Valley View Burn Injury Lawyer

Get a Free Case Review

SERIOUS ATTORNEYS FOR SERIOUS INJURIES

Practice Areas

FREE CONSULTATION
five-stars-BBGgold

Chandler Ross is the best hands down! You can not go wrong with these attorneys!

— Tracy P.

Burn injuries are among the most devastating and life-altering injuries a person can suffer. Whether caused by a workplace explosion near the industrial corridors along I-35, a car accident fire on Highway 77 outside Valley View, a defective product, or a dangerous property condition, severe burns can permanently change every part of your life. If someone else’s negligence caused your burn injury, Texas law gives you the right to hold that person or company accountable. At Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, serving clients throughout Denton County and the Valley View area, we fight for burn injury victims who deserve real answers and real compensation.

Table of Contents

How Burn Injuries Happen and Why They Are So Serious

Burn injuries happen in more ways than most people realize. According to the American Burn Association’s 2024 Burn Injury Summary Report, the leading causes of burn admissions include flash and flame burns at 41.7%, scalds at 32.2%, contact burns at 10.8%, chemical burns at 3.7%, and electrical burns at 2.9%. Each of these causes can arise directly from another party’s negligence, whether that is a landlord who failed to maintain safe electrical wiring, an employer who skipped required safety training, or a manufacturer who put a defective product on the market.

Research published in the Journal of Burn Care and Research estimates that 600,000 individuals annually suffer a burn injury that merits emergent care in the United States. That is not a small number. These are real people, many of them right here in North Texas, who face extended hospital stays, multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and permanent scarring.

The severity of a burn depends on its depth and the percentage of body surface area affected. First-degree burns damage only the outer skin layer. Second-degree burns reach deeper tissue and cause blistering and intense pain. Third-degree burns destroy all layers of skin and often require surgical treatment. Fourth-degree burns extend into muscle and bone. The deeper the burn, the longer the recovery, the higher the medical costs, and the greater the long-term impact on your quality of life.

Workplace burn injuries deserve special attention. Under 29 CFR Part 1926, Subpart V, OSHA sets strict requirements for protective clothing in environments with electrical arc hazards, requiring that arc-rated gear meet or exceed the estimated incident heat energy for the work being performed. When employers ignore these federal safety standards, workers pay the price with their bodies. If you suffered a burn injury at a Valley View construction site, an oil field, or any other job site in Denton County, you may have a claim that goes beyond workers’ compensation.

Texas Law and Your Right to Compensation After a Burn Injury

Texas law gives burn injury victims the right to pursue compensation from the parties responsible for their harm. Your claim will generally fall under Texas negligence law, which requires you to prove that the at-fault party owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused your burn injury as a direct result of that breach.

Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, you have two years from the date of your burn injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing this deadline almost always means losing your right to any compensation, no matter how severe your injuries are. The clock starts on the date the injury occurred, though the discovery rule can sometimes extend this deadline when an injury was not immediately apparent.

Texas also follows a modified comparative fault system. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001, you can still recover damages even if you were partially at fault, as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50 percent. However, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if a jury finds you were 20 percent at fault and your total damages are $500,000, you would recover $400,000.

When a defective product caused your burn, such as a faulty appliance, a flammable material, or a malfunctioning vehicle, you may have a products liability claim. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 82.005, a design defect claim requires you to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that a safer alternative design existed and that the defect was a producing cause of your injury. This statute also defines a safer alternative design as one that would have prevented or significantly reduced the risk of injury without substantially impairing the product’s usefulness, and that was economically and technologically feasible when the product left the manufacturer’s control.

The personal injury lawyers at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys understand how to build burn injury cases under Texas law. We identify every responsible party, gather the evidence needed to prove liability, and fight for the full compensation you deserve.

What Compensation Is Available to Valley View Burn Injury Victims

Burn injury victims in Valley View and throughout Denton County can pursue two broad categories of compensation: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover the financial losses you can document, while non-economic damages address the human cost of your injuries.

Economic damages in a burn injury case typically include past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, the cost of in-home care and assistance, and expenses for prosthetics, compression garments, and scar revision surgeries. Burn injuries often require repeated hospitalizations and years of follow-up treatment, so future medical costs can be substantial. According to burn hospitalization data, extensive burns requiring surgical treatment and prolonged mechanical ventilation account for some of the most serious admissions, with an inpatient mortality rate of 17.8%. Survivors of these severe injuries face enormous long-term costs.

Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium for a spouse or family member. These damages are real, even if they do not come with a receipt. Severe burns cause chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, depression, and social withdrawal, all of which deserve full recognition in your claim.

In cases involving especially reckless or intentional conduct, Texas law also permits punitive damages, known as exemplary damages, under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41. These are designed to punish conduct that is grossly negligent or malicious. Keep in mind that results in any individual case depend entirely on the specific facts and applicable law, and past results in other cases do not guarantee the same outcome for you.

One critical point: if your burn happened at work and your employer carries workers’ compensation insurance, your path to compensation will initially run through the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation. However, a third-party claim against a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or property owner may still be available, and these claims can produce significantly greater compensation than workers’ comp benefits alone.

The Role of Expert Witnesses in Burn Injury Cases

Burn injury cases often require expert testimony to establish liability, causation, and the full extent of damages. Burn surgeons, vocational rehabilitation experts, life care planners, and accident reconstruction specialists can all play important roles in building a strong case.

Under the standard established in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 509 U.S. 579 (1993), federal courts require that expert testimony be based on sufficient facts or data, be the product of reliable principles and methods, and reflect a reliable application of those principles to the facts of the case. Texas state courts apply a similar reliability standard under Texas Rule of Evidence 702. This means that the experts your attorney retains must meet a rigorous standard, and selecting the right experts matters enormously to the outcome of your case.

A life care planner, for example, can project the cost of all future medical treatment your burn injuries will require, from reconstructive surgeries to occupational therapy to psychological counseling. This projection becomes a key piece of evidence in establishing your full economic damages. A vocational expert can testify about how your injuries have affected your ability to work and earn income.

In product liability burn cases, engineering experts may be needed to demonstrate that a safer alternative design existed and that the product’s design was the producing cause of your injury, as required under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 82.005. Without qualified expert support, these claims are difficult to win.

Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys works with qualified experts who can present credible, well-supported testimony that holds up to scrutiny. When you are dealing with serious burn injuries, you need a legal team that knows how to assemble and present the full picture of your losses. Call us at (940) 800-2500 to talk about your case.

Why Valley View Residents Should Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys

Valley View sits in Cooke County, just north of Denton County along I-35, a stretch of highway that sees heavy commercial truck traffic, tanker trucks carrying flammable materials, and industrial vehicles heading to and from the oil and gas operations throughout North Texas. Residents of Valley View who are injured in Denton County, or who need to file claims in the Denton County courts near the courthouse square in downtown Denton, benefit from working with a firm that knows this region well.

Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys is based in Denton, Texas. We handle burn injury cases throughout the surrounding communities, including Valley View and the broader Denton County area. We know the local courts, the local roads, and the types of accidents that happen in this part of North Texas, from industrial fires near the rail lines to vehicle fires on Highway 77 and the stretch of I-35 that runs through our region.

We handle burn injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you. There is no upfront cost and no risk to you for getting started. We offer free consultations so you can learn about your rights and your options without any obligation.

Burn injuries can affect every part of your life, from your ability to work to your relationships to your sense of self. You should not have to face the insurance companies and the legal process alone while you are trying to heal. Whether your injury happened in a car accident, a workplace incident, or because of a dangerous product or property condition, we are ready to stand with you. Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys today at (940) 800-2500 to schedule your free consultation. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can start protecting your rights.

Content on this page is the responsibility of Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, whose principal office is located in Denton, Texas. This page is an advertisement. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts and applicable law.

FAQs About Valley View Burn Injury Lawyer

How long do I have to file a burn injury lawsuit in Texas?

Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, you generally have two years from the date of your burn injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. If you miss this deadline, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case and you will lose your right to any compensation. There are limited exceptions, such as cases involving minors or injuries that were not immediately discoverable, but these exceptions are narrow. Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 as soon as possible to make sure your claim is filed on time.

Can I file a burn injury claim if I was partially at fault for the accident?

Yes, in most cases. Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001. You can still recover damages as long as your share of fault is 50 percent or less. Your total compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you were 25 percent at fault and your damages total $200,000, you could recover $150,000. An attorney can help you evaluate how fault may be assessed in your specific situation.

What if my burn injury happened at work in Valley View or Denton County?

If your employer carries Texas workers’ compensation insurance, you will initially pursue benefits through that system, which covers medical expenses and a portion of lost wages. However, workers’ comp does not cover pain and suffering or full lost earning capacity. If a third party, such as a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or property owner, contributed to your injury, you may also have a separate personal injury claim against that party. These third-party claims can produce significantly more compensation than workers’ comp alone. Call (940) 800-2500 to discuss your options with Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys.

What types of compensation can a burn injury victim recover in Texas?

Burn injury victims in Texas can pursue economic damages, which include medical bills, future treatment costs, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity, as well as non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, disfigurement, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving grossly negligent or malicious conduct, punitive damages may also be available under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41. The specific compensation available in your case depends entirely on the facts, the severity of your injuries, and the applicable law. Past results in other cases do not predict the outcome of your case.

Do I need an expert witness to win a burn injury case in Texas?

In most serious burn injury cases, yes. Expert witnesses such as burn surgeons, life care planners, vocational experts, and accident reconstruction specialists help establish the cause of your injury, the extent of your damages, and your future medical needs. In product liability burn cases, engineering experts are often needed to prove that a safer alternative design existed, as required under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 82.005. Texas courts apply a reliability standard to expert testimony similar to the federal Daubert standard, so selecting qualified experts matters greatly. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys works with experienced experts to build the strongest possible case for our clients.

More Resources for Valley View, TX