Burn Injury

Maryland Thermal Burn Injury Lawyers

40 plus years of experience fighting for personal injury victims and injured workers

Thermal burns cause immediate, intense pain. For many victims with severe burns, when the physical pain begins to subside (often through surgery and skin grafts), the emotional pain can begin. Thermal burns can cause severe scars and disfigurement, and even with plastic surgery, the unsightly burns can cause a lifetime of emotional suffering.

Our Maryland thermal burn injury lawyers handle all types of burn injuries. We work with liability professionals to prove how your burns happened and who is liable. We file work injury claims if your burns happened during the course of your employment. Our team also files wrongful death claims if your loved one died due to burn injuries.

At Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A., we have more than 40 years of experience fighting for accident victims. We’ve obtained $500 million in recoveries for personal injury victims, wrongful death victims, and workers’ compensation claimants. While each case is different, and we can’t guarantee results, we can fight for the compensation you deserve.

How can we help?

What is a thermal burn?

Thermal burns damage the skin, usually due to contact with hot surfaces, liquids, metal, flames, or steam. Patients with severe burns may be treated at burn centers or local hospitals. Usually, patients are taken to burn centers based on the severity of the affected body surface areas, how deep the burns are, the age of the victim, and other factors.

About 86 percent of all burns (other burns include electrical, chemical, gas explosions, radiation, and friction burns) are thermal burns.

A burn is considered major (treated at a burn center), according to the American Burn Association, if any of the following factors apply:

  • More than one-fourth of the total body surface area in adults or one-fifth in children is burned
  • Full-thickness burn involving more than 10% of the total body surface area
  • There is a burn to the face, perineum, or extremities
  • There is significant cosmetic impairment

What are the common causes of thermal burns, and who is liable for thermal burns?

Our Maryland thermal burn injury lawyers work with investigators, fire officials, police, and others to determine the cause of burn injuries. Common causes include:

  • Car accidents and vehicle fires. The liable parties include drivers and those who may be responsible for a driver’s actions (such as employers and car owners).
  • Defective products, including appliances, lithium-ion batteries, and heaters. The liable parties may include manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of the defective products.
  • House and apartment fires. The liable parties may include the negligent property owners, landlords, tenants, inspection and maintenance companies, engineers, architects, and others.
  • Workplace accidents, especially jobs that involve hot metals, liquids, or gases. Generally, liability is not an issue in workers’ compensation cases if the burns occur to an employee during the scope of the employee’s job.

Other thermal injuries may result from exposure to extreme cold, including frostbite and contact with cryogenic liquids such as liquid nitrogen.

What are the degrees of thermal burns?

The Cleveland Clinic classifies burns as follows:

  • First-degree burns. These are superficial burns that damage the epidermis (the top skin layer). Most first-degree burns are minor and can be self-treated.
  • Second-degree burns. These deeper burns damage the outer two skin layers (epidermis and dermis). Second-degree burns can cause blisters, texture changes, and color changes. These burns can be quite painful.
  • Third-degree burns. These are full-thickness burns that damage all layers of the skin and can damage the fatty tissue underneath the dermis. Third-degree burns may destroy nerve endings. “Full-thickness burns can char your skin black or make it look ashen and gray. Burned skin can also have a different color while it heals.”
  • Fourth-degree burns. These burns can damage muscles, nerves, bones, and other deep tissue.

What are the long-term effects of thermal burn injuries?

Burns can cause infections without proper care. Severe complications include:

  • Dehydration and shock due to the loss of blood and fluids
  • Compartment syndrome from swelling that cuts off blood circulation
  • Respiratory disorders
  • Hypothermia because skin damage affects how your body regulates its temperature
  • Organ damage and failure when your liver and kidneys try to filter damaged tissue from your blood
  • Digestion and metabolism issues
  • Sepsis is an overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction to spreading infections
  • Blood clot formation leading to deep vein thrombosis

Catastrophic burn injuries can cause:

  • Permanent scarring and disfigurement
  • Nerve damage and chronic pain
  • Mobility difficulties and other physical impairments
  • Emotional difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD

Patients may require skin grafts and plastic surgery to treat their burns and improve their physical appearance.

The diagnosis of thermal burns

Doctors generally examine the site of the burn and ask questions about what happened. They may order blood, urine, CT scans, and MRIs to determine the extent of the tissue damage and other burn injuries.

The treatments for thermal burns

At Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A., we work with your doctors (and our network of doctors, plastic surgeons, and mental health professionals) to verify the severity of your burns, the treatment you’ll need, and all the ways your burns are reasonably likely to affect you physically and emotionally.

Professional medical care includes:

  • Over-the-counter or prescribed medications
  • Cleaning and debriding to remove dead and dying skin and tissue
  • Dressing/protection. Bandages help protect burns from germs and debris
  • Surgery to help burns heal and reduce scarring
  • Skin grafts
  • Wound care. This treatment may include removing damaged tissue (debridement), hyperbaric oxygen therapy, dressing management, and more
  • Physical therapy to help you function
  • Occupational therapy to help with daily living activities
  • Psychological counseling. These treatments help thermal burn victims with anxiety, depression, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)

What compensation can I receive in a thermal burn lawsuit?

The compensation you can receive depends on the type of claim you have. Our Maryland thermal burn injury lawyers handle the following types of claims:

Personal injury lawsuit

Personal injury claims require showing that someone owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty, and that the breach caused your injuries. Our burn injury lawyers seek compensation for all your past, current, and future damages, including:

  • Medical expenses. These include emergency transportation, emergency care, burn center care, hospital stays, surgeries, doctor appointments, rehabilitative therapy, psychological counseling, and medications.
  • Lost income. This includes wages, business income, benefits, and compensation for permanent impairment or loss of future earning capacity.
  • Pain and suffering. We seek compensation for the emotional trauma of coping with scars and disfigurement, which can affect your confidence, self-esteem, ability to form and keep relationships, and many other parts of your life.
  • Other damages. These include:
    • Loss of bodily function
    • The inability to enjoy life’s pleasures
    • Loss of consortium
    • Any property damage

Workers’ compensation claims

In workers’ compensation cases, employees who suffer thermal burns during the scope of their employment can seek compensation for:

  • All medical bills for the care of their injuries
  • Temporary disability benefits
  • Permanent disability benefits
  • Vocational rehabilitation benefits

Death benefits

We file wrongful death claims for families if a negligent act causes fatal burn injuries.
We seek workers’ compensation death benefits if an employee suffers a fatal injury during the scope of their employment.

How do your Maryland thermal burn injury lawyers help victims?

At Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A., we have the experience and resources to fight for thermal injury accident victims. Our work includes:

  • Determining the cause of the thermal burns
  • Working with fire officials, product safety experts, and others to obtain and preserve relevant evidence, question witnesses, and prepare appropriate reports
  • Conducting formal discovery. This includes questioning the defendants in writing and in person. It also includes making formal demands to review prior complaints, prior inspections, prior repairs, and all other relevant written records
  • Working with you to verify the full scope and severity of your injuries
  • Working with your employer and/or financial experts to place a value on your income losses
  • Helping you file the proper claim in the proper court
  • Preparing a formal settlement demand
  • Negotiating with the insurance carriers
  • Arguing your case before a judge and jury if there is no settlement

What steps should victims take after suffering a thermal burn injury?

If you suffer a thermal burn injury, you should:

  • Seek immediate medical treatment.
  • Provide the proper notices. For example, employees must give their employer prompt notice of a workplace injury. Drivers must call the police if there is an accident that causes harm.
  • Take photos or videos of the accident site, and fire or other damage due to the heated objects, and of your injuries, if it is safe and practical to do so.
  • Call our experienced Maryland burn injury lawyers. We can explain what other steps you need to take, review your claim, and fight for the compensation you deserve.

Maryland thermal burn FAQ

How long do I have to file a thermal burn claim?

Please contact us as soon as possible. We must act quickly to preserve your legal claim, investigate what happened, and review your medical care.

  • Generally, the time limit to file a personal injury claim in Maryland is within three years from the date of your injuries. Exceptions, including shorter deadlines for claims against the government, may apply. The statute of limitations for minors who are victims is generally tolled until the minor turns 18.
  • In Maryland, you generally must file a formal claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the date of the accident. However, you have to notify the employer within 10 days and failure to file within 60 days may allow your employer to contest the claim if the delay prejudiced their ability to investigate. The specific time limits depend on whether the claim is based on an accident, an occupational illness, a death, or other reasons. Other time requirements may apply for workers’ compensation claims based on an occupational illness or a work-related death.

What Maryland facilities provide emergency medical care for burn injuries?

Many burn injury victims are treated at local burn centers and local hospitals. The primary burn center in Maryland is the Johns Hopkins Burn Center at Bayview in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you have a Maryland thermal burn injury lawyer near me?

Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. has offices located at

  • Baltimore, MD. 575 S Charles St, Suite 504
  • Columbia, MD. 10211 Wincopin Circle, Suite 620

We help thermal burn injury victims in Columbia, Baltimore, Frederick, and throughout Maryland. We also conduct conversations by phone and through online video platforms, like Zoom and FaceTime. If necessary, we can make alternate arrangements to see you.

We can answer all your questions and explain how the claims process works.

Speak with a Maryland thermal burn injury lawyer today

We understand how devastating severe thermal burn injuries are – physically and emotionally. Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A., is ready to help you now. We’ve been fighting for accident victims since 1985.

Please call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We handle burn injury cases on a contingency fee basis.

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