Burn cases are among the most complex catastrophic-injury cases. The medical course runs from acute burn-unit care through skin grafting, reconstruction, and lifetime psychological and physical-therapy support.
Call (888) 528-8595 for a free consultationBurn injuries produce some of the most economically and emotionally devastating catastrophic-injury cases. The acute medical course alone — burn-unit admission, debridement, skin grafting, infection management, fluid resuscitation, pain control — routinely runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over weeks to months. The long-term course adds reconstructive surgery, scar revision, physical therapy for contracture management, and psychological care for adjustment to disfigurement and to the trauma of the burn event itself.
Burns are graded by depth and extent. First-degree burns (superficial) involve epidermis only and typically heal without scarring. Second-degree burns (partial-thickness) involve epidermis and dermis, with subcategories of superficial-partial and deep-partial; deep-partial burns often require grafting. Third-degree burns (full-thickness) involve all layers of skin and require grafting; functional and cosmetic outcomes depend on grafting technique and rehabilitation. Fourth-degree burns extend into muscle, tendon, and bone; outcomes are often worse and may include amputation. Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) measurement determines acute-care intensity; rule-of-nines or Lund-Browder charts are standard.
On legal framework, burn cases run through the underlying-incident liability theory — auto, premises, product-defect, workplace, hazmat, electrical — plus the burn-specific damages framework. Disfigurement damages are substantial. Pain-and-suffering damages reflect the prolonged and extreme acute-phase pain typical of burns. Loss of enjoyment of life reflects the social and functional impact of visible scarring. Loss of consortium for spouses is significant.
Los Angeles burn-care infrastructure is concentrated at three centers: the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital, the Cedars-Sinai Burn Center, and the LAC+USC Medical Center burn unit. Treating-team coordination with these centers is part of the case work. Pediatric burn cases concentrate at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and at Shriners Hospitals.
Burg & Brock has handled catastrophic-injury cases out of the Sherman Oaks headquarters and the regional offices since the firm's founding more than two decades ago. The firm tries cases. Carriers settle differently with firms that have taken comparable cases through trial. Settlement value of an LA County serious-injury case correlates strongly with the demonstrated willingness of plaintiff's counsel to seat a jury.
On infrastructure, the firm has standing relationships with board-certified life-care planners, forensic economists, vocational-rehabilitation experts, biomechanical engineers, accident reconstructionists, and the treating-team physicians at Cedars-Sinai, Ronald Reagan UCLA, Harbor-UCLA, Keck Medical Center of USC, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, and Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare. The expert-witness package is in place at intake.
On compensation structure, Burg & Brock works personal-injury cases on a contingency-fee basis. There is no upfront cost to the client. The fee is a percentage of the recovery, disclosed in the engagement letter. Case costs — expert fees, deposition transcripts, court-filing fees, life-care planner fees, economist fees — are advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery. The consultation is free; a lawyer is available twenty-four hours a day on the (888) 528-8595 line. Spanish-speaking staff at every office.
Burn cases run through standard negligence, products-liability, premises-liability, workplace, and hazmat-liability law plus the catastrophic-damages framework.
Greenman v. Yuba Power Products (1963) 59 Cal.2d 57 anchors strict products liability for burn cases involving defective consumer products, electrical equipment, or industrial machinery.
Soule v. General Motors Corp. (1994) 8 Cal.4th 548 sets the design-defect framework when fuel-system, battery-system, or other crashworthiness factors. Rowland v. Christian (1968) 69 Cal.2d 108 frames premises-liability burn cases.
Burn cases require coordinated work across the underlying-incident liability theory and the catastrophic-damages framework.
Operational note: psychological care is non-negotiable in burn cases. The trauma of the burn event, plus adjustment to disfigurement and functional change, requires sustained mental-health support that is part of the recoverable economic damages.
Burn liability follows the underlying-incident framework. The standard analysis includes:
Burn cases involving residential or commercial fire damage often have property-damage components beyond personal-injury damages. Insurance subrogation by property carriers becomes part of the case-administration work.
Economic damages on a serious burn case routinely run into seven and eight figures. Acute burn-unit costs alone can exceed $500,000 for major burns. Reconstructive surgical course adds substantially. Future medical care, future surgical revisions, lifetime physical and psychological care, lost earning capacity, and household-services components round out the economic side.
Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering (substantial in burn cases because of acute-phase extreme pain plus chronic pain), disfigurement (typically substantial), loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium. California burn cases routinely produce eight-figure non-economic verdicts.
Punitive damages under Civil Code §3294 in cases supporting clear-and-convincing-evidence findings of malice — DUI fuel-fire cases, conscious-disregard manufacturer cases, knowing-violation hazmat-carrier cases.
| Case profile | Reported range | Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Second-degree burn, limited TBSA, full recovery | $185,000 – $625,000 | Burn-unit treatment, no grafting, full recovery. |
| Deep-partial burn requiring grafting | $525,000 – $1.8 million | Grafting course, scarring, partial functional impact. |
| Third-degree burn with substantial TBSA | $1.4 million – $5+ million | Multiple grafting procedures, reconstruction course, lifetime impact. |
| Catastrophic burn case | $3.5 million – $15+ million | Major TBSA, multiple reconstructive surgeries, life-care plan. |
| Wrongful-death burn case | $2.5 million – $12+ million | CCP §377.60 heirs plus §377.30 survival action for pre-death pain. |
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is evaluated on its own facts and applicable law.
Burg & Brock has tried catastrophic-burn cases through reconstructive-surgical-course and disfigurement-damages litigation. Treating-team coordination with the Grossman, Cedars-Sinai, and LAC+USC burn centers is in place.
Contingency fee. Free consultation.
LA County Superior Court — Stanley Mosk Courthouse — for cases in LA County. Federal court under diversity for major manufacturer-defendant cases.
Cases against public entities require Government Code §911.2 written claim within six months.
No fee unless we recover. Free consultation. Seven California offices, including Sherman Oaks (HQ), Glendale, Beverly Hills, Irvine, Bakersfield, Visalia, and Modesto.
Call (888) 528-8595Choose which categories of cookies and tracking technologies you allow on burgbrock.com. Strictly necessary cookies are always on so the site can function.
Required for the site to load, keep you signed in, and remember your preference choice. Always active.
Lets us see which pages people visit so we can improve the site. No personal data is sold.
Allows ad partners to measure the performance of ads you may have seen and show more relevant ads.
Powers extras like chat, embedded video, and remembered form fields. Turning these off may break some features.
