Table of Contents

• What is a Burn Injury
• Can you Afford a Burn Injury Lawyer
• Benefits of Hiring a Burn Injury Attorney
• How Insurance Companies Avoid Paying Accident Claims
• Contact a Cape Girardeau Burn Injury Lawyer from Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz Today

We Let Our Record Speak for Us

We are a team of attorneys that has successfully recovered millions of dollars for our clients.

Here are some examples of our successes over the years:

• $17 million settlement in a personal injury claim
• $4 million settlement in an explosion case
• $2.3 million settlement in a chemical exposure claim

These are just some examples of our successful outcomes. Of course, we cannot guarantee the results of any case, but we will fight for you just as hard. We will determine what your case is worth and fight for every penny you deserve. If you want to begin fighting for your rights as a burn injury victim, do not wait to reach out for a free case evaluation today. We are ready to assist you with every aspect of your case.

Common Occurrences of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are severe and tragic. Many situations cause burn injuries.

Burn injuries can be caused by different sources, including:

• Electrical burns
• Chemical burns
• Too much exposure to the sun
• Fire
• Radiation

These different sources can cause major injuries, and negligence is a major factor in burns.

Burn injuries happen due to many different types of personal injury accidents.

Examples include:

• Motor vehicle accidents. In the personal injury world, a motor vehicle accident is one of the major causes of severe burn injuries. Severe car crashes can result in fiery collisions and lead to major burn injuries.

• Chemical exposure. Plaintiffs may have hazardous chemicals in their workplaces and may seek compensation from negligent third parties who injure them.

Call the experienced attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder, & Wolz today if you have suffered an injury in an accident. We have represented clients all over Missouri and helped accident victims recover millions of dollars in compensation so that they can heal in peace. We want to help you, too. Call our office, or visit us online today to schedule a free initial consultation.

What Is a Burn Injury?

A burn injury is an injury to the skin due to exposure to extreme heat or reactive chemicals. Burns can damage the skin and tissue beneath, sometimes causing a permanent lack of use of a body part and disfigurement. The treatment for serious burns is extensive, painful, and costly. If you have been hurt in an accident that caused a burn, you need proper representation.

What Are the Symptoms of a Burn Injury?

The symptoms that may be present after you suffer a burn injury will be different based on the type of burn that you experience. Burn injuries can range in severity greatly and may not require medical intervention at all or may need immediate medical attention.

Some burns only affect the superficial or top layer of skin. These burns are usually minor and do not require medical treatment. However more severe burns cause injury to the top layer of skin and the next layer of skin. If you suffer a more serious burn that is not merely superficial, always get medical attention. Your injury may cause scarring, blisters, and pain.

There are also very severe and catastrophic burn injuries. These burns need immediate medical attention, and the victim might be in shock. These burns have the potential to cause long-term and permanent damage to the person that is burned, including nerve damage and death. A serious burn can look like leather and can be white, brown, or black.

There are also extreme burns that can be fatal. These burns are dangerous because these burns reach a person’s muscles and bones. These burns can cause a victim to suffer skin death, sepsis, amputation, permanent nerve damage, and pain. If you suffer this type of burn, you may require significant medical intervention to treat the injury.

Burns can be severe enough to permanently change your life. Accident victims are burned because of the negligence of others every day across Missouri. If you suffered a burn injury in an accident, call the attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder, & Wolz. Our firm has a combined 100 years of trial experience. We use our talent and experience to help accident victims every day across Missouri, and we want to help you, too. Call our office, or visit us online, today for your free consultation.

How Does a Burn Injury Affect an Accident Victim’s Daily Life?

Depending on the severity of the injury, a burn injury can affect the rest of an accident victim’s life significantly. Treatment for burn injuries ranges from simple and over-the-counter to surgery, including the use of skin grafts.

Treatment for burns may be long-term and invasive. There are also various complications that these more severe types of burns may cause.

Examples of complications suffered by burn injury victims may include:

• Infection. Whenever there is trauma to the body that causes an open wound, there is a risk of infection. A person who suffers from a burn should watch out for signs of infection. A burn may be infected if you begin to experience an increased level of pain, redness or swelling, a fever, or discharge from the affected area.
• Depending on the area that suffered a burn, an accident victim may have trouble breathing. An accident victim may develop scar tissue across their chest, which can cause long-term lung function issues.

In addition to potential medical damages, a person who is in an accident and burned may experience other types of damages.

These damages may include:

• Lost income. After a severe burn injury, a person may be unable to work. Burn injuries can cause long-term physical complications that make working incredibly difficult or impossible. Because you can no longer work, you, of course, lose income. Sometimes a person may still have the ability to work but can no longer work in the same field, at the same level, or the same frequency as was possible before the accident happened. This is due to a loss of capacity to work. If a person can work but has lost some capacity to work, they may be entitled to the difference between the money they made before the accident and the money they can make after the accident.
• Lost enjoyment of life. Severe burn injuries may cause a victim to suffer injuries that cause a drastic change in their physical appearance. The change in physical appearance can be jarring to other people and the accident victim, causing great distress for the victim. In that case, an accident victim can recover damages for mental anguish, emotional trauma, or pain and suffering.

Can I Afford a Cape Girardeau Burn Injury Attorney?

Many accident victims choose not to proceed with a legitimate accident claim because they think that they cannot afford an attorney. Burn injuries typically happen because of the negligence of another person or entity. That is a personal injury case. Most personal injury attorneys have a payment structure called a contingency fee.

A contingency fee agreement is a fee structure where an attorney and client agree that the client will not prepay for legal services. An attorney takes a client’s case and agrees to only be paid by the client if there is a settlement agreement reached in the case. The terms of a contingency agreement must be agreed to before the attorney begins working on the client’s case.

At an initial consultation, an attorney and client will discuss the terms of the contingency agreement. Clients must ensure that they understand every term of the agreement. For example, an attorney and client may discuss the payment of litigation costs. Litigation costs may be paid by the attorney initially, and the attorney will collect payment for the expense at the end of the case. Litigation costs are incidental expenses to a lawsuit.

Litigation costs can include:

• Filing fees
• Deposition costs (including payment of court reporters and deposition transcripts)
• Mediation fees (including the mediator’s services)
• Cost of expert witnesses
• Fees associated with making copies and mailing

The attorneys at Cook, Barkett, Ponder, & Wolz work on a contingency fee arrangement. We do not get paid unless we recover money for you. We are laser-focused on helping accident victims across the state of Missouri. If you have suffered an injury in an accident, call our office, or visit us online, to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to assisting you.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Cape Girardeau Attorney?

Accident attorneys are beneficial because they protect victims’ rights. It can be tempting for an accident victim to try to represent themselves in an accident claim, but it is always to go into a fight alone. However, get an experienced advocate on your side to help you avoid common pitfalls.

One common pitfall that reduces or eliminates an accident victim’s monetary recovery is the insurance company taking advantage of unrepresented accident victims. If you do not have an accident attorney to represent you, you are vulnerable to big insurance companies and defense lawyers.

How Do Insurance Companies Avoid Paying Accident Claims?

Insurance adjusters work hard for their client- the insurance company. Insurance companies have one goal: to protect their bottom line. Insurance companies do not have any interest in paying out accident victims. When an insurance company sees an unrepresented accident victim, they see an easy target.

An insurance company may use various tactics to avoid paying out settlement money to clients. An insurance company may try to delay the progress of the negotiation to discourage the accident victim from continuing their claim. An insurance company may also use its resources to hire a private investigator to follow you during the investigation to make a case against you. The goal here is to encourage the accident victim to drop their case. An insurance company may offer you a lowball settlement offer.

You need an attorney to help you understand and protect your rights against defense lawyers and insurance companies. If counsel represents an accident victim, they are more likely to have a successful outcome.

Contact Our Cape Girardeau Burn Injury Attorneys Today

If you have suffered an injury in a burn accident, call Cook, Barkett, Ponder, & Wolz. Our attorneys have over 100 years of combined trial experience. We have the skill, experience, and talent to ensure that you get the best outcome on your case available. Call our office at (573) 335-6651 or contact us online for your free consultation today.

Testimonial:

I had never worked with lawyers, and at first I was scared, not knowing what to expect. When I first met with Cook, Barkett, Ponder & Wolz, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. I’m a shy person, and they gave me confidence to speak out. The experience was very good. If you are in a similar situation, I highly recommend them. They’ll take care of everything. – Laura A.