A fire or explosion is a traumatic event that can leave you with permanent damage and greatly reduce your quality of life. These incidents can result in high medical expenses, a loss of wages, disability and more.
If you were injured in an explosion due to someone’s negligent or vicious behavior, you are entitled to compensation for your expenses and losses. Our experienced Columbia, SC personal injury lawyers will see to it that justice is served.
Common Causes of Explosions
There are a number of factors that can lead to an explosion. They can be work-related or they can occur due to someone’s carelessness, neglect or intentional actions.
Here are the most common causes of explosions:
- Chemical explosions
- Steam explosions
- Mining explosions
- Electrical explosions
- Oil and gas drilling explosions
- Car accidents that lead to fuel tank explosions
- Building explosions
- Power plant explosions
- Acts of violence
Types of Injuries Caused by Explosions
When an explosion occurs, people nearby can experience various types of injuries. The type of injury they incur will depend on how far they were from the source of the explosion. These injuries are as follows:
- Primary Blast Injuries: When a person is close to an explosion, they will experience the direct impact of the blast. Common injuries that occur include lung damage (from excessive changes in pressure), internal organ damage, damage to the eyeballs and eardrums and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI’s).
- Secondary Blast Injuries: These are injured that occur when people are hit with objects coming from the blast. When people are hit with these objects, it can result in a variety of injuries including skin penetration.
- Tertiary Blast Injuries: These are injuries that result when a person is thrown from a blast. This can result in injuries including broken bones, amputations and head and brain injuries.
- Quaternary Blast Injuries: Explosion injuries that fall into this category can include burn injuries, crush injuries, angina, asthma or COPD due to the inhalation of dust, smoke or toxic fumes.
The injuries listed here are physical in nature, but those who witnessed an explosion can experience traumatic emotional damage even if they were not physically injured.
Becoming Compensated for Explosion Related Damages
If you were injured in an explosion, it’s likely you are dealing with losses that can be economic and non-economic in nature. Economic losses include medical expenses, loss of earnings, funeral and burial costs and damage to property. Non-economic losses include physical pain and suffering, emotional damage, a lack of consortium and an overall reduced quality of life.
In order to get compensation for those damages, the first step is to determine the cause of the explosion. If the explosion was work-related, you may be able to file a worker’s compensation claim against your employer. Workers compensation claims are no fault claims that allow you to collect compensation regardless of who was at fault. In most cases, filing a worker’s comp claim means you will be unable to file a personal injury claim against your employer.
If the explosion occurred outside of work or if it was a work-related injury where a third party was at fault, you may be able to recover damages from whoever was responsible. This can be done through a settlement with that person’s insurance or, if the person is not willing to negotiate, the case may have to be taken to court.
Finding the Right Lawyer for Your Fire or Explosion Claim
No matter what the circumstances are regarding your explosion injuries, it’s important to find a reliable lawyer to represent you. A good lawyer will make sure you are fairly compensated for your damages and they will represent you in court if it comes to that.
If you are looking for a personal injury lawyer in Columbia, SC, Jeffcoat Injury and Car Accident Lawyers is highly recommended.
Jeffcoat Injury and Car Accident Lawyers has years of experience in the field of personal injury law. They have a high success rate and are known for their affordable pricing and honest representation. They take a caring approach and make sure to keep their clients in the loop in every step of the decision-making process.
An explosion is a life changing incident. If someone is at fault for your losses, Jeffcoat Injury and Car Accident Lawyers is here to help you get the justice you deserve.
