California Burn Injury Lawyers

Advocating for Burn Victims for Decades

Burn injuries can be extremely painful and require intensive, long-term medical care and treatment. Victims may need skin grafting, in-patient hospital care, amputation, or other painful treatments. Any of these scenarios can be terribly traumatic to experience; witnessing a family member go through such a painful situation can be just as horrific.

If you or someone you love sustained severe burn injuries due to the wrongful actions of another party, you may be able pursue compensation. The California burn injury lawyers at Wisner Baum have represented thousands of people in personal injury claims, including clients who sustained burn injuries. As a California firm with a national presence, we have the experience, skill and resources necessary to earn favorable results in highly complex cases.

Fill out our online form today to get in touch with a California burn injury attorney.

Burn Injury Statistics

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 1.1 million people suffer burn injuries that require medical attention every year in the United States. Out of these patients, about 50,000 of them are hospitalized, and about 20,000 suffer burns that affect a quarter of their bodies. Tragically, 4,500 patients die from their injuries, and that is not accounting for the thousands of people who die from burn-related infections.

California often has the most or among the most fire deaths of any state in the country. Since 2017, California wildfires have caused more than 150 deaths and hundreds of burn injuries. The 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state’s history, claimed 85 lives and cost the state over $16.5 billion.

Burn Injury Cases Our Firm Handles

Wisner Baum handles the following burn injury cases:

• Wildfires
• Car fires
• Building fires
• Chemical burns
• Burn injuries caused by defective products
• Electrical fires or electrocution
• Gas leak / explosion

Who Can File a Burn Injury Lawsuit in California?

Burn injuries can have drastic consequences. Even in the most fortunate cases in which the burn victim survives, they are likely to rack up large medical bills while experiencing extreme physical pain and grievous psychological trauma. Victims may suffer temporary or permanent disability, forcing them to remain out of work for lengthy periods of time and lose substantial income.

Depending on the circumstances that led to your burn injury, your case could be considered a claim for personal injury, premises or product liability, or a workplace accident. It may even fall into a different practice area since burns can arise from a broad spectrum of accidents. Each practice area has a different filing deadline mandated by California law, so it is recommended to reach out to a burn injury lawyer immediately.

Classifying Burn Injuries

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) classifies burns as follows:

• First-degree: This is the least severe burn injury, as it only includes the top layer of skin, also known as the epidermis. Signs of first-degree burns include redness, pain when touched, and mild swelling. Sunburns are a common example of this type of burn.
• Second-degree: When a burn is deep red and painful, forms blisters, and maintains a glossy appearance from leaking fluid, it is usually a second-degree burn. These burns are simply defined as those that affect the first two layers of skin: the epidermis and the layer underneath called the dermis. Sometimes, those suffering second-degree burns experience the loss of some of their burned skin and require skin grafting.
• Third-degree: These burns are very severe, as they damage both the epidermis and dermis. Hair follicles, sweat glands, and tissue are damaged. If you are burned in this manner, it is more than likely that you will need a skin graft.
• Fourth-degree: Many people are likely to have heard of the first three degrees of burns, but some burns can be so severe that they reach internal organs. These deep fourth-degree burns affect the fat, and they often result from severe electrical shock. Sadly, these burns require skin grafting to replace lost layers of skin and tissue.
• Fifth-degree: When burns reach an individual’s muscle layers, they are considered fifth-degree burns. These burns are so severe that they can require amputation of the burned limb. In the worst cases, they can be fatal.
• Sixth-degree: In this degree, the burn reaches a person’s bones, either damaging or charring them. Sixth-degree burn victims do not survive their injuries.

Call Wisner Baum’s burn injury attorneys today at (855) 948-5098