A truck fire on I-35, a chemical spill at a construction site off Culebra Road, a gas tank rupture in a rear-end collision on Loop 1604. In seconds, fire or scalding heat tears through skin and muscle, and the damage does not stop when the flames go out.
What follows is weeks or months of wound care, skin grafts, infection risk, and a pain that most people cannot imagine until they have lived it.
A traumatic burn injury lawyer in San Antonio fights to recover the compensation you need for a recovery that may take years.
Burn injuries change the structure of your skin and underlying tissue, and severe cases trigger a body-wide inflammatory response that threatens organs far from the burn site. If your injuries resulted from someone else’s negligence, whether that was a reckless driver, a careless contractor, or a company that ignored safety standards, you have the right to hold them accountable.
Ryan Orsatti Law represents burn injury victims throughout San Antonio and Bexar County. We handle the legal fight so you can focus on healing.
Contact us at 210-525-1200 any time, day or night, for a free consultation. We are available 24/7 because burn injuries do not wait for business hours.
San Antonio Burn Injury Guide
Why Choose Ryan Orsatti Law for Your Burn Injury Case
Burn cases involve layers of medical evidence that most personal injury claims do not. The severity classification, the percentage of body surface affected, the number of surgeries required, and the long-term impact of burns and scarring, including the likelihood of permanent disfigurement and psychological toll, all factor into the value of your claim.
Insurance adjusters count on burn victims being too exhausted from treatment to push back.
We push back for you.
Medical Complexity That Demands Thorough Case Building
Burn injuries produce extensive medical records: emergency room documentation, burn unit admissions, surgical reports for debridement and grafting, physical therapy plans, psychological evaluations for PTSD, and long-term rehabilitation projections.
We work directly with your medical team to document every stage of treatment and every cost associated with your recovery. When the insurance company tries to minimize the severity of your burns, we have the evidence to prove otherwise.
No Upfront Costs and No Financial Risk to You
We handle burn injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, and we only collect a fee if we recover compensation on your behalf. That structure means we carry the financial risk, not you. Our team treats every client like family, not a case number. When you call us in the middle of the night because a medical bill arrived or an adjuster left a message, someone answers.
Representation Without Language Barriers
We serve Spanish-speaking clients throughout the San Antonio area, because language should never be a barrier to legal representation after a serious injury.
Challenges Burn Injury Victims Face and How We Help
Burn recovery is brutal and drawn out. Even after the initial wound closes, many burn injury victims face months or years of follow-up surgeries, scar revision procedures, physical therapy to restore range of motion, and mental health treatment for the trauma of living through a severe burn. The financial pressure compounds the physical suffering, especially when you cannot return to work during recovery.
Insurance tactics designed to reduce your payout
Insurance companies treat burn cases the same way they treat any claim: they look for reasons to pay less. With burns, they may argue that your injuries are not as severe as documented, that certain treatments are not medically necessary, or that your scarring does not substantially affect your daily life. They may also push a quick settlement while you are still in the early stages of treatment, before anyone knows the full extent of your long-term needs.
We build your case around the complete cost of your injury. That means we do not settle before your medical team provides a clear prognosis, and we do not accept offers that fail to account for future surgeries, therapy, and lost earning capacity.
Disfigurement and emotional trauma that insurance adjusters dismiss
Severe burns leave visible scars. Those scars affect how you feel in your own body, how others interact with you, and in many cases, your ability to return to the work you did before. Insurance companies assign low dollar amounts to disfigurement because it is harder to quantify than a hospital bill. We work with psychological and vocational professionals to document the real impact of your scarring, both emotionally and financially.
Long-term medical needs that outlast initial treatment
A serious burn does not heal once and stay healed. Scar tissue contracts, limiting mobility in joints and extremities. Skin grafts may need revision. Nerve damage causes chronic pain. The cost of care stretches years into the future, and a settlement that only covers what has already been billed leaves you paying out of pocket for the rest of your life.
We project future medical costs based on your treatment team’s recommendations and build those projections into every demand.
Types of Burn Injury Cases We Handle
Ryan Orsatti Law represents burn victims across a range of accident types throughout San Antonio and Bexar County.
- Car accidents: Vehicle fires caused by ruptured fuel lines, engine fires after collisions, or contact with hot surfaces and fluids during a crash. Burns from car accidents are often compounded by other injuries sustained in the same collision.
- Truck accidents: Collisions involving 18-wheelers carrying flammable cargo, diesel fuel fires, and chemical spills on I-10, I-35, and US-281 produce severe burn injuries. The volume of combustible material in commercial vehicles makes these accidents particularly dangerous.
- Construction accidents: Electrical burns from exposed wiring, chemical burns from improperly stored materials, flash fires from gas leaks, and welding burns on San Antonio job sites. Employers and general contractors who fail to enforce OSHA safety standards may be liable for worker injuries.
- Motorcycle accidents: Road rash and friction burns from sliding across pavement at speed, as well as thermal burns from contact with a hot engine or exhaust system after a crash.
- Drunk driving accidents: Impaired drivers cause high-speed collisions that rupture fuel systems and trap victims in burning vehicles. These cases may involve claims against both the driver and, under Texas dram shop laws, the establishment that overserved them.
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents: Bystanders and cyclists struck by vehicles that catch fire or leak hot fluids suffer burns in addition to the impact injuries from the collision itself.
- Rideshare accidents: Passengers injured in Uber or Lyft vehicles that catch fire or are involved in collisions causing burns face layered insurance coverage issues that require precise legal handling.
- Explosion and blast injuries: Gas line failures, industrial equipment malfunctions, and propane or chemical explosions cause flash burns and blast injuries that affect large areas of the body.
Every burn case requires a detailed investigation into the cause, the responsible parties, and the full scope of medical treatment. We handle that work from the first call through resolution.
Compensation and Settlement Information for Burn Injury Claims
The value of a burn injury case depends on the severity of the burns, the percentage of body surface affected, the number of surgical procedures required, the presence of permanent scarring or disfigurement, and the impact on your ability to earn a living.
Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001. If you are found 50 percent or less at fault for the accident, you may still recover compensation, but your award is reduced by your percentage of responsibility.
If your fault exceeds 50 percent, you are barred from recovering any damages. Because insurance companies aggressively assign fault to burn victims, having an attorney who challenges those determinations is critical.
Damages in a San Antonio burn injury case may include:
- Medical expenses: Emergency treatment, burn unit hospitalization, surgery, skin grafts, debridement, wound care, prescription medications, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
- Future medical costs: Scar revision surgeries, ongoing rehabilitation, compression garments, pain management, and psychological treatment projected over the course of your recovery.
- Lost wages and earning capacity: Income lost during your recovery plus any reduction in your future ability to work if scarring, disfigurement, or limited mobility prevents you from returning to your previous occupation.
- Pain and suffering: The physical pain of burn treatment, including repeated surgical procedures and wound care, as well as the emotional distress of living with permanent scarring.
- Disfigurement: Compensation specifically tied to visible scarring and its impact on your self-image, personal relationships, and public interactions.
- Loss of consortium: The effect of your burn injuries on your relationship with your spouse or family.
We approach every case with realistic expectations grounded in medical evidence. We do not inflate projections or make promises about outcomes. What we do is build the strongest case possible so your claim reflects the actual cost of your injury, both now and for the years ahead.
FAQs About Burn Injury Claims in San Antonio
How are burn injuries classified in a legal claim?
Burns are classified by depth. First-degree burns affect only the outer layer of skin. Second-degree burns damage both the outer and underlying layers, often causing blistering and scarring. Third-degree burns destroy the full thickness of the skin and may damage muscle and bone beneath it. Fourth-degree burns extend into deeper tissue. The classification directly affects the value of your claim because deeper burns require more extensive treatment and produce more lasting consequences.
What if my burn injury required skin grafts?
Skin graft procedures are significant medical interventions that often involve multiple surgeries, extended hospital stays, and long recovery periods. The donor site where skin is harvested also creates a secondary wound. We document the full cost and impact of every graft procedure, including the pain, scarring at both the graft and donor sites, and any complications that arise during healing.
Can I file a claim if I was burned at a construction site?
If your burn resulted from unsafe working conditions, a contractor’s negligence, defective equipment, or another party’s failure to follow safety protocols, you may have a third-party personal injury claim in addition to any workers’ compensation benefits. Third-party claims allow you to pursue damages that workers’ comp does not cover, including pain and suffering and full lost wages.
How long do I have to file a burn injury lawsuit in Texas?
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the injury. Claims against government entities require formal notice within six months under the Texas Tort Claims Act. Do not wait to consult an attorney, as critical evidence can deteriorate quickly after a burn accident.
What if the insurance company says my burns are not that serious?
Insurance adjusters frequently downplay burn severity, especially with second-degree burns that may not require immediate surgery. We counter that strategy with comprehensive medical documentation, including burn depth assessments, treatment records, and testimony from your medical team. If your burns cause lasting pain, scarring, or functional limitations, your claim reflects that reality regardless of the insurer’s initial assessment.
Will my burn injury case go to trial?
Most burn injury cases in Texas settle through negotiation with the insurance company. However, if the insurer refuses to offer fair compensation, we prepare every case as if it is going to trial. Our willingness to litigate strengthens your position during settlement negotiations because the insurance company knows we will not accept an inadequate offer just to avoid the courtroom.
Contact Ryan Orsatti Law Today
Ryan Orsatti Law stands with burn injury victims across San Antonio and Bexar County. We investigate the accident, document the full extent of your injuries, take on the insurance company, and fight for compensation that reflects what this injury has actually cost you and your family.
You do not have to face this alone. Call us at 210-525-1200 any time, 24/7, for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
Ryan Orsatti Law – San Antonio Office
Address: 4634 De Zavala Rd
San Antonio, TX 78249
P: (210) 525-1200