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Improper Treatment of Burn Injuries

Baltimore Lawyers Assisting Parties Harmed by Incompetent Medical Care

Serious burns often cause permanent pain, scarring, and emotional trauma. People suffering from burns typically rely on their medical providers to help minimize their harm and facilitate their recovery. Unfortunately, not all doctors offer competent care, and errors during the process of treating burns can have devastating consequences. If you suffered damages due to the improper treatment of burn injuries, you have the right to pursue medical malpractice claims against your doctor, and you should contact an attorney promptly. The capable Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers of Arfaa Law Group have ample experience helping people who suffered catastrophic losses due to medical incompetence in the pursuit of damages, and we can advise you of your potential claims and help you seek the best legal result available under the facts of your case.

Harm Caused by Improper Treatment of Burn Injuries

Doctors typically provide specific treatments for patients with burns to alleviate their pain and lessen the risk of permanent damage. For example, they often prescribe their patients medicine and clean and redress the burns on a regular basis, but if they do not do so correctly, it can lead to inadequate pain relief and infection. Physicians also often use dermabrasion and skin grafts to minimize scarring and replace tissue harmed by burns. Dermabrasion is a process that involves scraping the skin and smoothing scar tissue. In contrast, skin grafting involves harvesting healthy skin from another part of the body and transplanting it onto the burned area. If doctors fail to perform either of these procedures correctly, it can cause nerve damage, increased scarring, infection, permanent changes in skin color, and uneven skin surfaces.

Pursuing Claims Following the Improper Treatment of Burn Injuries

Patients harmed by the improper treatment of burn injuries have the right to pursue medical malpractice claims against their doctors. To recover damages in a medical malpractice case, a plaintiff will typically need to prove a defendant’s negligence. In the context of medical care, establishing negligence requires the plaintiff to show that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty. Usually, the duty owed is to provide treatment that comports with the standard of care, which is the care a competent physician working in the same practice area would render when presented with a similar scenario. Next, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant deviated from the standard of care in some manner. Lastly, the plaintiff needs to show that the defendant’s departure from the standard of care directly caused the plaintiff to suffer measurable harm. In other words, the plaintiff must show that they would not have sustained losses absent the defendant’s breach of the duty owed.

Expert Testimony in Medical Malpractice Cases

In Maryland, expert testimony is typically required in medical malpractice cases. Specifically, as the judge or jury, who ultimately determine liability in a medical malpractice case, most likely do not possess an independent understanding of the standard of care imposed on the defendant. A medical expert will explain the standard and what it requires. Usually, the expert has practical experience in the same specialty as the defendant. The expert will also explain the manner in which the defendant failed to abide by the standard and connect the defendant’s breach to the plaintiff’s losses. In cases involving improper treatment of burn injuries, a defendant will frequently argue that the harm suffered by the plaintiff was inevitable and did not arise out of incompetent medical care. As such, whether a plaintiff’s claims are successful generally hinges on the strength of their expert’s opinion and any expert opinion offered by the defendant.

Confer With a Dedicated Baltimore Attorney

Severe burns require immediate and extensive care, but if they are not adequately treated, they can lead to devastating losses. Doctors that harm their patients via the improper treatment of burn injuries should be held accountable. If you were hurt by the negligence of a physician, you could be owed compensation, and you should confer with an attorney as soon as possible. The dedicated Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group are proficient at navigating the complexities of medical malpractice cases, and if you hire us, we will work tirelessly to help you seek the outcome you deserve. We have an office in Baltimore, where we frequently represent people in medical malpractice cases. You can contact us by calling (410) 889-1850 or using our online form to set up a confidential and free conference.