Can You Sue Someone For Burning You?

by Five Fantastic Lawyers™ on May 12, 2021

Burns happen for a variety of reasons, and oftentimes it can cause bodily harm. It would be a good idea to consult some burn injury lawyers to see what kind of a case you may have.

How Can Burns Occur

There are many different ways that people can get burned:

  • Chemical Burns – This could happen in a lab, even with safety equipment.
  • Construction Accidents – There can be incidents with things like welders blowtorches.
  • Fireworks – This is a big one during certain holidays or seasons. Bystanders can get hit by a firework.
  • Kitchen Accidents – This can be from the stovetop or even boiling water for pasta being overturned.
  • Scalding Water – A woman once got burned with a fast-food chain’s coffee – she sued and won because they made it too hot.
  • Vehicle Accidents – Gasoline is flammable and getting in a bad wreck can lead to the vehicle igniting and causing burns.

Filing A Burn Injury Lawsuit

There are several reasons why one might file a burn lawsuit:

  • Negligence – This can be the result of careless actions. A person could be at a beach party and throw something into a bonfire that explodes and causes someone to get severe burns. They could be responsible for that person’s medical bills from hospital care.
  • Defective product – If someone is using a product as intended, like riding an electric scooter and it catches fire and causes burns, the plaintiff could sue over a defective product since it occurred during normal use (that is, no alterations were made to try to make the scooter go faster, for example).
  • Premises Liability – This means that something could happen at someone’s place where they got burned due to the homeowner either not taking precautions to keep it from happening or warning their guests about the possibility of danger.

What Kind of Damages Can Be Awarded?

It depends on how severe the burns were and what the intentions of the person who burned the others were- ranging from reckless to malicious to fraudulent to having the intent to cause harm. Economic damages can also be awarded if the plaintiff had to pay medical bills or have extensive surgery (and skin grafts) for their burns and subsequently lost money in wages and possible earning potential due to their injuries – not to mention if their property was damaged due to fire.

This is a very basic overview. Either you or a family member should speak to a legal professional about burn litigation to learn more.

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