Long Island Burn Injury Attorney
Skilled Burn Injury Attorneys Representing Long Island Clients in New York
Burns are classified in three separate categories, first second, and third degree. A first-degree burn is considered mild. A second-degree burn is more serious and a third-degree burn is the most serious. A serious burn injury can leave permanent scarring – both physically, and emotionally. A burn injury can be so severe in nature that it could lead to death if not properly treated. A Long Island Burn Injury Attorney is available to fight for you.
So many different scenarios can cause burn injuries, such as a car accident, assault, defective products, dangerous working conditions, another’s negligence, etc. A burn injury can cause permanent scarring/disfigurement, infection, large blisters, nerve damage, mental anguish, etc. Palermo Law is a Long Island Personal Injury Law Firm dedicated to representing individuals that have suffered serious burns as a result of another’s negligent or intentional actions.
When to consult with a Long Island Car Accident Lawyer
If you have suffered injuries in Suffolk County, Long Island from a car accident, it is a good idea to consult with a car accident attorney as soon as possible. Hiring an attorney early on in the process will help protect your legal rights, ensure your medical bills and lost wages are paid, and give you an advantage in building a strong personal injury case. An early investigation will also help preserve key evidence in your case.
Important deadlines to know for your car accident case:
Medical bills and lost wages are paid through no-fault insurance. All no-fault insurance carriers require a no-fault application to be filed within thirty days. Failing to do so may result in denial of your no-fault benefits and may make you personally responsible for the bills.
In car accident cases there is generally a three-year statute of limitations to initiate a lawsuit. However, that time period may be reduced to as little as 90 days if your car accident involves a municipal, state, or federal entity. So, it’s best to check with a qualified car accident attorney as soon as possible.
How Much Is My Long Island Car Accident Case Worth?
The value of an injury suffered in a car accident is an accumulation of several different factors. These include any accident-related economic expenses such as lost wages and damage to your car as well as non-economic losses such as pain and suffering and mental anguish. At Palermo Law, our experience in handling thousands of car accident cases allows us to accurately assess the value of your case to determine the fairest settlement or jury award. In cases of long-term injuries, we partner with experts in the fields of medicine and economics to make sure that your compensation is adjusted for future inflation. This allows you peace of mind knowing that you will be compensated for years to come.
BURN INJURY FAQS
How Much Compensation Am I Entitled To For My Burn Injury?
The losses you can recover from a burn injury can be broken down into two categories, economic losses, and non-economic losses. Adding your economic losses and your non-economic losses will give you the total amount of compensation that you are entitled to from an accident.
Economic Losses: Economic losses include medical bills, lost wages, and other out-of-pocket expenses. In most cases, your medical bills will be paid for by some form of insurance. However, any co-payments and unreimbursed medical expenses that you incur are reimbursable through your lawsuit. Also, in some cases, you may be required to reimburse your healthcare provider for medical expenses that they have incurred if you receive a settlement. In such cases that amount of money will be passed onto the defendant in the case.
Also, many people have disability policies that pay them a portion of their salary following an injury. In a car accident lawsuit, you are entitled to receive your total lost wages from the defendant. However, you are not entitled to make a double recovery, Your total claim for lost wages will be reduced by the amount of money that you have received from your insurer. If your insurer is entitled to reimbursement from your lawsuit then you will receive the total amount of lost wages from the defendant and be required to repay the insurer the portion that they paid to you.
There are often out-of-pocket expenses associated with an injury such as travel expenses and the cost of modifications to your home or vehicle. This is also the responsibility of the at-fault party.
Further, your economic damages may last into the future and in some cases may be permanent. Some injuries, including serious burns, may require medical needs in the future. In such situations, it may be necessary to hire an economist to figure out your future lost wages so that they can be reimbursed in your lawsuit.
Non-economic Losses: Non-economic losses include your pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other emotional injuries. Unlike economic damages, non-economic damages are more subjective. Factors to consider in a burn injury settlement negotiation are how much of your body was burned, how much pain and suffering you endured, whether there will be permanent scarring, and if so, how much will be publicly visible. Also, if there are permanent physical limitations, how they will impact the enjoyment of your life and ability to make a living. And finally, what psychological harm has been done. Therefore, it can often be difficult to put a financial figure on such damages. The way it is usually done is by comparing people that have suffered similar injuries and seeing what juries have awarded them at trial. However, if a settlement cannot be reached then that amount of money is decided by a jury. This can often lead to a wide discrepancy from case to case. Also, like economic losses, non-economic losses can also be permanent. In such cases that will have to be accounted for in the jury’s verdict or in the settlement.
Finally, perhaps the most important factor in determining the amount of money that you are entitled to, following an accident, is the amount of insurance the responsible party has to satisfy any judgment you obtain. For example, if your total losses equal $1,000,000 but the responsible party is only insured for $25,000, your only way of recovering the difference will be by personally enforcing the judgment you obtain at trial against the responsible party’s assets. In my experience as a personal injury attorney, most people do not have the assets to pay that type of judgment. Therefore, for most accidents, your recovery will be limited by the other party’s insurance. However, there are situations where you can make an additional claim against your own insurance carrier if the responsible party is underinsured.
How Serious is My Burn Injury?
There are varying degrees of burns depending on the severity of the burn. These include first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree burns.
First-Degree Burns: First-degree burn injuries and some second-degree burns are considered minor injuries. A first-degree burn may turn the victim’s skin red. Only the first layer of skin is damaged and blisters will not form. First-degree burns, such as a sunburn, can be very painful. First-degree burn injuries usually heal without medical attention. Thus, first-degree burn injury treatment is primarily used to reduce pain.
Second-Degree Burns: Treatment for second-degree burns is similar to first-degree burns. The difference is second-degree burns damage the first and second layers of skin. They are identifiable by redness, swelling, and blisters. Second-degree burns are even more painful than first-degree burns. Small second-degree burns can be treated like first-degree burns and usually heal without medical attention in less than a week. If a significant portion of the victim’s body has been burned, the injury should be treated at a hospital. If there are open blisters in the affected area, they may be treated with an antibacterial spray. Tylenol or Advil may be used to reduce pain and keep the injury from swelling.
Third-Degree Burns: Third-degree burns are extremely severe and damage all layers of the skin. After a third-degree burn, the victim’s skin may appear white and leathery. Fourth-degree burns are the same as third-degree burns but may involve bone and muscle damage, too. Third and fourth-degree burns may not be painful because the victim’s nerves may be damaged. Third and fourth-degree burns and extremely severe and require immediate medical attention. They cannot be treated at home. Many times, third-degree burns are treated at specialized burn treatment centers. Skin grafts may be used to restore the affected area. Depending on the location and severity of the burn, additional surgery may be necessary during the rehabilitation process. Significant scarring may also be visible after recovery, which can cause a lot of emotional anguish.
What if I was Burned in a Car Accident?
A car accident that involves a vehicle fire should be closely examined, especially if the accident results in injuries. Fuel systems are required to be designed and constructed so that fuel tanks withstand the impact of most collisions without spilling gasoline or diesel fuel in amounts that would cause fires. Standards are also in place for the integrity of radiators and their containment of hot water and for the design of other car components, such as electrical wiring and exhaust systems, to ensure that passengers are protected from burn injuries.
When these systems fail in an accident, and a fire occurs resulting in injury, vehicle manufacturers may have failed in their legal obligation to provide a safe product. They, in addition to the at-fault driver, may be held accountable.
A car accident burn victim may be entitled to compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost income, and other expenses incurred as a result of the injuries. A burn injury victim may also obtain compensation for pain and suffering and, in the case of egregious conduct by an auto manufacturer, correctional damages.
Do I Still Have A Case if I Didn’t Immediately Seek Medical Attention?
This is a very common situation. Many people do not feel pain from an accident immediately. When you are in an accident, adrenaline can often cause you to not feel or notice the pain right away. Therefore, the real pain develops in the hours, and even days, following an accident. It is never too late to seek medical treatment. However, the sooner that you seek necessary medical treatment the better off you are for several reasons. First, medical treatment will help in diagnosing injuries and provide relief of pain. Second, it is easier to prove that the injury was caused by the accident, if you receive treatment close to the time of the accident.
What does it cost to hire your Suffolk Burn Injury Law Firm?
There is absolutely no cost to hire our law firm. We work on a contingency basis. That means that if we are not able to win your case there is no charge. If we are successful in winning your case, we earn a fee of 1/3 of the recovery for your bodily injury claim. We never charge additional fees for handling No-Fault and property damage issues. We also will lay out all of the litigation expenses in the case. This way there is no financial risk to you.
Finally, we always offer a free initial consultation at any of our six locations throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Further, we offer in-home or hospital initial consultations for our Suffolk and Nassau County Burn Injury Clients. It is always our goal to be the best personal injury law firm in Suffolk County and Nassau County. Therefore, we’re always willing to go the extra mile for our clients.
Why Hire Palermo Law?
- We always offer a free no-obligation consultation.
- We never charge a fee unless we win your case.
- We provide personal one-on-one attention to every client.
- We handle all no-fault insurance communications and paperwork for you free of charge.
- We have over two decades of experience litigating accident cases on Long Island.
- We have obtained numerous million-dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients.
About Our Suffolk County Burn Injury Law Firm
Palermo Law was founded in 1994 as a general practice. In 1997, Steven Palermo joined the firm and by the early 2000s, the law firm shifted its primary focus to personal injury law. Steven Palermo focuses his entire practice on Personal injury law, with a large majority of those cases being Suffolk County car accidents. He personally oversees every accident case that the firm handles. He brings to each case over twenty years of experience, numerous successful trial verdicts, and a passion for helping Suffolk County accident victims in their fight for justice against large insurance companies.
While Steven and his team are proud of their record of achievements in the courtroom, they are equally excited about how their clients feel about their experiences with the law firm. The firm has over two hundred positive reviews from former clients on various websites such as Google, Lawyers.com, Avvo, and Facebook. Palermo Law takes particular pride in the fact that they have some of the best reviews in Suffolk County. If you would like to set up an appointment for a free initial no-obligation consultation with an experienced Suffolk County accident attorney, feel free to call today.
Service We perform
- Identifying all potential sources of recovery including no-fault insurance limits and all bodily injury insurance limits.
- Complete investigative services including the gathering of all relevant documentation such as accident reports and witness statements, medical records, and reports. We often engage the help of experts in the field of accident reconstruction, medicine, and economics to help support your claim.
- We will handle all no-fault insurance communications and paperwork free of charge.
- We litigate your case. If your case cannot be settled we will litigate it in court. It is always our goal to obtain fair compensation for our clients without the need for trial. But rest assured, if your case does not settle we will be prepared to take your case to trial.
Trial Ready Strategy
Most personal injury lawsuits are settled out of court at some point before a trial. Many personal injury law firms on Long Island don’t fully prepare their cases for trial when anticipating a settlement. This weakens their position when it comes time to negotiate a settlement. At Palermo Law, we always fully prepare every case as if it is going to trial. This level of preparation gives us the leverage to negotiate the highest possible compensation for our clients and puts us in a strong position should a trial become necessary.
Focused on Helping the Injured
We realize that being really well-versed in any one area of law takes focus. Personal injury law is no exception. That’s why our Long Island personal injury lawyers only handle personal injury cases. Steven Palermo, our managing partner, has been exclusively handling personal injury cases for the last two decades. We handle all types of personal injury cases for the injured, including car accidents, slip and falls, and work-related accidents. We have never represented an insurance company and never will. We do what we do because we love helping people.
Free Consultation
We offer every potential personal injury client a free, no-obligation consultation at any of our five locations throughout Long Island. During the consultation, we will discuss your case in detail and give you our opinion on the chances of success. We will also discuss our potential strategy and our process for handling your case. If after fully discussing your case we feel it is a good fit for our Long Island Personal Injury law firm, we will discuss our fees and give you the option of moving forward with us as your lawyers.
Reach Out to Our Long Island Burn Accident Lawyers
We have litigated hundreds of accident cases over the last two decades. As a result, we’ve become very proficient in handling all aspects of accident litigation including no-fault and property damage claims. We know all the ins and outs of Long Island accident claims and will use our experience to make sure you receive full compensation. We handle all Suffolk county accident cases on a contingency basis. This means we never charge an upfront fee and only get paid if we win your case. Contact us today for your free consultation.