Catastrophic Injury Attorneys in Huntsville

Burn injuries can become catastrophic injuries resulting in severe pain, disfigurement, and worse—often resulting in expensive medical treatment and time off work. In the most extreme cases, burns can be permanently disabling or life threatening, causing tremendous upheaval and emotional distress for the burn injury survivor and their family.

Hundreds of thousands of burn injuries happen nationwide every year. Some are treated at home or in a doctor’s office, while others require hospitalization, surgery, skin grafts, and extensive rehabilitation. Among individuals admitted to burn centers for medical treatment, 47.1% were injured by a flash/flame, 32.2% were scalded, 10.8% suffered contact burns, 3.7% sustained chemical burns, and 2.9% experienced electrical burns, according to data from the American Burn Association.

If you or a loved one has sustained a burn injury due to someone else’s negligence, you don’t have to navigate your recovery alone. Our catastrophic injury attorneys at Tyler Mann Injury Law can review your case and advise you on your legal options.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries

Different kinds of accidents result in different kinds of burns. How a burn occurs often determines how the burn will be treated medically. Common causes of burns include:

  • Thermal Burns: Contact with hot objects like ovens, fireplaces, lighters, stoves, irons, and heated machinery can cause these painful burns.
  • Electrical Burns: Downed power lines during a thunderstorm, faulty power outlets, frayed wires, and defective appliances can all cause electrical burns.
  • Friction Burns: These burns happen when the skin scrapes against a rough surface like asphalt or concrete with great force, such as during a motorcycle accident, pedestrian collision, or fall from heights.
  • Radiation Burns: Exposure to radiation during medical treatments, when using tanning beds, or when working at a jobsite can lead to radiation burns and other health hazards.
  • Chemical Burns: Exposure to toxic and hazardous chemicals like cleaning products and pesticides, either in an industrial setting or at home, can cause severe burns.

The following are some examples of burn injury incidents in Huntsville:

  • In April 2025, one person was killed and another suffered burns when their vehicle crashed into a telephone pole and caught fire, according to WAAY 31.
  • In May 2022, a man caught fire while pouring gasoline on burning trash, according to WAFF 48.
  • In July 2023, a person was injured in a shop fire in the 400 block of Oshaughnessy Avenue NE, according to WHNT.

Who Might Be Liable for a Burn Injury

One or several parties can be liable for a burn injury. Depending on the facts in your case, our burn injury lawyer in Huntsville will determine who you might be able to recover compensation from. These could include:

  • Business Owner: In cases of hazardous materials that are stored carelessly, or unaddressed safety violations
  • Driver: A motorist who causes car accidents, truck accidents, or pedestrian injuries
  • Property Owner or Landlord: Dangerous chemicals, like pesticides, casually left on site, which can also give rise to premises liability claims
  • Product Manufacturer: Defective machinery, appliances that catch fire
  • Contractor: Careless workers who smoke near flammable liquids
  • Supplier or Cargo Handler: Companies and employees responsible for loading and unloading caustic chemicals
  • Hospitals and Doctors: Medical facilities and personnel who cause radiological burns

Burn Injuries Can Be Catastrophic

Burn injuries can range from mild to life-threatening, depending on the severity of damage to skin layers, lungs, eyes, and other parts of the body.  These injuries are categorized into four degrees depending on their skin-penetrating depth and severity:

  • First-Degree Burns: These are considered superficial burns, affecting only the outer layer of skin (epidermis). Symptoms include pain, minor swelling, and redness.
  • Second-Degree Burns: These burns damage the outer and underlying layers of skin (epidermis and dermis). They cause blisters, severe pain, and can lead to scarring.
  • Third-Degree Burns: These burns destroy the full skin thickness, penetrating to the deep dermis. The affected area can appear charred, leathery, or white and often destroy nerve endings.
  • Fourth-Degree Burns: These are the most severe burns, extending beyond the skin into bones, tendons, muscles, and even deeper. These injuries are life-threatening and require immediate critical care to preserve life. They can result in lifelong disfigurement, amputation, disability, and severe psychological trauma.

Based on the degree of burn, skilled medical professionals can assess the severity of an injury and administer the appropriate treatment.

Huntsville Medical Facilities That Treat Burn Injuries

After suffering a burn injury in your home, on the job, or elsewhere, seek medical care as quickly as possible. Medical facilities in Huntsville that are equipped to treat serious burns include:

  • Huntsville Hospital: Home to the region’s only state-designated Level I trauma center, this facility can treat the most severe or life-threatening burns. The hospital’s Wound Care Center also provides advanced care for slow-to-heal or infected burns.
  • Crestwood Medical Center: This facility includes a Wound Care Center offering specialized treatment for non-healing conditions, including burns.

Types of Compensation You Might Be Entitled To

If you have been burned in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to both economic and non-economic damages.  Economic damages are those that are easily quantifiable monetarily, while non-economic damages are harder to pin down in terms of financial costs, but no less real.

Economic Damages

  • Medical Expenses: Burn injuries can result in significant expenses for hospital stays, doctor visits, medication, surgeries, physical therapy, occupational therapy, wound care, and other medical expenses throughout life.
  • Lost Wages and Loss of Future Earning Potential: Burn survivors are often off work for weeks or months after an accident. Others become permanently disabled. The loss of current and future income can have a devastating effect on families.
  • End-of-Life Expenses: When burn injuries lead to death, surviving family members can file a wrongful death case to recover funeral and burial costs in addition to other compensation.

Non-Economic Damages

  • Pain and Suffering: This compensation is for the severe physical pain experienced during and immediately after the accident, as well as chronic pain and discomfort endured throughout the remainder of life.
  • Emotional Distress: The psychological trauma of being burned severely often results in depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleeplessness, and other mental and emotional challenges.
  • Scarring and Disfigurement: Burn injuries can leave severe scarring on the skin and disfigurement of various body parts and the face, often causing shame, embarrassment, and low self-esteem for those who are injured.
  • Loss of Enjoyment of Life: The extreme trauma of being burned and having one’s appearance significantly altered can cause a burn survivor to retreat from life, becoming isolated and missing out on social events, sports activities, and family outings.

After a Burn Injury, Contact Tyler Mann Injury Law

If you or a loved one has been burned in a fire, chemical spill, electrical incident, or other accident, a skilled and experienced attorney at Tyler Mann Injury Law can fight for the compensation you deserve. We treat clients with compassion, respect, and caring, understanding the extreme pain and trauma of a burn injury.

We will assess your case and explain your legal options during a no-cost initial consultation. To learn more about how we can help, contact us today.