Gainesville Burn Injury Lawyer
Burn injuries are among the most physically devastating injuries a person can survive. They require immediate emergency care, often multiple surgeries, and months or years of rehabilitation.
The scarring and nerve damage they leave behind can permanently change how you look, how you move, and how you experience daily life.
If you or a family member suffered a serious burn injury in Gainesville or the surrounding Alachua County area due to someone else’s carelessness, you may be entitled to compensation that goes well beyond your initial medical bills.
Smith, Feddeler & Smith, P.A., offers free case evaluations for burn injury victims and their families in the Gainesville area. Call us at (863) 355-4204 or contact us online to talk through your situation at no cost.
Why Trust Us for Burn Injury Cases in Gainesville
Burn injury cases are long-haul cases. They require working with medical experts, life care planners, and vocational specialists to document not just what the injury costs at the time of the accident, but what it will cost over a lifetime. Corporate defendants, employers, and their insurers assign claims professionals to these cases immediately, and they begin building their position long before most injured people have thought about speaking with anyone on their side.
At Smith, Feddeler & Smith, P.A., our Gainesville burn injury attorneys do not rush toward settlements, and we do not measure a fair result by what is easy to get. We measure it by what the injury actually costs our clients, in dollars and in quality of life. We have built our reputation on being willing to take difficult cases to trial, and the defense teams and carriers we face in Gainesville and throughout Florida are aware of that. You can read more about our reputation in our client testimonials.
Our fee comes only from what we recover on your behalf, so there is no cost to moving forward.
Why Burn Injuries Produce Such Significant Legal Claims
The severity of a burn injury is measured in degrees, and each level carries its own medical and legal weight.
- First-degree burns: Affect only the outer layer of skin, causing redness and pain with no lasting damage.
- Second-degree burns: Damage the outer layer and the layer beneath it, causing blistering, deep pain, and potential scarring.
- Third-degree burns: Destroy all layers of skin and often the tissue beneath, requiring skin grafting and leaving permanent scarring.
- Fourth-degree burns: Extend through skin and tissue to muscle, tendon, or bone and are life-threatening.
Third and fourth-degree burns require treatment at a specialized burn center. Gainesville is home to UF Health Shands Hospital, which houses the UF Health Shands Burn Center, one of Florida’s verified burn care facilities. Even with that level of care nearby, recovery from a serious burn is long, expensive, and often incomplete.
Skin grafts, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychological treatment, and ongoing pain management are all part of the picture, and all of it carries a cost that the person responsible for the accident should be accountable for.
How Burn Injuries Happen in the Gainesville Area
Gainesville’s mix of industries, a large university population, active construction corridors, and major freight routes creates a range of conditions in which burn injuries occur. Situations that frequently give rise to burn injury claims include:
- Car and truck accidents on I-75, US-441, or Archer Road that result in fuel fires or explosions
- Workplace accidents in construction, manufacturing, or agricultural settings throughout Alachua County
- Chemical exposure in research or laboratory environments, including facilities connected to the University of Florida
- Apartment and residential fires caused by faulty wiring, defective appliances, or a landlord’s failure to maintain smoke detectors or sprinkler systems
- Defective consumer products that ignite, overheat, or expose users to electrical current or hazardous chemicals
- Explosions at job sites or from gas line failures
- Scalding injuries caused by superheated water or steam in industrial or food service settings
When any of these situations traces back to someone’s failure to maintain equipment, follow safety regulations, or warn about a known hazard, that failure is what turns a medical crisis into a legal claim.
The Legal Framework for Burn Injury Cases in Florida
Statute of Limitations
In Florida, most personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of the injury under Florida Statutes § 95.11. This deadline is firm. Missing it eliminates your right to pursue compensation entirely, regardless of how severe your injuries are or how clear the other party’s responsibility may be.
Comparative Fault
Florida follows a modified comparative negligence standard under Florida Statutes § 768.81. If you are found partially at fault for the accident that caused your burns, your recovery is reduced by that percentage. If you are found more than 50% at fault, you are barred from recovery altogether. Defendants and their insurers frequently try to assign blame to the injured person, and how fault is framed and challenged is central to the outcome.
Workplace Burn Injuries
If your burn injury happened on the job, Florida’s workers’ compensation system under Florida Statutes § 440.10 is typically the first avenue for benefits. Workers’ compensation claims should cover medical treatment and a portion of lost wages, but do not include pain and suffering. If a third party, such as a property owner, equipment manufacturer, or subcontractor, contributed to your injury, a separate personal injury claim may run alongside your workers’ comp case and open the door to a broader range of damages.
OSHA Violations as Evidence
Workplace burn injuries often involve violations of federal safety standards, including 29 CFR 1910.119, which governs process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals. An OSHA citation or investigation finding can serve as direct evidence of negligence in a civil claim.
What a Burn Injury Claim Can Cover
Serious burn injury cases frequently involve substantial damages because the injuries themselves are so extensive. Depending on the facts of your case, a claim may include:
- Emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgeries, and skin grafting procedures
- Reconstructive surgery and follow-up procedures related to scarring or functional impairment
- Physical and occupational therapy during recovery
- Psychological treatment for depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress
- Lost income during the period you were unable to work
- Reduced earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to return to the same job or field
- Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disfigurement and the emotional weight of visible scarring
- Projected future medical expenses for ongoing care, pain management, or additional surgeries
- Wrongful death damages if a family member did not survive their injuries
Treatment and Recovery Resources in Gainesville
UF Health Shands Hospital on Archer Road serves as the regional resource for severe burn injuries across North Central Florida. As a verified burn center, it provides the specialized surgical care, wound management, and rehabilitation that serious cases require. North Florida Regional Medical Center on Newberry Road also serves as an emergency care option for trauma patients in the area.
For patients transported from rural parts of Alachua County or neighboring counties like Levy, Gilchrist, or Columbia, transport time and the quality of initial stabilization can affect long-term outcomes. These are details that factor into a complete damage picture and are part of how our team builds these cases.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gainesville Burn Injuries
What If Your Burn Injury Happened at an Apartment or Rental Property in Gainesville?
Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition. If your burn injury resulted from faulty wiring, a malfunctioning appliance the landlord provided, an absent smoke detector, or a gas line problem the owner knew about and ignored, you may have a premises liability claim.
Can You File a Claim If the Company Responsible Has Closed or Changed Ownership?
Possibly. Depending on how the business was structured and what happened to its assets or insurance policies, a claim may still be viable. Corporate successors sometimes inherit liability from predecessor companies, and commercial insurance policies can remain in force even after a business closes. This is highly fact-specific and worth discussing as soon as possible.
What If a Defective Product Started the Fire or Caused the Chemical Exposure?
Product liability is a separate legal theory from standard negligence. If a defective appliance, electrical device, chemical product, or piece of equipment caused your burns, the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer may bear responsibility under Florida product liability law. These cases typically involve engineering analysis and expert testimony to establish what failed and why.
How Do Juries Determine the Value of Burn Injury Pain and Suffering?
There is no fixed calculation. Factors include the severity and location of the burns, the duration and difficulty of recovery, the permanence of scarring or disability, the age of the injured person, and the documented effect on daily life. Medical records, psychological evaluations, personal journals, and testimony from family members and treating providers all give this portion of a claim its weight.
Get a Free Case Evaluation From Our Gainesville Burn Injury Attorneys
A serious burn injury is one of the hardest experiences a person can go through, and the legal process that follows should not compound it. Smith, Feddeler & Smith, P.A., handles every aspect of burn injury claims for clients in Gainesville and throughout Alachua County and North Central Florida. We represent burn injury clients on a contingency basis, and we are prepared to see your case through every stage it requires.
Call (863) 355-4204 or contact us online to schedule your free case evaluation with one of our burn injury lawyers in Gainesville.
Phone calls were returned timely. I was kept informed of my case and my questions were answered. The staff was professional, courteous, concerned and caring. Overall my experience with this law firm was good and I would recommend them to a friend.
- Rhonda D.
Keep up the good work!
- Thomas B.Everyone who I had the pleasure in talking to or email correspondence has been great and professional. Thank you all for the good service.
- Elixsandra F.Everyone in the office was always helpful and did everything to help up on the case.
- Thomas D.I appreciate all the work you all did. I will recommended Brad Smith and Smith, Feddeler & Smith to anyone who is looking for good legal help.
- Robert S.I would like to thank Mr. Feddeler and the Law Firm for their help in my workers; compensation case. I want to especially thank Julie for being such a special lady and for have such a patient and wonderful personality and manners. She kept me informed of what was going on and answered all my questions when I needed them.
- Stanley E.I am thankful with the firm and staff for always being so courteous and helpful with my case and with me. You guys helped me every step of the way and I am glad I chose your firm to represent me. Thank you for all you do!
- A Montalvo.Everyone that was involved with my case was awesome! No complaints. Hope I never need to get a lawyer again, but if I did I would choose this Law Firm. So thank you!
- Juanita B.I was bit by a Pit Bull in the face in May of 2016. The injuries I suffered was a fractures nose and teeth marks to the nose and under my lip. I chose Smith, Feddeler because they had a great reputation on line. They were very compassionate, very sympathetic and very respectful of the situation I was going through. The attorney was very sincere and staff always responsive and available when I needed. I would definitely recommend Smith, Feddeler & Smith. Kevin Balentine was very helpful and efficient.
- Lauren M.If you ever want a good attorney who is going to fight and advocate for injured workers and knows the law of workers’ comp in the State of Florida, please contact Brad at Smith, Feddeler & Smith. I assure you they will fight for your rights and you will come out victorious, and you will be able to tell somebody else like I’m telling you.
- Ricky B.Contact Us For A Free Consultation With A Qualified Lawyer
