Burn Injuries and Florida Workers’ Compensation

In Florida, workers exposed to hot or corrosive elements are at risk of experiencing burn injuries. Burn injuries may require multiple surgeries to address scarring and can result in being out of work for months. If this has happened to you, help may be available through workers’ compensation.

If you have experienced a burn injury at work, your recovery and financial stability during this time are a priority to our attorneys and legal support staff. Call us at 941-777-7000 today for a free case evaluation with a knowledgeable member of our team.

Workers’ compensation insurance companies often employ various strategies to minimize the benefits you are entitled to receive or even deny them altogether. We are extremely familiar with these tactics and the Florida Workers’ Compensation laws that protect your rights, and we will not let their methods work to reduce or deny your claim.

Examples of Burn Injuries Covered by Workers’ Comp

First, to be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, your employer must have a workers’ compensation insurance policy. In Florida, every employer with four or more employees is required to carry a plan. Construction companies must cover all workers, regardless of size.

Specific examples of common burn injuries include the following:

• Radiation burns that are caused by medical equipment or lights
• Scalding hot grease, liquids or steam
• Equipment or machines that generate high temperatures
• Electrical problems and wiring
• Being exposed to dangerous chemicals
• Friction burns caused by certain types of equipment

You may be eligible for compensation whether you’re documented or undocumented. Please call us for a free case evaluation.

How to Improve the Outcome of Your Burn Injury Settlement

As long as you were an employee injured while on the job, you will likely qualify for benefits, no matter who was at fault for the accident. Here are some steps that you can take after you’ve been hurt to maximize the amount of workers’ compensation benefits that you receive:

• Report your injury to your employer.
• Seek medical attention immediately. Your employer’s workers’ compensation policy may dictate which doctors you can see, but you should see someone as soon as possible.
• File a workers’ compensation claim. Any of our skilled Florida workers’ comp attorneys can help you with this.
• Document and maintain careful records of your medical costs and how your burns have impacted your personal and working life.
• Consult with a proven and successful workers’ comp attorney.
• Do not provide a recorded statement to the insurance company before consulting with a lawyer.

What Are the Different Types of Burns?

The more severe your burn injury is, the higher your workers’ compensation payout will be. The medical community uses two standard methods for determining a burn’s severity: classification by depth and the Rule of Nines. To classify by depth, a burn is identified in one of the following categories depending on the skin layers that have been damaged:

• First-degree burns are shallow, superficial wounds that affect the skin’s top layer.
• Second-degree burns, also known as partial-thickness burns, penetrate deeper than a first-degree burns and damage the top two layers of skin.
• A third-degree burn is otherwise known as a full-thickness burn. Not only does it destroy the top two layers of skin, but it also may impact the fat and subcutaneous tissue as well.
• Fourth-degree burns damage other tissues, such as bone or muscle. They may not fully heal.

The Rule of Nines estimates the total body surface area (TBSA) that a burn impacts. Here is a general breakdown of each part of the body:

• The arms total 18 percent (9 percent per arm)
• The legs total 36 percent (18 percent per leg)
• The head totals 9 percent
• The entire trunk is 36 percent (9 percent each for the chest and abdomen and 18 percent for the back)
• The groin and neck are each 1 percent

Additional Benefits that May Be Available

If you have suffered a severe burn injury at work in Florida and are entitled to workers’ comp benefits under Florida law, your workers’ compensation settlement should cover all medical bills and a portion of your lost wages caused by your work injury. You can also receive compensation for out-of-pocket expenses, which includes all fees necessary to treat your burns, such as bandages, oral medications, and topical medications.

 

Contact Us at Berlin Law Firm for a Free Consultation

At Berlin Law Firm, our focus is on workers’ compensation. If you’ve been injured due to a work-related incident, we want to sincerely help you. We also want to educate you on all the options usually hidden from you. Call Berlin Law Firm today for a free case evaluation if you have sustained a burn injury at work. We are staunch advocates of injured workers in Florida, with offices in Tampa and Sarasota.