Burn Injury Claims – How Much Compensation Am I Eligible To Claim?

If you’ve suffered a burn injury as a result of somebody else’s negligence, you may be eligible to make a burn injury claim for compensation. Whether you’ve been burned at work, by a defective product, a beauty treatment, or another incident, we are here to help if you want to take action.

Initially, we provide a free consultation with a claims advisor. They’ll review your case with you and give free legal advice. If it appears that your case has grounds to continue, we could connect you with a personal injury solicitor from our team who’ll provide a No Win No Fee service if you’d like to proceed.

To find out if you could claim compensation for a burn, call us today on 0800 6524 881. For more information before contacting our team, please read on.

Am I Eligible To Make A Burn Injury Compensation Claim?

Anybody who has suffered a burn injury could be eligible to claim compensation if another party was at fault. This might be, for example, if you were badly scalded by a hot drink in a restaurant or suffered a burn at work because your employer failed to provide personal protective equipment.

Generally, you may be eligible to make a burn injury claim if you can prove that:

• The responsible party (the defendant) owed you a duty of care; and
• They breached that duty by being negligent and caused an incident to occur; and
• Due to the defendant’s negligence, you sustained a burn injury in that incident.

A duty of care is established by different laws depending on how the burn happened. For example, manufacturers may be responsible for burns caused by defective products under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. A claims advisor can check which duty applied when reviewing your case.

Can I Claim Compensation For A Burn Injury That Was Partly My Fault?

Yes, you may still be able to claim compensation for a burn injury even if it was partially your fault. However, the amount of compensation you receive may be reduced to account for your share of responsibility. This is known as contributory negligence.

For example, if you suffered a burn at work due to faulty equipment but were not wearing the provided safety gear, you could be deemed partially responsible. If you are found to be 25% at fault, your compensation will typically be reduced by 25% to reflect your involvement in the incident.

If you’re unsure whether you can make a burn injury claim, reach out to us to speak with one of our personal injury solicitors. They can assess your case and provide tailored advice for your situation.

Common Causes Of Burn Injury Claims

Let’s now take a look at a variety of incidents that could mean you’re eligible to claim compensation for burn injuries. They include:

• If chemicals are spilt on you at work, and you are burned due to a lack of personal protective equipment.
• You suffered burns from a severe electric shock at work because of exposed wires on the equipment you were using.
• Where hot food/drinks are dropped on you in a restaurant because the member of staff was carrying too much.
• Burned by laser hair removal due to the negligence of a practitioner in a beauty salon.
• You suffered burns from a hair dye because of an inexperienced hairdressing trainee.
• Burns caused by a faulty sunbed in a tanning salon that should have been repaired.
• A beauty treatment went wrong, causing burns to your face.

If you would like to start a burn injury compensation claim, contact us here and ask us to review your evidence for free.

Common Types Of Burn Injuries

Some of the most common burn injuries that can lead to compensation claims include:

Whatever type of burn injury you’ve suffered, feel free to contact our team today to explore your options and find out if you can make a claim.

How Much Compensation For Burns Could I Claim?

How much compensation a burn injury is worth depends on several factors. These may include:

• The severity and depth of the burn.
• The size of the affected area.
• Where the burn is on the body, especially if it affects the face, hands, arms or another visible area.
• Whether the burn has caused permanent scarring, disfigurement or sensitivity.
• Whether surgery, skin grafts or future treatment are needed.
• The psychological impact of the injury.
• Whether the burn has affected your ability to work, drive, care for yourself or enjoy everyday activities.
• Any financial losses, such as lost income, medical costs, care costs and travel expenses.

Liability can also affect the final settlement. For example, if the defendant denies responsibility, or you’re found partly responsible for the accident, this may affect whether compensation is paid or whether the final amount is reduced.

You’ll typically need medical evidence and evidence of any financial losses before a settlement can be agreed upon. In most cases, burn injury claims are split into two parts:

• General damages. This is compensation for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity caused by your burn injury. It can also include the psychological impact of scarring, disfigurement or trauma. To assess this properly, an independent medical assessment will usually be required. Our solicitors can usually arrange this locally.
• Special damages. This part of the claim covers financial losses caused by the accident. This could include lost income, medical expenses, care costs, travel costs, rehabilitation costs and, where relevant, future losses.

You can visit this page for more in-depth information on general damages and special damages.

Average Burn Injury Compensation Amounts

To show you what level of compensation might be awarded for burn injuries, we’ve included average settlement amounts below. Although the payout amounts displayed relate to scarring advised by the Judicial College, they should be used as a guide only, as they refer solely to general damages.

• £127,930+ is likely where burns cover 40%+ of the body.
• £36,340 to £118,790 compensation for burns leaving very severe scarring to the face.
• £21,920 to £59,090 compensation for burns leaving less severe scarring to the face.
• £9,560 to £27,740. compensation for burns resulting in scarring to leg/s, hand/s, chest, back, arm/s.
• £11,120 to £36,720 compensation for burns leaving significant scarring to the face.
• £4,820 to £16,770 compensation for burns leaving less significant scarring to the face.
• £2,080 to £4,310 compensation for burns leaving minor scarring to the face.

It is worth reiterating that burn injuries can have a large psychological effect on the victim. Therefore, this is considered in any payout as well as the physical severity of the injury. That might mean that burns to the face will have a bigger effect on the victim than burns that aren’t always visible. As a result, their compensation payout could be higher.

If your burn injury claim is taken on, your solicitor will seek advice from medical experts about how you’ve been affected. Once that’s understood, they’ll be able to provide a more accurate burns compensation estimate.

Evidence To Support A Burn Injury Claim

Evidence is vital in proving that somebody else caused your accident and the extent of your injuries. Therefore, to support your burn injury compensation claim, you should gather as much of the following evidence as possible:

• Medical records. You will need to provide medical records to prove that you suffered a burn injury and to show the extent of your injuries. This can include records from your GP, hospital records, and records from any other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.
• Witness statements. If there were witnesses to the incident that caused your burn injury, you may want to obtain statements from them. Witness statements can be used to support your claim and provide additional evidence.
• Photographs. Periodic photographs of the burn injury can be useful to show the extent of the injury and any scarring or disfigurement that may have resulted. It can also be helpful to take photographs of the incident scene, if possible.
• Video evidence. Request footage from any CCTV cameras covering the area or from dashcams if you were burned in a road traffic accident.
• Accident reports. Report the accident and obtain a copy if you suffered burns at work, on a business’s premises, or in a public place. This can help to establish who was at fault for the incident.
•  Financial records. If you are claiming special damages for loss of earnings or other financial losses, you will need to provide evidence of these costs and losses, such as payslips, tax returns, and other financial records.
• Police report. If the burn injury was the result of a criminal act, obtain a copy of the police report to support your claim.

By taking these measures, you should significantly strengthen your case. For example, if you’ve reported the incident that caused you to be burned at work, a copy of the accident report form will make it easier to prove the location, date and time the accident took place. Similarly, asking for copies of your medical records from a hospital will show what burn injuries were diagnosed and the treatment you had to endure.

Time Limits For Claiming Burn Injury Compensation

If you decide to claim burn injury compensation, you’ll usually need to start your claim within the allowed time limit. In most cases, where the claimant is immediately aware of their burn injuries, a 3-year time limit will begin from the date they were burned. In some cases, a later date of knowledge or other exception could apply.

For example, different rules apply if you’re claiming on behalf of a child. A litigation friend, such as a parent or guardian, can usually start a burn injury claim on the child’s behalf at any point before their 18^th birthday. If no claim is started before then, the injured person will usually have 3 years from their 18^th birthday to start their own burn injury claim.

We would always suggest starting a burn injury claim as soon as you’re able to do so. This can make it easier to explain what happened, gather evidence and show how the injury has affected you. It should also give your solicitor more time to prepare the claim before the limitation period expires.

Do I Need A Personal Injury Solicitor To File A Burn Injury Claim?

You’re not legally required to use a solicitor to file a burn injury claim. However, the process can sometimes be tricky and complex. In most cases, it will involve insurance companies that won’t usually pay anything if there is any doubt about who was liable for your injuries. We believe your best chance of winning the right amount of compensation comes from having a personal injury solicitor working for you.

If one of our No Win No Fee solicitors represents you, they will handle everything for you. They’ll contact the defendant’s insurers, provide evidence about the claim and deal with any queries or objections raised. That means you won’t have to answer any medical or legal questions yourself.

Throughout the process, your solicitor will keep you up to date and answer any questions you think of. Should a settlement offer be made, they’ll review it with you and advise you on what you should do. In every case, your solicitor will do all they can to try and secure the highest level of burns compensation possible.

How Long Does The Process Of Claiming Burn Injury Compensation Take?

The time it takes to claim compensation for burns can vary depending on various factors, such as:

• The severity of your burn and how long it takes to reach a medical prognosis.
• The quality and availability of supporting evidence, including medical records and witness statements.
• Whether the responsible party accepts liability or disputes the claim.

In straightforward cases where liability is clear and burn injuries are relatively minor, a claim may be settled in just a few months. However, more serious burns or contested claims can take a year or significantly longer to resolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, we’ve answered some common questions about burn injury claims.

Starting The Burn Injury Claims Process

If you’d like to find out more about starting the burn injury claims process and how we can help, please call our advice line on 0800 6524 881. An advisor will talk through the process of making a claim with you, look at the evidence and give free legal advice on your options.

Remember, any burn injury compensation claim that is accepted will be processed by one of our No Win No Fee personal injury solicitors.

If you have further questions about making a burn injury claim, contact our advisors right away by using the live chat feature.