Serious burn injuries are among the most devastating and life-changing traumas a person can face. The pain, medical needs, and scars—both visible and invisible—can last a lifetime. If your burn was caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve not just compensation for your immediate losses, but the resources to rebuild your life. Reagan Charleston Thomas, a leading personal injury lawyer at AWKO in New Orleans, is committed to helping burn injury survivors secure the settlements they truly need. This guide will break down how burn injury settlements in Louisiana work, the complex medical and legal landscape, and what to expect as you pursue justice.
Understanding Burn Degrees and Their Long-term Consequences
The severity of a burn is measured by its depth and extent—often categorized as first, second, third, or fourth degree. Each category results in very different medical needs and potential life outcomes.
First-Degree Burns:
- Affect only the outer layer (epidermis).
- Cause redness, minor discomfort, and usually heal without permanent scarring.
- Settlement value is generally low unless facial or highly visible areas are affected.
Second-Degree Burns:
- Penetrate the epidermis and part of the dermis.
- Can cause blistering, swelling, and more intense pain.
- Healing can take weeks, with risks of infection and some permanent discoloration or minor scarring.
- Settlements begin to reflect the need for medical care, pain, lost wages, and cosmetic impact.
Third-Degree Burns:
- Destroy the full thickness of the skin, potentially affecting fat, muscle, or bone.
- May be painless initially (nerve damage), lead to severe scarring, and often require skin grafting or reconstructive surgery.
- Victims may lose movement, suffer permanent disability, and experience profound psychological trauma.
- Settlements cover surgery, disfigurement, rehab, lost earning potential, and lifetime health costs.
Fourth-Degree Burns:
- Extend through skin and fat into muscle and bone.
- Often result in amputations, critical complications, and very high risks of infection and death.
- Settlements for these injuries are often among the highest in personal injury law, but require extensive expert documentation.
Scenarios of Liability: Who is Responsible?
Liability—and the available insurance—are crucial to the value of your claim. Louisiana law recognizes several common burn injury causes and paths to recovery:
Car Accidents (Car Fires, Fuel Explosions):
- Burns from airbags, chemical fires, or post-collision explosions may involve not only another driver’s negligence, but defective part claims against manufacturers.
Workplace Incidents (Chemical, Electrical, Industrial Burns):
- Louisiana workers’ compensation covers most on-the-job burns, but you may also have a third-party claim for defective equipment, unsafe chemical storage, or lack of safety procedures.
Premises Liability (Apartment, Hotel, Business Fires):
- Landlords and property managers may be liable for unsafe wiring, lack of smoke alarms, blocked exits, or noncompliance with fire code.
Electrical/Mechanical Malfunction:
- Product manufacturers can be strictly liable for defective home appliances, tools, or flammable products that cause injury.
Scalds/Hot Liquids:
- Restaurant spills, unsafe hotels, or defective water heaters are common sources, and business or manufacturer liability may apply.
Reagan’s approach is to pursue every liable party—drivers, manufacturers, employers, and property owners—so that all avenues for compensation are explored.
The Need for Specialized Medical Care and Reconstructive Surgery
Burn survivors often require expert care for years after the initial incident. Critical care, followed by multiple hospitalizations, skin grafts, ongoing wound management, and rehabilitation, is the medical norm for moderate to severe burns.
- Acute Care: Burn centers stabilize and treat shock, remove dead tissue, combat infections, and provide pain management. Hospital bills can easily exceed $100,000 in the first week for major burns.
- Reconstructive Surgery: Skin grafts (split-thickness, full-thickness), tissue expansion, flap surgery, and the use of dermal templates restore function and appearance. Multiple rounds may be needed, and scars often require future treatments or revision surgeries throughout the survivor’s life.
- Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation: Regaining lost movement often takes months or years—requiring dedicated, ongoing therapy, counseling, and support for both physical and psychological healing.
- Occupational and Vocational Therapy: Burn injuries to hands, limbs, or the face can require adaptation and retraining for work or daily living.
The long-term costs are immense, and settlements must reflect not just present bills, but a full life care plan built with the help of expert physicians, reconstructive surgeons, and economists.
How Are Burn Injury Settlements Calculated?
When Reagan Thomas handles a burn injury claim, she ensures that every possible loss is documented and valued:
- Medical Expenses: All ER bills, surgery, skin grafting, reconstruction, follow-up care, pain management, and future medical needs.
- Lost Wages and Earning Capacity: Time off work, reduced earning potential, job retraining needs, and future economic losses.
- Pain and Suffering: Day-to-day agony, physical therapy hardships, and psychological suffering (anxiety, PTSD, loss of confidence).
- Disfigurement and Emotional Trauma: Visible scars, lasting impairment, loss of function, mental health care, and family disruption.
- Out-of-Pocket and Home Modifications: Travel to specialists, special equipment, adaptive devices, prosthetics, and home renovations for accessibility.
- Punitive Damages: In rare cases involving extreme neglect or product defects, courts may award additional damages to punish wrongdoers.
Settling for less often leaves burn survivors struggling to afford late-stage reconstructive surgeries or support the emotional and physical needs of a changed life. That’s why Reagan partners with highly credentialed medical and economics experts—to provide the hard numbers and compelling testimony insurers and juries need.
Realistic Louisiana Burn Injury Settlement Ranges
Settlement amounts always depend on the specifics—severity, liability, insurance, and life impact. However, typical ranges seen by experienced Louisiana injury lawyers include:
- Mild (first-degree to minor second-degree): Rarely over $10,000, but higher for facial burns or special circumstances.
- Moderate (significant second-degree): $30,000–$120,000, factoring in hospital stays, therapy, and small grafts.
- Severe/Major (third & fourth-degree, multiple surgeries): $250,000 to $1 million+ is common for deep, disfiguring, or disabling burns, especially with career-ending or life-threatening effects.
- Catastrophic or Fatal Burn: Multi-million dollar settlements or jury verdicts are possible, particularly with clear liability, egregious negligence, or corporate fault.
FAQs About Burn Injury Lawsuits in Louisiana
- Q: Can I sue for pain and suffering?
- Yes—settlements factor in physical and emotional suffering, disfigurement, and any permanent disabilities.
- Q: How long do I have to sue?
- Generally, two years from the injury date (as of 2025 Louisiana law). Don’t delay—preserving evidence and documenting care is critical.
- Q: Can I recover for future medical care?
- Yes—life care planning is a major component of high-value burn claims.
- Q: What if the burn happened at work?
- Workers’ comp covers most on-the-job injuries, but you may be able to sue other responsible parties for additional damages.
Reagan Thomas’s Approach: Comprehensive, Compassionate, Relentless
What makes Reagan stand out is her commitment to treating every burn injury survivor as both a client and an individual. She:
- Conducts deep investigations to prove liability in complex multi-party cases (vehicles, products, premises).
- Partners with local and national medical specialists for full injury and care documentation.
- Fights insurance lowball offers relentlessly, refusing to let adjusters minimize lifelong pain and loss.
- Walks clients through every phase—from initial crisis to long-term planning—with compassionate, honest counsel.
Suffered a Severe Burn? Get the Compensation You Need to Recover
If you or a loved one have experienced a burn injury in Louisiana, don’t trust your recovery to quick settlements or insurance judgments. You deserve both the best care and the full financial support your future requires.
Contact Reagan Charleston Thomas and AWKO for a FREE burn injury consultation today. Let Reagan build the strongest case for your long-term recovery. Complete the form below to get started.