A contingency fee arrangement, so you pay no upfront legal fees
We understand that burn injury victims often face months or years of recovery. Our goal is to help protect your financial future while you focus on healing.
What Is a Burn Injury Claim?
A burn injury claim is a type of personal injury case that arises when someone suffers burns because of another person’s negligence, unsafe conditions, defective products, or dangerous conduct.
These claims often involve situations where the injury could have been prevented if reasonable safety precautions had been followed.
A burn injury case may arise from:
- Car and truck accidents
- Workplace explosions or fires
- Electrical accidents
- Defective products
- Apartment or building fires
- Construction accidents
- Chemical exposure incidents
- Industrial accidents
In Pennsylvania, burn injury claims often involve both personal injury law and complex questions regarding safety regulations, premises liability, product liability, or workplace standards.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Burn Injuries?
Burn injuries can happen in many different environments, but some types of accidents are more likely to cause serious burn injury claims.
Car Accidents and Vehicle Fires
High-speed collisions can lead to fuel leaks, explosions, or vehicle fires. Occupants trapped inside vehicles may suffer catastrophic injuries, including burns, within seconds. Electrical system failures, defective fuel systems, and commercial truck crashes may also increase the risk of fire-related injuries.
Workplace Fires and Explosions
Many serious burns occur in industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, and construction environments throughout Pennsylvania. These workers may suffer injuries from:
- Electrical equipment
- Arc flashes
- Chemical exposure
- Gas explosions
- Hot surfaces or steam
- Welding accidents
Most Scranton industries are required to abide by the workplace burn prevention and electrical safety information established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). When these regulations are violated and a worker is injured, all responsible parties may be held accountable for the victim’s damages in a burn injury claim.
Electrical Burns
Electrical injuries can occur when a person comes into contact with exposed wiring, unsafe equipment, power lines, or defective electrical systems. These injuries may involve both external burns and serious internal damage that is not immediately visible.
Apartment and Building Fires
Landlords and property owners may sometimes be liable when unsafe conditions contribute to apartment or building fires. Examples of unsafe conditions may include:
- Faulty wiring
- Broken smoke detectors
- Fire code violations
- Unsafe heating systems
- Neglected maintenance issues
Defective Products
Burn injuries sometimes result from dangerous or defective products, including:
- Lithium-ion battery fires
- Defective appliances
- Unsafe electronics
- Flammable consumer products
- Exploding vape devices
What Types of Burns Can Occur After an Accident?
Burn injuries are often categorized by both severity and cause. While our lawyers are not medical providers, we understand the general nature of these injuries and can help explain why burn cases are often so serious and expensive at trial, if needed.
Thermal Burns
These are caused by heat, flames, hot liquids, or steam.
Electrical Burns
Electrical burns may damage tissue beneath the skin and sometimes cause complications involving nerves or organs.
Chemical Burns
Industrial chemicals, cleaning products, or hazardous materials can cause severe tissue damage.
Inhalation Injuries
Some burn victims also suffer lung and airway damage caused by smoke, heat, or toxic fumes during fires or explosions.
For more information regarding burn injuries and treatment, the American Burn Association provides helpful prevention, care, and medical tips.
Why Are Burn Injuries Often So Expensive?
Burn injuries frequently require extensive medical care that continues long after the initial accident. Unlike many injuries that stabilize relatively quickly, serious burns often involve repeated procedures, rehabilitation, and long-term treatment, which can lead to tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs or more.
Emergency Medical Treatment
Severe burns may require emergency transportation, trauma care, intensive care treatment, or hospitalization at specialized burn centers.
Surgeries and Skin Grafting
Some victims require multiple painful reconstructive procedures or skin graft surgeries over time.
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Recovery may involve extensive physical therapy to improve movement, reduce stiffness, and restore function.
Long-Term Scarring and Disfigurement
Permanent scarring can affect mobility, appearance, confidence, and emotional well-being.
Psychological and Emotional Trauma
Many burn victims experience anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, or emotional distress related to their injuries and recovery process.
The burn injury lawyers at The Slocum Firm understand the impact these injuries can have on your life, appearance, and wallet. We thoroughly prepare every burn injury claim to include every potential loss you may suffer and fight for the maximum amount of compensation possible under the facts of your situation.
Reach out today to learn more about your legal rights and options after a serious burn accident.
Do You Have a Burn Injury Case?
You may have a valid claim if another person, company, property owner, or manufacturer contributed to the accident that caused your injuries. In our experience, burn injury cases often involve negligence leading to preventable hazards, unsafe conditions, or failures to follow safety rules.
You may have a viable personal injury claim if:
- A fire or explosion resulted from negligence
- Unsafe electrical systems caused your injury
- Defective equipment or products contributed to the accident
- A property owner failed to maintain safe conditions
- Workplace safety violations played a role
- You required medical treatment for burns or inhalation injuries
If you are unsure who may be legally responsible for your losses, share your story with us. Our legal team can investigate the cause of the accident and gather important evidence to determine who may be held liable.
The sooner you call, the sooner we can start building your claim and fighting for the compensation you deserve. Our mission is to shoulder the legal burden for you while providing peace of mind for a better future.
What Compensation Is Available in a Burn Injury Case?
Burn injury claims often involve significant financial and personal losses, called legal damages. A legal claim is intended to account for the full impact the injury has had and may continue to have on your life. Depending on your situation, we may pursue payment for these and other forms of damages:
Medical Expenses
Compensation may cover expenses incurred for hospitalization, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, physical therapy, skin grafting procedures, assistive devices, and future medical treatment.
We know that many burn victims require ongoing care for years after the initial injury. We always include our clients’ future needs in every demand we make.
Lost Income and Future Earning Capacity
Severe burns may prevent victims from returning to work or continuing in their previous careers. Our injury claims include both past lost wages and future earning limitations where applicable.
Pain and Suffering
Burn injuries are often associated with significant physical pain and emotional distress. The compensation we request on your behalf will reflect the trauma, discomfort, and disruption you’ve suffered from your injuries.
Scarring and Disfigurement
Permanent scarring may affect not only physical appearance, but also confidence, social interactions, and emotional well-being. While challenging to value, we’ll demand a fair amount to address these issues.
Long-Term Care and Future Needs
Some victims require long-term medical support, adaptive equipment, home modifications, or ongoing therapy. Accounting for these future losses is often one of the most important parts of a burn injury case.
How Do We Investigate Burn Injury Cases?
Burn injury cases frequently require a detailed investigation into what caused the accident and whether safety failures contributed to the injury. Important evidence we can review may include:
- Fire investigation reports
- OSHA findings
- Electrical inspections
- Surveillance footage
- Product testing records
- Witness statements
- Maintenance records
- Expert analysis regarding fire or explosion causes
In some cases, multiple parties may share responsibility for the accident. We work hard to identify all potentially liable parties and sources of compensation to recover the maximum amount possible in your claim.
Can Workplace Burn Injuries Involve More Than Workers’ Compensation Benefits?
Sometimes, yes. While many workplace injuries involve workers’ compensation claims, some burn accidents also involve third-party liability claims against companies or individuals other than the employer. Examples of third parties that may be responsible for a workplace injury include:
- Defective equipment manufacturers
- Outside contractors
- Property owners
- Subcontractors
- Negligent utility companies
These third-party claims may provide compensation beyond workers’ compensation benefits, including non-economic losses such as pain and suffering damages.
How The Slocum Firm Team Helps Burn Injury Victims in Scranton
When you choose our team for your burn injury claim, we start with a free case review where we’ll listen carefully, answer your questions, and explain the legal process. We are prepared to conduct an extensive investigation to gather the evidence, medical documentation, and information on future damages needed to build your case.
In general, our attorneys can help by:
- Investigating the cause of the accident
- Gathering medical and financial evidence
- Identifying all responsible parties
- Working with experts when necessary
- Calculating your long-term future losses
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Preparing your case for litigation, if necessary
Throughout the process, you work directly with our attorneys, not with a case manager or assistant unfamiliar with your situation. We are here to help you when you need us most.
Frequently Asked Questions About Burn Injury Cases
What if the burn injury caused permanent scarring?
Permanent scarring and disfigurement may significantly increase the value of a claim because of both physical and emotional consequences.
Can defective products cause burn injury claims?
Yes. Defective batteries, electronics, appliances, and industrial equipment are common sources of product liability burn cases.
Do burn injuries always require specialized treatment?
Serious burns often require treatment at specialized burn centers because of infection risks, tissue damage, and rehabilitation needs. The Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA, is certified by the American Burn Association for its excellent burn unit.
What if multiple parties caused the accident?
Burn injury cases frequently involve several potentially responsible parties, including employers, contractors, manufacturers, or property owners. We include all at-fault parties in every burn injury case we build.
How long do I have to file a burn injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania?
In most cases, Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations gives injured individuals two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. Some exceptions exist, so it’s crucial to know which deadlines apply to your unique situation.
Why are burn injury claims often more valuable than other injury cases?
Serious burn injuries frequently involve extensive medical treatment, permanent scarring, future surgeries, and long-term emotional trauma. These long-term consequences can significantly increase the overall cost of care and the amount of legal damages suffered.
Can emotional trauma be part of a burn injury claim?
Yes. Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and emotional distress are common after severe burns and should be part of a burn injury personal injury demand.
What if the burn happened at work?
Your first option may be to file for workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and a portion of your lost income. However, you may have additional legal options beyond workers’ compensation if another company or a defective product contributed to the accident.
At The Slocum Firm, our burn injury attorneys can explain and pursue all of your legal rights
Contact Our Scranton Burn Injury Lawyers Today
A serious burn injury can leave you facing painful recovery, expensive medical care, emotional trauma, and uncertainty about your future. You do not have to manage insurance companies and legal complications on your own while trying to heal.
Call our team today to speak directly with our Scranton burn injury lawyers. We are available 24/7, and you will never pay legal fees unless we recover compensation for you.
We know serious burn injuries can affect nearly every part of a person’s life long after the initial accident. At The Slocum Firm, we help clients throughout Pennsylvania pursue compensation that reflects not only current medical bills, but also future treatment needs, scarring, emotional trauma, and long-term financial losses.
When you contact our office, you will speak directly with an attorney who can help you understand your options and what comes next. If you or a loved one suffered serious burns in Scranton or anywhere in Pennsylvania, contact The Slocum Firm today at (570) 209-7376 for a free consultation.
