Texas Burn Injury Lawyer
Burn injuries are measured by depth and by how much of the body is affected, and both drive a course of treatment that can run for years. The legal question is usually which of several responsible parties caused the exposure.
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How burns are classified and why it matters
Depth determines whether skin can heal on its own. Superficial burns affect the outer layer only. Partial thickness burns reach the dermis, blister, and may scar. Full thickness burns destroy the skin entirely and require grafting, because there is no tissue left to regenerate. The deepest burns reach muscle and bone.
The proportion of the body affected drives fluid management, infection risk and survival. Together, depth and extent set the treatment path, and that path is what a claim has to account for financially.
The treatment nobody expects
Grafting is not the end. Burn scars contract as they heal, restricting movement across joints, which produces release surgeries. Pressure garments are worn for long periods. Rehabilitation runs alongside. Itching, temperature intolerance and nerve pain persist after the wound has closed.
Visible scarring carries a psychological weight that is a recognized element of damages. Disfigurement and mental anguish are recoverable in their own right under Texas law, separately from medical costs.
Where these injuries come from
Gas explosions and flash fires, defective products and faulty wiring, chemical exposure at work, scalding from equipment failures, vehicle fires after a collision, and unsafe premises where fire protection was inadequate or exits were blocked.
Who is responsible
Frequently more than one party. A property owner who ignored a known hazard, a manufacturer whose product failed, a contractor who wired an installation incorrectly, and a utility that maintained equipment poorly can each carry responsibility. Where the injury happened at work, a Texas employer who does not carry workers compensation loses the usual defenses, and third party claims may exist alongside.
Do you have a burn injury claim?
A claim exists where someone else's negligence or a defective product caused the exposure. That covers a property owner who ignored a fire risk, a contractor whose installation failed, a manufacturer whose product ignited, a utility that maintained equipment poorly, and an employer without workers compensation coverage.
Where the burn happened at work, the first question is whether the employer is a subscriber to workers compensation. Texas does not require it, and an employer without it can be sued directly and loses the usual defenses.
What a burn claim recovers
Medical cost is the visible part and rarely the largest. Burn treatment continues long after the wound closes, through grafting, revision surgery for scar contracture, pressure garments and rehabilitation.
Texas treats disfigurement as its own category of damages, separate from physical pain, mental anguish and physical impairment. Visible scarring is compensable in its own right, and where a person can no longer do the work they did, lost earning capacity is valued separately again.
Why the investigation cannot wait
The physical cause of a burn is usually destroyed by the event or removed during the clean-up. Damaged appliances, wiring, equipment and product remnants are discarded, and repairs eliminate the evidence of what failed.
Preserving the product or the installation is frequently what determines whether cause can be proved at all. The limitations period is two years under section 16.003, but the evidence deadline is measured in days.
What proving cause costs
Burn cases commonly need an origin and cause investigator, a product engineer where a defect is suspected, and treating and reconstructive surgeons on the medical side. The firm advances those costs under the contingency arrangement.
What this kind of claim can recover
| Depth | Tissue affected | Typical treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Superficial | Outer layer of skin | Heals without scarring in most cases |
| Superficial partial thickness | Upper dermis | Blisters, usually heals with wound care |
| Deep partial thickness | Lower dermis | Scarring likely, grafting sometimes required |
| Full thickness | All skin layers destroyed | Grafting required, contracture release likely |
| Deeper injury | Muscle, tendon or bone | Extensive reconstruction, sometimes amputation |
More on burn injuries
Burn Injury Claim Value
Burn claims are valued differently from other injuries because the treatment does not end.
ReadDeadline to File a Burn Injury Claim
Two years, with the usual exceptions.
ReadWho Can File a Burn Injury Claim?
Burn injuries reach people in circumstances that vary more than most: at home, at work, in a vehicle, in a restaurant, as a child.
ReadWho Is Liable for a Burn Injury?
Burns come from fire, scalds, chemicals, electricity and radiation, and each source points at a different defendant.
Read
Related practice areas
Injury claims overlap. These are the areas most often connected to this one.
Gas Explosions
A gas explosion destroys the evidence of its own cause.
Learn moreConstruction Accidents
Texas is the only state that does not require private employers to carry workers compensation.
Learn morePremises Liability
A property owner is not automatically responsible when someone is hurt on their land.
Learn more
Who handles burn injuries at the firm
Mike Ely
Attorney
George Washington University Law School, 2002
Frequently asked questions
Because treatment continues long after the wound closes. Grafting, revision surgery for scar contracture, pressure garments, rehabilitation and management of persistent nerve pain can extend over years, and the initial hospital bill is only part of the total.
Yes. Texas treats disfigurement as a separate category of damages, alongside physical pain, mental anguish and physical impairment. Visible scarring is compensable in its own right rather than being folded into medical costs.
It depends on whether your employer carries workers compensation. Texas does not require it. An employer without coverage loses the usual defenses, and third party claims may exist against a manufacturer, contractor or property owner regardless of coverage.
Immediately. Scenes are cleaned, damaged equipment is discarded and repairs destroy the evidence of what failed. Preserving the product or installation is often what determines whether the cause can be proved.
Two years from the date of injury under section 16.003, with shorter notice periods where a governmental unit is involved.
The firm advances it. Burn claims typically need an origin and cause investigator and often a product engineer, and those costs are carried by the firm under the contingency arrangement rather than billed as the case proceeds.
Find out where your claim stands
A free consultation covers what your claim requires, what the deadline is, and what insurance coverage is actually available.
Contingency fee. You pay nothing unless we win.