A serious burn can change your life in seconds. You may be facing intense pain, surgery, permanent scars, missed work, and questions about how your family will afford long-term care.
A burn injury lawyer can investigate what caused the accident, identify every responsible party, and document the full effect of your injuries. At The Reyes Firm, we help people in Tampa and the South Shore communities understand their rights after life-changing injuries caused by negligence.
What You Need to Know
- Severe burns may require skin grafts, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, and years of medical care.
- A negligent driver, trucking company, property owner, contractor, or another business may be responsible.
- Compensation may address medical treatment, lost income, future care, scarring, disability, and pain.
- Evidence can disappear quickly after a fire, explosion, vehicle crash, or unsafe-property incident.
- Most Florida negligence lawsuits must be filed within two years.
Had a bad day? Call The Reyes Firm at 833-4 BAD DAY.
When Is a Burn Considered a Catastrophic Injury?
A burn may be catastrophic when it causes permanent scarring, disfigurement, nerve damage, limited movement, organ damage, or a need for long-term care. The legal claim should account for how the injury affects your health, work, independence, relationships, and daily life, not only the treatment you have already received.
Burn injuries are commonly described by degree:
- First-degree burns affect the outer layer of skin.
- Second-degree burns damage deeper layers and may cause blisters and severe pain.
- Third-degree burns destroy the full thickness of the skin and may damage nearby tissue.
- Fourth-degree burns may extend into muscle, tendons, or bone.
Burns can also be classified by their cause:
- Thermal burns from flames, hot surfaces, steam, or heated liquid
- Chemical burns from acids, industrial chemicals, or other dangerous substances
- Electrical burns caused by exposed wiring or electrical equipment
- Friction burns caused by contact with the road or another rough surface
- Inhalation injuries caused by smoke, heat, or toxic fumes
Burn degree is only one part of the medical picture. Doctors may also consider its location, the percentage of the body affected, the patient’s age, infection risk, and damage to muscles, nerves, lungs, or other organs.
Burns involving the face, hands, joints, airway, or a large area of the body can have lasting consequences. Severe injuries may require treatment from burn specialists, surgeons, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and mental health professionals.
A catastrophic injury attorney in Tampa can help determine how those long-term effects should be documented in an injury claim.
🔥 Did You Know? The U.S. Fire Administration reports that an estimated 13,350 people suffered civilian fire injuries in 2023. That equals 39.9 fire injuries per one million people. The agency also states that someone in the United States suffers a burn serious enough to require treatment approximately every 60 seconds. Review the U.S. Fire Administration’s fire injury data.
Who May Be Liable for a Serious Burn Injury in Tampa?
Responsibility depends on how the burn happened and who caused or failed to correct the danger. A negligent driver, trucking company, property owner, maintenance contractor, construction contractor, or another business may be liable. Some cases involve several responsible parties and more than one insurance policy.
A careful investigation should begin with the source of the fire, heat, electricity, or chemical exposure.
| Cause of the burn | Potentially responsible parties | Evidence that may help |
| Car or motorcycle fire | Negligent driver or vehicle owner | Crash report, photographs, videos, vehicle inspection |
| Commercial truck fire | Driver, carrier, maintenance provider, cargo company | Driver records, electronic data, maintenance and cargo records |
| Fire on unsafe property | Property owner, landlord, manager, maintenance company | Inspection records, repair history, video, fire report |
| Construction-site fire or explosion | Contractor, subcontractor, equipment owner, another third party | Contracts, safety records, incident reports, witness statements |
| Electrical accident | Property owner, electrical contractor, maintenance provider | Wiring inspections, repair records, code reports |
| Chemical exposure | Business controlling, storing, or handling the chemical | Safety data, storage records, training records, incident report |
Vehicle fires and serious crashes
A high-impact collision can rupture a fuel system, damage electrical components, trap an occupant, or cause a vehicle to catch fire. The evidence may show that another driver’s speeding, distraction, impairment, or unsafe maneuver caused the crash.
Commercial vehicle cases require a broader review. The driver may not be the only responsible party. The motor carrier, maintenance provider, cargo-loading company, or another business may have contributed to the danger.
When a truck fire, fuel spill, or hazardous cargo causes burns, a Tampa truck and commercial vehicle accident attorney can investigate the companies and insurance policies connected to the vehicle.
NHTSA allows vehicle owners and investigators to search for safety recalls and report suspected safety defects. Recall information does not prove liability by itself, but it can be relevant to the investigation of a vehicle fire. Search NHTSA vehicle recall information.
Fires and electrical hazards on unsafe property
Landlords and business owners may be responsible for maintaining reasonably safe property conditions. A fire claim may involve exposed wiring, blocked exits, missing safety equipment, poor maintenance, or a known hazard that was not repaired.
The exact duty depends on the property, the injured person’s status, and the facts that existed before the fire. Inspection reports, maintenance requests, emails, photographs, surveillance footage, and witness statements may help establish what the owner knew.
Construction-site burns involving third parties
Construction sites may contain electrical systems, hot materials, fuel, chemicals, and pressurized equipment. A worker or visitor may suffer burns when a contractor, subcontractor, equipment owner, or another outside company fails to follow safe procedures.
The Tampa construction accident attorney page explains how third-party responsibility may arise after a construction-site injury. A third-party injury claim is different from a workers’ compensation claim and requires a separate legal review.
⚠️ Deadline Warning: Florida Statute § 95.11 generally gives you two years to file an action based on negligence. Special deadlines and notice requirements may apply to government defendants. Waiting can also allow video, vehicles, maintenance records, and physical evidence to disappear.
What Compensation Can a Florida Burn Injury Claim Include?
A Florida burn injury claim may include past and future medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning ability, permanent scarring, disfigurement, disability, and physical and emotional suffering. The available compensation depends on the evidence, the injury’s long-term effects, the responsible parties, applicable insurance coverage, and any share of fault assigned to the injured person.
Recoverable losses may include:
- Ambulance and emergency treatment
- Hospital and burn-unit care
- Skin grafts
- Reconstructive and scar-revision procedures
- Medication and infection treatment
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Psychological treatment
- Future medical care
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- Physical pain
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Home care and accessibility needs
There is no standard settlement for a burn injury. Two people with similar diagnoses may have very different medical needs, occupations, scars, limitations, and insurance issues.
An early settlement offer may cover current bills but leave out later surgeries, complications, rehabilitation, or reduced earning capacity. Before accepting an offer, you should understand your prognosis and the care you may need in the future.
Our guide to catastrophic injury compensation in Florida explains how long-term medical care, lost earning capacity, accessibility needs, and pain-related losses may be evaluated.
Can permanent scarring be included?
Yes. Permanent scarring and disfigurement can be significant parts of a burn injury claim. Scars on the face, hands, arms, legs, or other visible areas may affect confidence, relationships, work, mobility, and daily activities.
Useful evidence may include:
- Photographs taken throughout recovery
- Reports from treating doctors
- Opinions about future scar revision
- Psychological treatment records
- Statements about daily limitations
- Evidence showing changes in work or social activities
Can you recover compensation if you share some fault?
Florida uses a modified comparative negligence system for many negligence cases. Your compensation may be reduced by your assigned percentage of fault.
Under Florida Statute §768.81, a person found more than 50 percent responsible for their own harm generally cannot recover damages in an action covered by the statute. Insurance companies may use this rule to shift blame, making an early investigation especially important.
🛡️ Your Rights: Florida Statute § 768.0427 governs evidence used to prove past and future medical expenses in Florida personal injury and wrongful death actions. A serious burn claim should document medically necessary future care instead of focusing only on bills already received.
How Are Future Burn Treatment Costs Calculated?
Medical records, doctors’ opinions, expected procedures, rehabilitation plans, medication needs, psychological care, and expert cost projections may support future treatment costs. When burns cause lasting disability or disfigurement, a life care plan may organize the treatment, assistance, equipment, and related expenses the survivor is reasonably expected to need.
Future needs may include:
- Additional skin grafts
- Reconstructive surgery
- Scar revision
- Compression garments
- Pain management
- Infection monitoring
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Mental health care
- Mobility equipment
- Home health assistance
- Accessible housing or transportation
- Ongoing specialist care
A life care plan after a catastrophic injury may help connect medical recommendations with the expected cost of long-term care.
The plan does not guarantee a particular result. It provides an organized, evidence-based explanation of future needs that an insurer, judge, or jury can evaluate.
What if a child or teenager suffers a severe burn?
A young burn survivor may face additional procedures as the body grows. The injury can also affect education, confidence, social development, family life, and future employment.
Parents should preserve medical records, photographs, school records, and documentation of counseling or accommodations. Our resource about burn injuries in teens provides additional information for families.
What Evidence Can Help Prove a Burn Injury Claim?
A strong burn claim must connect another party’s negligent conduct to the fire, explosion, electrical event, or chemical exposure. It must also document the resulting harm. Evidence may include photographs, video, reports, maintenance records, vehicle data, medical records, witness statements, and qualified expert analysis.
Important evidence may include:
- Photographs and videos of the accident scene
- Photographs showing the injury throughout recovery
- Police and fire department reports
- Property incident reports
- Surveillance and dashboard-camera footage
- Vehicle electronic data
- Vehicle inspection and maintenance records
- Truck driver and motor-carrier records
- Building inspection and repair records
- Chemical handling or storage records
- Safety policies and training records
- Witness names and contact information
- Medical records and treatment plans
- Employment and income documents
- A written record of pain and daily limitations
Florida crash reports can provide the time, location, involved vehicles, drivers, and other basic collision information. FLHSMV explains what may appear in a long-form report and how it handles crash records. Review FLHSMV crash-report guidance.
Why does evidence need to be preserved quickly?
Fire scenes can change within hours. Burned vehicles may be moved, repaired, sold, or destroyed. Property owners may correct electrical hazards. Surveillance systems may automatically overwrite recordings.
A lawyer may send preservation letters, arrange inspections, locate witnesses, and request records before evidence is lost. You should not attempt to enter a dangerous scene or handle burned equipment yourself.
Keep any clothing or personal property connected to the incident in a safe place. Do not clean, repair, alter, or discard it before receiving legal guidance.
How The Reyes Firm Handles Your Burn Injury Case
The Reyes Firm investigates how the burn occurred, identifies potentially responsible parties, preserves time-sensitive evidence, and documents the injury’s long-term effects. We handle insurance communications and prepare claims using medical, financial, and liability evidence, allowing you and your family to focus on treatment and recovery.
Our work may include:
- Investigating the fire, crash, explosion, or dangerous condition
- Preserving vehicles, video, records, and physical evidence
- Identifying each person or company that may share responsibility
- Reviewing medical records and expected burn treatment
- Documenting scarring, disfigurement, pain, and disability
- Calculating lost income and reduced earning ability
- Consulting qualified medical, fire, engineering, or financial experts
- Identifying applicable insurance policies
- Handling communication with insurers and defense lawyers
- Preparing the case for trial when a reasonable resolution is not offered
Serious burn cases require more than a collection of hospital bills. The claim must explain how the injury affects your body, work, family responsibilities, emotional health, and future.
The Reyes Firm serves Tampa and the South Shore communities, including Riverview, Brandon, Plant City, and communities across Hillsborough County.
The Reyes Firm
4730 N. Habana Ave., Suite 201
Tampa, FL 33614
833-4 BAD DAY
Frequently Asked Questions About Burn Injury Claims in Tampa
How long do I have to file a burn injury lawsuit in Florida?
Florida generally gives you two years to file a negligence lawsuit under §95.11. Claims against government entities and claims involving other special circumstances may have different rules, so review the deadline as soon as possible.
How much is a serious burn injury case worth?
There is no standard value. Liability evidence, available insurance, medical expenses, future procedures, lost income, scarring, disability, pain, and your assigned share of fault can all affect the result.
Can I file a claim for permanent burn scars?
Permanent scarring and disfigurement may be included in an injury claim caused by negligence. Photographs, medical opinions, treatment plans, and evidence showing how the scars affect your daily life can help document the loss.
Who may pay if I was burned in a car or truck fire?
A negligent driver, trucking company, maintenance provider, cargo company, or another responsible party may be liable. The answer requires an investigation into what caused the crash and how the fire began.
Can future reconstructive surgery be included?
Medically necessary future surgery may be included when supported by appropriate evidence. Doctors’ opinions, treatment plans, cost evidence, and life care planning may help establish the expected expense.
What if the insurance company blames me?
Do not assume the insurer’s allegation is correct. Florida’s comparative-fault law can reduce or prevent recovery based on the percentage of responsibility assigned, so photographs, reports, video, witness accounts, and expert analysis may become critical.
Should I accept a settlement while I am still receiving treatment?
Accepting a settlement too early can be risky because a release generally ends the claim. You should understand your diagnosis, prognosis, future treatment needs, and financial losses before resolving the case.
How much does a Tampa burn injury lawyer charge?
Personal injury lawyers commonly use contingency fee agreements. The lawyer receives an agreed portion of a recovery instead of charging an hourly attorney’s fee, subject to the terms of the written agreement.
Edward Reyes, Esq. is the founder of The Reyes Firm and is admitted to The Florida Bar. He focuses his practice on serious personal injury cases involving catastrophic harm, car crashes, commercial vehicle accidents, and unsafe property conditions. He represents injured people and families in Tampa and across Hillsborough County.
How Can The Reyes Firm Help You?
If you’ve had a bad day — a car accident, a slip and fall, a trucking crash, or any injury that wasn’t your fault — The Reyes Firm is in your corner. Our Tampa personal injury attorneys offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case.
You shouldn’t have to fight the insurance companies alone. Let us fight for you.
📍 Address: 4730 N. Habana Ave., Suite 201, Tampa, FL 33614
📞 Phone: 833-4 BAD DAY
🌐 Website: Schedule your free consultation today at thereyesfirm.com
Had a bad day? Call The Reyes Firm. We’ll handle the rest.
Legal Disclaimer
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This content may be considered attorney advertising under Florida Bar rules.
