Average Burn Injury Settlement in Texas [2024 Updated]

Burn injuries can be some of the most painful and severe kinds of injuries that a person can suffer. They can also vary greatly in terms of their seriousness and the time it may take to recover, if the victim does at all. Having an understanding of the different degrees of severity of burn injuries, as well as the average burn injury settlement in Texas, can help provide you with a little bit more clarity in terms of what to expect if you or a loved one ever endure a burn injury due to the fault of another party.

Different Types of Burn Injuries

There are generally four different categories of burn injury. These are defined based on the overall severity of the burns sustained by the victim.

Here are the different categories of burn injuries:

• First-Degree Burns: This type of burn is classified as the least severe and only affects the top layer of skin. Commonly caused by hot water or steam, it usually does not require medical attention, but it can still cause pain.
• Second-Degree Burns: These burns can affect the top two layers of skin, which can become blistered and cause substantial pain. Additional damage can potentially be done to nerve endings, blood vessels, and sweat glands.
• Third-Degree Burns: These are severe types of burns that damage all three layers of skin and cause significant pain. Permanent scarring, hospitalization, surgery, and potential disability can also result from this type of burn. It usually results in a long recovery period and may require skin grafting to treat properly.
• Fourth-Degree Burns: This is the most severe type of burn injury and the least common of all burns. It can cause damage all the way through to muscles, tendons, bones, as well as nerve endings, potentially leading to a complete loss of feel or sensation. Surgical intervention, such as skin grafting and potentially even amputation of some areas, may be required. This type of burn is life-altering and can even result in wrongful death.

In general, the greater the level of the severity of the burn, the less common they are. Most people have likely experienced first-degree burns at some point in their lives, but second-degree to fourth-degree burns can leave permanent damage and require long-term treatment.

What Is the Average Burn Injury Settlement in Texas?

There is a wide range of potential settlement amounts that can be obtained, depending on the severity of the burn injuries sustained by a given victim. Naturally, first-degree burns will almost always result in the lowest amount of damages and corresponding compensation, while third-degree and fourth-degree burns will result in the highest settlement amount.

For first-degree burns, the average settlement amount is often less than $10,000, as the injuries almost always heal completely and require little medical treatment. Because of this, there are not many law firms that even accept these types of claims due to their relative insignificance to the moderate and severe types of burns.

Second-degree burns are typically classified as moderate in terms of severity and can certainly cause substantial enough physical damage to require medical treatment. These claims can average anywhere from $25,000 to $75,000, depending on the complexity of the injuries and the specific circumstances of the victim.

Given their overall severity and long-term or even permanent effects that often require surgical intervention, third-degree burn settlement amounts can range anywhere from $100,000 to multiple millions of dollars.

Due to the depth of severity and real potential for amputation or fatality, fourth-degree burn damages are commonly expected to be settled in the range of millions of dollars.

It’s worth noting that all the above settlement ranges do not include any additional damages for pain and suffering or emotional distress. These damages can be sought in civil trials and are also largely dependent on the overall severity of the victim’s sustained burn injuries.

Regardless of the degree of severity, if you or a loved one has experienced serious burn injuries from a car accident, workplace hazard, or elsewhere due to the fault of another party, then it’s vital that you speak with an experienced burn injury attorney. They have helped victims secure the level of compensation that they deserve to cover the damages for their injuries.

FAQs

Q: How Much Compensation Can You Get for a Burn Injury?

A: Similar to other types of personal injury claims, the exact amount of compensation received from a settlement for a burn injury will depend largely on the severity of the burn. First-degree burn victims can often receive just a few thousand dollars in compensation for their injuries, while third- or fourth-degree burn victims can receive compensation in excess of millions of dollars. Pain and suffering damages can also be taken into account for the more severe cases.

Q: What Is the Average Settlement for a Personal Injury in Texas?

A: Calculating the average personal injury settlement amount can be particularly difficult, as there is such a wide variance of severity regarding the injuries sustained from different personal injury cases. The average amount can also be a bit misleading, as there have been a handful of sizable outlier figures in the multi-millions that raise the average to around $800,000. A much more accurate figure for a typical personal injury case in Texas is the median settlement amount, which is about $12,000.

Q: What Is the Settlement for a Third-Degree Burn?

A: Third-degree burns are classified as a severe type of burn that can cause permanent scarring, hospitalization, surgery, or even disability. Due to the severity of the injuries caused by a third-degree burn and the likelihood of long-term medical treatment, settlements can often range anywhere from $100,000 to potentially millions of dollars.

Q: How Do You Calculate Pain and Suffering in Texas?

A: The state of Texas most commonly uses the multiplier method to calculate damages for pain and suffering. The multiplier method adds up all the victim’s economic damages from the injury, which typically includes medical expenses, property damages, and lost income. Then, that amount is multiplied by a designated rate or multiplier between 1.5 and 5, depending on the overall severity of the injuries.

Contact Stevenson & Murray

Stevenson & Murray has worked diligently to build a strong reputation on a national level due to our record of winning a variety of personal injury cases for our clients. Our attorneys have decades of trial experience throughout the state of Texas. If you or your loved one has suffered serious burn injuries due to the carelessness of another party, we can work tirelessly to secure the compensation needed to manage the aftermath.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our team. We can then evaluate your unique case and build a comprehensive strategy that works for you.