Burn Injury

If you or a loved one has been badly burned, you’re likely facing intense pain, mounting medical costs, and an uncertain road to recovery. While you focus on healing, insurance companies are already working to minimize what they pay. You don’t have to navigate that alone.

As a burn injury victim, you need experienced legal representation from an attorney who understands the true cost of catastrophic harm. Attorney Geoffrey Dashner and our team aggressively defend your rights so you can pursue full and fair compensation. We aim for a strong settlement first, but if the insurer won’t offer what your case is worth, we are fully prepared to take the fight to court.

When another party’s negligence caused your burns—on the road, at work, in a fire, or from a defective product—you deserve to be compensated. Contact us for a free case evaluation to determine the best path forward.

What Compensation Can You Recover for a Burn Injury in Texas?

Because severe burns often require extended treatment, the compensation available can be substantial. Damages generally fall into two categories:

Economic Damages — measurable financial losses, including:

• Medical Expenses: Emergency care, hospitalization, surgeries, skin grafts, reconstructive procedures, and future medical treatment.
• Lost Wages and Earning Capacity: Income lost during recovery, plus reduced future earning ability if you cannot return to your job.
• Rehabilitation and Care Costs: Physical therapy, wound care, and ongoing treatment.

Non-Economic Damages — intangible losses that profoundly affect your life, including:

• Pain and Suffering: The severe physical pain that burn injuries and their treatment often involve.
• Disfigurement and Scarring: Compensation for permanent scarring and its emotional impact.
• Mental Anguish: Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress following the injury.

If a burn injury proves fatal, surviving family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim for their losses.

What Are the Degrees of Burn Injuries?

Burns are classified by depth. First-degree burns affect only the outer skin layer, second-degree burns reach deeper layers, and third- and fourth-degree burns destroy the full thickness of the skin and can damage muscle, nerves, and bone. Deeper burns generally require more intensive treatment and cause lasting harm.

Understanding the severity of a burn is central to valuing a claim accurately, since deeper burns typically mean higher medical costs and a greater long-term impact.

First- and Second-Degree Burns

First-degree burns cause redness and pain but usually heal without scarring. Second-degree burns damage deeper skin layers, often blistering and carrying a real risk of scarring and infection, according to the medical reference StatPearls from the National Library of Medicine.

Third- and Fourth-Degree Burns

Third-degree burns destroy the full thickness of the skin, while fourth-degree burns extend into muscle, tendons, and bone. These catastrophic injuries frequently require surgery, skin grafts, and long-term rehabilitation, and can leave permanent disfigurement.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries in Texas

Serious burns arise in many settings. The Dashner Law Firm handles burn cases caused by another party’s negligence, including:

• Car Accidents and Truck Accidents: Fuel-fed vehicle fires and explosions can cause devastating burns.
• Construction Accidents: Electrical faults, chemical exposure, and equipment fires are common job-site hazards.
• Industrial and Plant Explosions: Refinery and industrial-site blasts often produce catastrophic thermal burns.
• Defective Products: Faulty appliances, wiring, or flammable goods can ignite unexpectedly.
• Unsafe Premises: Building fires and scalding hazards caused by a property owner’s negligence.

According to the American Burn Association, open flames and scalds are among the leading causes of burn-center admissions in the United States.

Types of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are generally grouped by their source, and each type carries distinct medical and legal considerations:

• Thermal Burns: Caused by fire, flames, hot surfaces, or steam.
• Scald Burns: Caused by hot liquids, common in both home and workplace settings.
• Chemical Burns: Caused by acids, alkalis, or solvents, often in industrial environments.
• Electrical Burns: Caused by electrical current, which can produce deep internal damage not visible on the skin.

Severe burns can also occur alongside other catastrophic harm, such as a traumatic brain injury from a related fire or explosion.

Proving Negligence in a Texas Burn Injury Case

To recover compensation, you generally must prove that another party’s negligence caused your injury. Texas negligence claims rest on four elements.

The Four Pillars of Proving Negligence

• Duty of Care: The responsible party owed you a legal obligation to act with reasonable caution, such as a property owner’s duty to maintain safe premises or a manufacturer’s duty to sell safe products.
• Breach of Duty: They failed to meet that duty—through unsafe conditions, defective products, or careless conduct.
• Causation: That breach directly caused your burn injury.
• Damages: You suffered actual losses, such as medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering.

Texas also follows a modified comparative fault rule. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, you can recover damages as long as you are not more than 50% at fault, though your compensation is reduced by your share of responsibility. Our team works to accurately establish fault and counter insurer attempts to shift blame onto you.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Burn Injury Claims in Texas?

In Texas, you generally have TWO YEARS from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit, under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003. Certain circumstances—such as injuries to a minor—can alter this timeframe. Because burn cases require thorough investigation and detailed medical documentation, it’s important to begin the legal process as early as possible so evidence is preserved and no deadline is missed.

Why Choose The Dashner Law Firm for Your Burn Injury Case

Attorney Geoffrey Dashner and the team at The Dashner Law Firm bring more than two decades of personal injury experience and a firm-wide commitment to client advocacy. Burn injury cases demand careful investigation, credible medical experts, and an accurate projection of long-term costs—work we take seriously on every claim.

Clients benefit from our deep knowledge of Texas law, meticulous preparation, and tireless pursuit of full compensation. Mr. Dashner personally handles injury cases and gives clients direct access to him throughout the process. Consultations are always free, and you never pay out of pocket—we don’t collect unless you do.

Ready to talk? Call 972-793-8989 or request your free consultation online—no fees unless we win.