Bakersfield Burn Injury Lawyer

Bakersfield Burn Injury Attorney

Why So Many Accidents Happen In Bakersfield

Bakersfield is the largest city within Kern County, which encompasses more than 8,100 square miles. Bakersfield is conveniently located in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley, directly between Fresno and Los Angeles. The largest local employers are in the farming, agriculture and oil industries.

Unfortunately, this type of heavy labor can lead to a variety of personal injuries, especially trucking, farming and car accidents. The May Firm is here to help our clients get the justice they deserve. If you’ve been injured by no fault of your own, contact our office for a free consultation.

“My number one goal is to help others. When you step foot into our firm, you’ll be treated like family, period.”
Robert May, Attorney | Founder

Burn injuries happen every day across Bakersfield. In fact, research from Johns Hopkins indicates that burns and fires are the fifth most common cause of accidental deaths in children and adults in the United States.

Yet, what makes these accidents so devastating is that even minor scalds can still cause significant pain, disfiguring scars, and extensive medical expenses.

If you suffered a burn injury because of the negligent or wrongful actions of another person or entity, you should not have to take on these horrifying consequences alone.

Instead, you deserve skilled legal help on your side, fighting for justice and the money you need for the losses and harm you endured. Thankfully, with an experienced Bakersfield burn injury lawyer, such as those at The May Firm, you can get this legal help, plus so much more.

The May Firm—Who We Are and What We Do

The May Firm is a personal injury and accident law firm known for fighting relentlessly on behalf of its clients. We earned this reputation because our award-winning lawyers only take on personal injury and accident cases, allowing us to keep our practice focused and provide our clients the best outcome they need.

Knowing what is at stake following these horrifying accidents, our legal teams and attorneys make it a point to approach each legal case with experience and compassion. We also make it a goal to go after the results our clients want while also trying to alleviate the emotional and physical stress that these accidents can cause.

As a result of this dedication and drive, the May Firm has become one of California’s most trusted advocates for those seeking justice following a devastating accident, and in the process, we have secured millions of dollars on our clients’ behalf through settlement negotiations and jury verdicts.

Common Bakersfield Accidents That Can Lead to a Burn Injury

Burn injuries are one of the leading causes of unintentional death and injury in the United States. In fact, every year, 1.1 million burn injuries require medical attention, and almost 4,500 of these individuals die because of their injuries. In addition, up to 10,000 people pass away every year because of burn-related infections.

Yet, even though these injuries can result from numerous different causes and accidents, individuals still must understand how these injuries develop to better protect themselves.

For instance, the most common Bakersfield accidents that can lead to a burn injury include:

• Residential fires
• Hot coffee or tea spills
• Motor vehicle accidents, especially in accident-prone areas such as Baker Street and E. California Ave or Union Avenue at California Avenue
• Chemical spills, including substances such as chlorine or bleach
• Industrial fires
• Electrical cord fires
• Trucking accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Hot plate accidents
• Cooking fires
• Oil rig accidents such as at Kern River oil field
• Gas explosions which is a valid concern for Bakersfield residents since most homes in the area use propane or natural gas
• Wildfires

However, this list is by no means an exhaustive list of all the accidents that can lead to a burn injury. That is why, if you suffered a burn injury in an accident that is not indicated here, and you believe that you have a legal claim, reach out to a Bakersfield burn injury lawyer, such as those at The May Firm, and let these lawyers review your case and help you figure out if you have a viable injury claim.

The Different Types of Burn Injuries That Can Occur in Bakersfield

A burn injury is defined as trauma to the skin or other organic tissue. Although these injuries often result in minor medical problems, they may escalate into lasting damage that can affect a person’s bones, skin, muscles, and life-threatening trauma.

Open flames cause most burn injuries, along with:

• Radiation: These burns are often the result of radiation damage, which causes harm to the tissues, skin, and other organs. The most common example of a radiation burn is a sunburn, but X-rays and radiation therapy also result in these burns.
• Cold: These burns are also referred to as “frostbite” and typically result when the cold causes harm to the skin by freezing it. These burns usually develop when a person is outside without proper clothing in freezing temperatures but can also develop when the skin comes into direct contact with a freezing surface for an extended time.
• Heat: A thermal burn occurs when the skin is exposed to excessive heat, such as steam, a hot surface, flames, or a hot object. As the skin is subject to these elements, the skin’s temperature will rise until the skin cells start to die. Thankfully, most thermal burns are minor and do not need excessive medical treatments.
• Electricity: These burns tend to develop when a person comes into contact with an electrical current. As this happens, the electricity travels through their body and leads to tissue and organ damage, resulting in injuries that range from mild to severe and even death.
• Friction: A friction burn is both a heat burn and an abrasion. These burns generally result from motorcycle and bike collisions, but carpet burns can also cause them.
• Chemicals: A chemical burn occurs when the skin or eyes come into contact with an irritant such as an acid or a base. These burns tend to cause a reaction on the skin or within the body and can affect internal organs if the chemicals are swallowed.

The Severity of a Burn Injury—How Bad Can a Burn Injury Get?

Burns are usually divided into three primary categories, including first-degree burns or superficial burns, second-degree burns or partial-thickness burns, and third-degree burns or full-thickness burns.

These categories are often used to describe the severity of the burn, and better help doctors understand how they will need to treat these injuries, for instance:

A First-Degree Burn

This superficial burn is a burn injury that only affects the skin’s first layer. These first-degree burns tend to be mild and usually do not require any medical treatment. However, in some cases, if they become painful, pain medication may be needed.

A first-degree burn will usually heal within a week and is often categorized by redness and minor inflammation. They can be treated at home with cool water or Aloe Vera gel, but it is important to note that ice should never be applied directly to the wound.

A Second-Degree Burn

A second-degree burn tends to affect the skin’s top and lower layers known as the epidermis and the dermis. Most people tend to experience redness, pain, blistering, and swelling due to these burns, and it can take weeks for these injuries to heal properly. However, scarring is common.

Generally, if a burn is smaller than seven centimeters, it may be treated as a minor burn. But, if the injury involves the face, eyes, ears, groin, feet, or major joints, you need to get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible for further evaluation to avoid a loss of function or permanent disfigurement.

A Third-Degree Burn

A third-degree burn often destroys all the epidermis and dermis tissues and reaches the fat layer beneath the skin. Typically, the burned area will appear black, brown, or white and take on a leathery appearance. In some instances, victims of this burn injury may also lose all feeling in the injury site as these burns can destroy the pain-sensing nerves in the lower layer of the skin and result in the area becoming numb.

Medical intervention is required for those who suffer a third-degree burn injury, and a doctor needs to be seen immediately since this burn injury can result in significant health complications or death.

Burn Injuries and the Complications That Can Result From Them

Unfortunately, burn complications are often widespread and include everything from bacterial infections to skin discolorations.

However, in general, the most common complications that individuals need to be aware of after suffering a burn injury include:

• Dehydration
• Edema or excessive fluid and swelling in the tissues
• Organ damage
• Disfiguring scars
• Arrhythmia (a heart rhythm disturbance often resulting from an electrical burn)
• Pneumonia
• Low blood pressure, which can lead to shock
• Significant infections that can lead to sepsis and even require amputation

The Actions You Need to Take After a Bakersfield Burn Injury Accident

Although burn injuries range in type and severity, many of these incidents require prompt medical treatment to prevent catastrophic damages. That is why if you have been involved in a Bakersfield burn injury accident, you need to take action, not only to ensure you stay safe but protect your legal rights.

These steps include the following:

Contact 911 Right Away

If you suffer a severe burn injury in an accident, you need to call 911 immediately. This is the quickest way to alert emergency medical personnel that you require immediate medical attention and get your incident on record.

Plus, once the police arrive, they can start investigating your accident and jot down information regarding the incident in their police report. If you decide to pursue an injury claim following your burn injury accident, this report can provide you with valuable evidence.

Get Examined by a Doctor Promptly After Your Burn Injury Accident

Even if you believe your burn injury is not that serious, you still need to get to a doctor’s office following the accident. With burn injuries, it is always best to err on the side of caution and get your injury checked out to make sure it will not develop into a more severe problem or lead to a devastating infection.

Besides, seeking this prompt medical assistance can help your legal claim, especially when the other side or the insurance company tries to argue that your injuries are not that serious or a separate event caused them. Typically, when you see your doctor after an accident, they will create a medical report detailing all of your injuries. This report can ultimately provide you with evidence of a direct connection between the accident and the burn injuries you sustained.

Gather Evidence From the Scene and Document Your Injury

If possible, try to take pictures and videos of the accident scene and your visible injuries. In addition, make sure you document your burn injury over time, especially since it can take a while for this legal claim to resolve. Fortunately, pictures showing the progression of your injury can help the court get a better idea of the extent of your trauma, even if your wound is healed by the time your case is in its prime.

Keep Track of Your Bills and Medical Records

You will also want to keep track of all the bills related to your burn injury and your medical reports. These documents can help your lawyer argue the scope of your injuries and damages and aid them as they pursue the maximum damages you need.

Check for Witnesses

If there were people at the scene, make sure you get their names and numbers. These witness statements can often provide you with further details regarding the accident while also helping back up your claim. However, if your injuries are too severe for you to take any action following the accident, do not worry.

An experienced Bakersfield burn injury lawyer, such as those from The May Firm, can take on this investigation for you—making sure to gather the relevant evidence needed to prove fault and damages and obtain this witness testimony.

For these reasons, if you or a loved one suffered a burn injury in a Bakersfield burn accident, do not wait any longer to get the legal help you need. Instead, contact The May Firm today at (844) 629-3476 for a free case evaluation, and let our skilled burn injury attorneys help fight for the financial recovery you deserve.

Bakersfield Burn injury FAQs

Those injured in a Bakersfield burn injury accident do not only have to deal with excruciating pain and extensive debilitating trauma, but they also have to worry about the astronomical medical expenses that tend to result from this injury. What is even worse is these individuals often have no idea what their legal options are in this situation or whether they can pursue compensation for the harm they sustained.

That is why to help clear up some of this confusion surrounding burn injury accidents, we have prepared answers to the following FAQs that our clients often have. With these responses, we hope you have a better understanding of the legal remedies you can pursue, the compensation you are entitled to, and how our legal team can help you fight for your rights and the money you need.