The Asheville Burn Injury Lawyer for You
Why Should You Choose Lakota Denton to Handle Your Burn Injury Case?
We know you have choices when it comes to law firms. So why should you choose our Asheville burn injury attorney to handle your case? Our attorney is an aggressive negotiator who knows how to successfully take on insurance companies. Lakota Denton is also an experienced litigator who has won substantial jury awards for injured victims of negligence.
When you work with our firm, you can expect to receive hands-on representation in your burn injury lawsuit from an empathetic and knowledgeable attorney who understands the stress and anxiety you’re facing. Lakota will always take the time to answer your questions and address your concerns. Your burn injury case will never be handed off to a less experienced associate.
The Top 6 Reasons to Work with Lakota and His Team
- We understand. We understand that a severe burn injury can be a life-changing event and recovery can take months, if not years. You’re in pain, you need medical treatment, and you need the best doctors. You may be worried about the growing medical bills for your costly treatment. You don’t need to also worry about whether your attorney has the skills and experience to handle your case — you need to focus on healing from your burns. We are a compassionate team who will put your worries to rest. We’ll explain the steps involved with your burn injury case and we’ll handle all the legal matters so you can put all of your attention on recovery. You can also put to rest any concerns about an attorney fee. We work on a contingency basis, which means that you don’t pay us unless we win your case.
- We don’t rush a settlement in a burn injury case. Typically, severe burn injuries require months of treatment to heal the injured tissue, and they may require surgery and skin grafts. It is important to understand the full scope of the treatment you’ll need in the future and to thoroughly investigate your case. Rushing into a settlement can be detrimental to your case. Our Asheville burn injury lawyer will leave no stone unturned as he investigates the circumstances surrounding your burn injuries. Lakota will be detailed in his research so he can clearly prove negligence occurred and determine which parties are liable.
- We have a proven track record of success. You may be worried that if you don’t get a good burn injury settlement, there may not be enough funds to cover your medical bills, your lost earnings while you were in recovery, and even adequate compensation for your pain and suffering. We have represented many burn injury victims in North Carolina, and we have a successful track record of obtaining favorable outcomes for our clients. We always fight for the maximum amount of compensation possible in a burn injury case so you can receive the full amount you deserve.
- We treat our burn injury clients with compassion. You need a fierce advocate, but you also need an understanding ear in such a difficult time. Everyone on our team knows from working with our clients that suffering a serious burn injury is horribly upsetting. Pain is part of your daily existence; you are filled with worry about how your skin will heal; you feel stressed about bills and how your burn injury case will turn out. We’re here to listen, but also to reassure you. If our Asheville burn injury attorney takes your case, you can be sure he believes he will win. Lakota is known for his honesty. He’ll tell you what outcome you can expect.
- You’ll always be informed about what’s happening with your case. Our burn injury lawyer will always make sure you know all the options available to you. He’ll explain the benefits of each. He’ll also explain the process of a burn injury case and what you can anticipate will happen next. Don’t be shy about asking questions. Lakota and his team are always here to help.
- You deserve a superior burn injury lawyer. We believe that every client who suffered a severe burn injury deserves the best possible representation. We’re don’t shy away from tough cases – we welcome the challenge. And when we do take on a burn injury case, it’s because we’re confident we can win. Lakota and his team will never give up until we get results. As our client, you deserve nothing less than the best.
Our past clients’ comments show just how we’ve helped them. See what they have to say. If you’re looking for a burn injury lawyer in Asheville, NC, who will fight for you and get you the maximum settlement, Lakota is the attorney for you.
Want to learn more about our Asheville burn injury lawyer? Lakota has been recognized within the legal community for his dedication to getting the best results for personal injury clients. He was honored to be named a Super Lawyers Rising Star and to be on the list of Top 40 Lawyers Under 40.
Choose a fierce advocate who will fight tirelessly for you to get the maximum amount of compensation possible. Call Lakota today at (828) 333-5996 to arrange a free consultation.
What Our Burn Injury Attorney Will Do for You
Here are quick highlights of what Lakota will do for you. Once we take your case, our burn injury attorney in Asheville will:
- Do all the legwork of thoroughly investigating the circumstances of your burn injury and gathering evidence to establish negligence
- Communicate with the insurance companies of all parties involved and file all necessary claim paperwork
- Negotiate a fair settlement offer with the insurance company of the responsible party
- File a burn injury lawsuit if a fair settlement offer isn’t forthcoming
- Go to court to get you the money you deserve.
Investigation of Your Burn Injury Case
You can rely on the skills of our Asheville burn injury attorney to handle the legal details necessary to secure you the maximum compensation available. We will investigate the causes of your burn injury and all evidence available to determine who can be held liable. We will hold those responsible for your injuries to account. Whether the cause of your burns was a fire, an explosion, electrocution, or chemical exposure, the circumstances of a burn injury can be complex and may require experts to investigate. When your case can benefit from these experts, we will bring them on board.
When a Burn Injury May Also Be a Wrongful Death Case
If you seek a burn injury lawyer because your loved one died as a result of their injuries, we’ll pursue a wrongful death claim so your compensation can cover costs associated with their death. We will also seek compensation to recover costs of the medical treatment they received and the loss of the income they provided and would have provided to your family in the future.
Skilled Negotiations with Insurers
You can also count on our experience as negotiators and can leave all communications with insurers up to our burn injury lawyer. Insurers always want to settle fast and for the lowest amount possible. They have tricks up their sleeves to convince you to settle sooner rather than later and for less rather than more. Our team knows those tricks. When we handle the communications with insurers on your behalf, the insurers’ strategies to lower a settlement won’t work. We know how to obtain a settlement amount that you need and deserve.
Aggressive Litigators If Your Burn Injury Case Goes to Trial
When Lakota takes a case to court, he is a fierce litigator. Insurance companies know we aren’t afraid to go to court. They know we won’t back down in taking your burn injury case all the way to trial. They don’t want to risk having to pay more in an award after a trial than they would in a settlement. Plus, they lose money when cases drag out for a long time. When you work with our team, that skill in both negotiation and litigation is your advantage: you can count on us fighting hard for the compensation you deserve.
We know how frustrating it can be to deal with insurance companies. Protect yourself and get the full compensation you deserve by talking with our Asheville burn injury lawyer at 828-333-5996.
Compensation Our Asheville Burn Injury Lawyer Will Pursue for You
When you’ve been injured due to negligence, our burn injury lawyer will pursue compensation from the at-fault party to pay you for the damages you’ve suffered. “Damages” are all the losses you’ve experienced because of your injuries. How much compensation you may be able to get will depend upon all the details of your case.
Damages in Burn Injury Cases
Damages in burn injury cases could include compensation for losses that can be tallied financially, like medical bills or earnings you lost while you were hospitalized. These are known as economic damages. You can also recover damages for non-economic losses, like a diminished quality of life related to scarring and disfigurement caused by your burns, or for losses related to pain and suffering.
Economic damages may include:
- Current and future medical bills
- Lost wages for time missed at work while recuperating
- Lost earning capacity if your ability to work is compromised
- Rehabilitation
- Scarring and disfigurement that have resulted from your burns
- Skin grafting surgeries
- Care in a burn center.
Non-economic damages compensate for your overall suffering and may include:
- Pain and suffering for physical pain and mental and emotional trauma
- Mental anguish associated with scarring or disfigurement
- Diminished quality of life
- Depression
- PTSD
- Punitive damages in cases of extreme negligence.
Wrongful Death in Burn Injury Cases
Sadly, catastrophic burn injuries sometimes lead to death. If your family member has died from a burn injury caused by someone’s negligence, you could potentially receive damages through a wrongful death claim. Damages may include compensation for:
- Medical expenses
- Funeral and burial costs
- Pain and suffering of the deceased before they died
- Lost income and future earnings
- Lost comfort, love and support, known as “loss of consortium” in legal terms
- Lost protection and assistance.
In North Carolina, wrongful death lawsuits can be brought by personal representatives on behalf of survivors. Survivors themselves cannot bring wrongful death claims unless they’re also a personal representative. You can talk to Lakota about your case if you aren’t sure who could serve as a personal representative. Give our team a call at (828) 333-5996.
Long-term Consequences of Severe Burn Injuries
Our Attorney Will Factor in Future Costs of Your Injuries
Consequences of a severe burn injury can be long-term, so the compensation you seek in a burn injury case needs to fully account for all costs you have related to your burns, now and in the future. Some of those consequences are:
- Multiple painful skin grafting procedures
- Permanent scarring from the way your burns healed
- Permanent disfigurement related to your scarring
- Infection from your burn wounds
- Shock when your burn injuries are exceptionally severe
- Organ damage or nerve damage that can accompany serious, deep burns
- Burn injury treatment in a long-term care facility
- Psychological issues and severe depression.
Once we understand all the details of your case, our Asheville burn injury lawyer will advise you about damages you may be able to claim and how much money you could potentially get. Lakota will always give you an honest assessment of your case so you know where you stand if you decide to take on the insurers and those responsible for your burns. Let Lakota fight for you. Call us at (828) 333-5996 to get a free consultation with our team.
Get Responsive Help from Our Burn Injury Attorney
Not only are burn injuries very painful, they can also lead to infection, scarring and disfigurement. Burn injuries can occur almost anywhere and in a wide variety of ways. They happen in car accidents. They happen in the workplace. They can be caused by defective products and unsafe property conditions. Our Asheville burn injury lawyer has helped clients who suffered severe burns in many different situations. However they happen, severe burns are often debilitating and can have long-lasting impacts on people’s lives.
According to the American Burn Association, there are nearly 500,000 burn injuries every year that need medical treatment. Out of these, approximately 40,000 require hospitalization, including at specialized burn centers. It’s no surprise that medical bills for these injuries are very high. Data shows that treatment costs for catastrophic burns can reach into the millions of dollars, in some cases. People with serious burns may not be able to work, resulting in further financial distress. The effects of a burn injury can be lifelong, both physically and financially.
Honest Legal Representation during Difficult Times
While some burn injuries are truly accidental, burns can also be caused by the negligent or even intentional actions of others. If you have a burn injury sustained in a car accident or caused in one of the following or in other ways, you may be able to get compensation:
- A workplace chemical mishap
- A defective product malfunction
- A careless healthcare provider misused X-rays or radiation therapy
- A property owner didn’t fix dangerous electrical wiring
- Someone intentionally set a fire.
Compensation in a burn injury claim could help you pay doctor bills, replace lost income if you can’t work, and more.
To learn about how we may be able to help you, call our experienced team at (828) 333-5996 to arrange a free consultation with our friendly and straightforward attorney. You have nothing to lose by speaking with Lakota, and potentially much to gain.
Who Can Be Held Liable in Your Burn Injury Case?
Contributory Negligence in North Carolina
When you’re considering whether to bring a burn injury lawsuit, it’s important to understand that North Carolina uses a pure contributory negligence system in personal injury cases (N.C. Gen. Stat. §1-139). This means that if you are found to share any fault at all, even as little as 1%, for the accident that led to your burn injuries, you cannot recover any damages. Even if your case doesn’t go to court, insurance adjusters may take your share of fault into account, which could lead to a lower settlement offer or make insurers resistant to paying you anything.
Because of this North Carolina law, it’s especially important to not admit any degree of fault for the accident to anyone.
To better understand who can be held liable in your case, talk to Lakota. His experience as an Asheville burn injury attorney means he knows how to establish negligence and defend against accusations of shared fault.
You Can Pursue a Legal Claim for Many Types of Burns
Our Asheville burn injury attorney handles cases involving all types of burn injuries. What’s important in your legal case is establishing fault. If negligent behavior on the part of someone caused your injury, then they should be held responsible. This responsible party could be an employer, a landlord, a restaurant or store owner, the driver of a vehicle, the manufacturer of a faulty product, among others. Here are the types of burns that can be part of a legal case:
- Fire burns or other thermal burns from exposure to flames or hot objects
- Thermal or chemical burns from explosions
- Inhalation burns from inhaling smoke, or harmful vapors or gases
- Chemical burns where the skin or eyes are exposed to harmful chemicals
- Electrical burns from electrocution
- Scalding burns from exposure to extremely hot water, whether they are caused by a faulty or poorly maintained radiator in a rental home or a landlord who failed to set water temperature on a water heater appropriately, or an employer who failed to maintain a safe workplace
- Radiation burns, which can occur to cancer patients receiving radiation treatments or workers exposed to radiation in the workplace
- Frostbite or cold burns from exposure to extreme cold.
As an attorney who is “brutally honest,” Lakota will always be truthful with you about the strength of your case. If he believes you were the victim of another’s negligence when you suffered your burn injury, he will fight hard to get compensation for you.
Steps to Take after Your Burn Injury
If you’ve suffered a serious burn, get to the hospital or see a doctor right away. It’s crucial for your health and healing that you have a doctor look at your burn to assess its severity, provide emergency first aid if needed, and develop a treatment plan. It’s also important to your legal case that there is a record showing you received prompt and thorough medical care.
Even if you feel your burns may be minor, see a doctor. Burn injuries can often be more serious and problematic than they may originally appear to be. It’s always best to err on the side of safety and get medical help.
Once you’ve received medical attention, be sure to:
- Keep a file of your medical records and bills
- Document your burn injuries with photographs
- Consider keeping a diary or journal that describes your injuries and pain levels on a regular basis
- Not give statements about the accident to the at-fault party’s insurance company or their lawyer
- Refer insurers and lawyers for the other party to your attorney.
Keeping all your documentation is important, but so is taking action in your case in a timely way. The statute of limitations in North Carolina for a burn injury case is three years, and if you are pursuing a wrongful death case related to your loved one’s burn injuries, you’ll have two years. Reach out to our Asheville burn injury attorney to learn more about what to do following an accident in which you were burned.
Rely on Our Experienced Asheville Burn Injury Attorney
If you’ve been burned due to the negligent actions of another party, call Lakota and his team for legal assistance. As an experienced Asheville burn injury law firm, we will advise you on how best to proceed with your case. We want you to get the compensation you deserve, to recover and move forward with your life when you’ve been injured due to negligence. Our legal team is standing by to assist you. Call Lakota today at (828) 333-5996 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation about your injury or wrongful death case.
Lakota R. Denton, P.A. – Asheville Office
36 Orchard St, Asheville, NC 28801
P: (828) 333-5996