Catastrophic Burn Injury Lawsuits
Thermal, chemical, and electrical burns and the smoke and toxic gases that come with many fires, can lead to surgeries, infection risk, permanent scarring and contractures, nerve damage, and life-long rehabilitation. In the first hours and days, families face urgent medical, insurance, and employment decisions while evidence begins to disappear. Our role is to steady that chaos. We move immediately to preserve the scene, notify the right parties, and protect your claims so you can focus on healing.
We assemble a team tailored to catastrophic burn cases: certified fire and origin-and-cause investigators, electrical and mechanical engineers, utility and code-compliance experts, human factors specialists, burn surgeons and wound-care experts, plastic/reconstructive surgeons, life-care planners, and vocational and economic-loss experts. We build liability and damages in parallel, so no opportunity is missed.
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Our Results
McEldrew Purtell has a proven track record of maximizing recovery for our clients.
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Ways We Can Help
Below are common causes and contexts for severe burns and inhalation injuries. For each, we investigate the full chain of responsibility and pursue every accountable party to seek full compensation under the law.
Residential & Apartment Fires
Faulty wiring, overloaded circuits, unattended candles, space heaters, and cooking fires can lead to flashover and toxic smoke. Potentially liable parties may include property owners/managers, maintenance vendors, security/safety contractors, and smoke alarm/sprinkler providers where codes and standards were violated.
Workplace & Industrial Burns
Arc flash, boiler failures, hot-work incidents, and scalds from pressurized systems cause devastating thermal and electrical burns. Potentially liable parties may include equipment manufacturers, site GCs/subcontractors, premises owners, maintenance vendors, and safety staffing firms (third-party claims; workersâ comp may limit suits against a direct employer).
Gas & Utility Explosions
Industrial incidents and transport accidents can trigger acute respiratory distress, airway burns, and chronic lung disease. Potentially liable parties: facility operators, shippers/brokers, transport carriers, and chemical manufacturers (design/warning defects).
LithiumâIon Battery & EâDevice Fires
Thermal runaway in e-bikes, scooters, vapes, laptops, and power tools can trigger intense fires and inhalation injuries. Potentially liable parties may include battery and device manufacturers, distributors/retailers, and property owners where storage/charging practices violated standards.
Defective Products & Household Appliances
Overpressure and particulate clouds injure lungs (blast lung), while smoke/chemical plumes cause secondary damage. Potentially liable parties: utilities, fuel system manufacturers, event operators, premises owners, and pyrotechnic vendors.
Chemical Burns (Acid/Alkali)
Industrial cleaners, pool chemicals, and laboratory agents can cause deep tissue injury and scarring. Potentially liable parties may include chemical manufacturers, distributors, premises owners, contractors, and employers (with thirdâparty claims where applicable).
Electrical Burns & Arc Flash
Contact with energized equipment or faulty lockout/tagout can produce deep, occult injuries to muscle and nerves. Potentially liable parties may include equipment manufacturers, site owners, contractors, and safety consultants.
Transportation Fires
Derailments or cargo releases expose workers and communities to toxic plumes; diesel exhaust exposures affect railroad workers.
Postâcollision vehicle fires and battery thermal events in cars, trucks, and buses demand rapid preservation of the vehicle and data. Potentially liable parties may include vehicle and component manufacturers, carriers, maintenance providers, and other negligent drivers.
Unsafe Premises & Code Violations
Blocked egress, missing or nonfunctional alarms/sprinklers, sealed windows, and inadequate fireâstopping amplify burn and smoke hazards. Potentially liable parties may include property owners/managers, tenants/occupiers with control, contractors, and fireâsafety vendors.
Medical Negligence in Burn Care
CO leaks, chlorine gas mishandling in pools, dry-ice off-gassing, and maintenance failures harm guests and students. Potentially liable parties: premises owners/tenants with control, maintenance vendors, security/safety contractors.
Toxic Smoke & Inhalation Injuries
Carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide exposure during fires can injure the brain, heart, and lungs even without obvious external burns. Potentially liable parties may include premises owners, utilities, product manufacturers, and event operators where safety failures contributed.
Childrenâs Scalds & Household Hazards
Tapâwater scalds, hot beverages, and bath incidents are common and preventable. Potentially liable parties may include landlords and product manufacturers where temperatureâlimiting devices, guards, or warnings were absent or defective.
Donât Just Take Our Word For It
Hear From Our Clients
At McEldrew Purtell, results matter and so does the way we achieve them. While our case outcomes reflect our tenacity in court and at the negotiation table, itâs the voices of our clients that truly capture who we are and why we do this work.
We represent people at the worst moments of their lives: after catastrophic injuries, workplace tragedies, and preventable losses. Through every case, we aim to deliver not just compensation but clarity, confidence, and care.
If youâre considering working with a Philadelphia trial lawyer, we invite you to read what our clients have said about their experiences with McEldrew Purtell. Their words are the most powerful testament to our values, our dedication, and our results.
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FAQs
Get answers to commonly asked questions regarding severe burns and inhalation injuries, and learn how we can help with your case.
What is considered a catastrophic burn injury?
Burns that cause permanent functional loss, deepâpartial or fullâthickness involvement, significant %TBSA (percent of total body surface area), inhalation injury, or require multiple surgeries/reconstruction and longâterm care.
How are burns classified?
By depth (superficial, partialâthickness, fullâthickness) and by total body surface area (%TBSA – percent of total body surface area). Some clinicians still reference first/second/third/fourth degree; modern practice emphasizes thickness.
What is an inhalation injury and why does it matter?
Smoke and toxic gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide) can damage the airway and organs, increasing ICU stays, complications, and mortality, even when skin burns are limited.
Who might be liable for a severe burn?
Depending on the facts: property owners/managers, utilities, contractors, manufacturers and distributors of defective products, employersâ third parties, transportation companies, and negligent individuals.
What compensation can a burn survivor pursue?
Medical expenses (past/future), rehabilitation and longâterm care, home/vehicle modifications, lost wages and earning capacity, scarring and disfigurement, pain and suffering, and loss of lifeâs pleasures. Where warranted, we evaluate punitive damages early.
If my loved one died in a fire, can the family bring a claim?
Yes. Eligible family members can pursue a wrongful death and survival action. We move quickly to investigate origin and cause, preserve evidence, and identify all responsible parties.