Suffering an injury in a fire can be a traumatic experience. In addition to the initial damage, a burn injury can result in chronic pain, along with significant scarring and disfigurement. If you suffered a burn injury because of another party’s negligence, you may want to contact an experienced Bristol burn injury attorney to discuss your options for recovering compensation.
At Injured CT, we have a long history of helping our clients get the money they need from those responsible for their injuries. With over 50 years of combined experience, we know how to handle these types of cases to secure the best possible outcome. Contact us today to schedule a free case review with one of our Bristol personal injury lawyers.
Don’t Delay When Taking Legal Action After a Burn Injury
If you are planning to pursue legal action against the party responsible for your burn injury, it is critical that you act quickly. In Connecticut, accident victims generally have two years to take legal action under the state’s personal injury statute of limitations. If you fail to act before this deadline, you will likely be unable to recover compensation for your damages.
However, it is critical to understand that the specific details of your case could potentially alter the amount of time you have to file. Because of this, it is important that you contact an experienced attorney even if you think you have missed your chance to take legal action.
The deadline for pursuing compensation can shift the other way as well. That’s why it is critical to secure the services of an experienced burn accident attorney soon after you get hurt. Your lawyer will identify the deadline that applies to your case and ensure that your paperwork is completed and filed in plenty of time.
What a Burn Injury Lawyer Serving Bristol Can Do to Help After an Accident
When you hire a burn injury lawyer to help you recover compensation after an accident, they will take several actions to ensure you get the money you need and deserve. An experienced Bristol burn injury attorney will handle every aspect of your legal case so you can focus on your health and general well-being.
The first thing your attorney will do will be to investigate your accident. This investigation will likely include:
- Visiting the site where you were burned, taking pictures, and recording observations
- Obtaining a copy of the official police report of the incident
- Speaking with witnesses
- Consulting experts
- Reviewing your injury-related medical records
After wrapping up their initial investigation, your attorney will review the compensatory damages you can claim and calculate the full value of your claim. They will then file a personal injury lawsuit with the court or submit an injury claim to the at-fault party’s insurer.
Whichever road you go down in your pursuit of compensation, your attorney will take all the required steps to get you the compensation you deserve. In parallel to building your case, your attorney will also be negotiating with opposing counsel in an effort to reach a settlement deal that can get you money more quickly and avoid the stress and uncertainty of a trial.
Don’t Trust the Insurance Company
After suffering a burn injury, it is critical that you remember that the insurance company is not on your side. While insurers like to portray themselves as your friends ready to lend a helping hand, the truth is that their main concern is in protecting their bottom line. If they can find a way to deny or devalue your claim, they will take it.
Insurance adjusters will pretend they are doing everything they can to help you as they attempt to build your trust. If they succeed in convincing you that they are there to help, they will likely try to manipulate you into accepting a settlement offer that is far below the true value of your claim.
Hiring an experienced burn injury attorney in Bristol is the best way to protect yourself against insurers. By hiring a lawyer, you can prevent the insurance adjuster from contacting you directly, which will severely diminish their ability to trick you out of the compensation to which you are entitled.
Modified Comparative Negligence in Connecticut
When determining fault after an accident, the state of Connecticut uses a modified comparative negligence rule. This rule states that multiple parties can be held liable for an accident, and being partially to blame will not necessarily block you from recovering compensation.
You will still be eligible to pursue damages as long as your level of fault does not exceed 50%. However, the amount of money you are able to recover will be affected proportional to your level of fault. That means that if you are 10% to blame, you will only be able to recover 90% of the full value of your damages.
Using this example, if your damages are equal to $100,000, you would only qualify to recover $90,000. Should your level of liability exceed 50%, you will be barred from pursuing compensation and may find another party attempting to recover compensation from you.
Get Help from an Experienced Burn Injury Attorney in Bristol Today
The best thing you can do for your case is to secure the services of an experienced Bristol burn injury lawyer. At Injured CT, we have helped countless burn injury victims recover the compensation they need and deserve, both through court verdicts and out-of-court settlements.
Contact us today by using the contact form on this site or by giving us a call and schedule your free consultation with a member of our legal team.