How to Hire the Best Fire Injury Lawyers in NY

Fires are among the most devastating types of natural disasters to hit the great State of New York. From wildfires exploding out of the Adirondack Mountains to grease fires bursting from the kitchens of New York City, the Empire State has its fair share of fires that can overwhelm the most stoic of homeowners and business owners.

If you suffer from one or more injuries that were caused by a fire, the first item on your to-do list is to seek medical attention. Once you receive treatment from your preferred healthcare provider, the next step is to initiate the insurance claim process. Contacting your insurance adjuster starts a process that eventually should lead to you receiving compensation to pay for medical expenses and any income lost because you were unable to work.

The fire injury claims process can drag on for months, which can trigger some unhealthy emotions. Working with a New York-licensed fire injury attorney can reduce frustration by getting your insurance claim processed efficiently. Now that you know why hiring a lawyer is a good idea, the next question becomes, “How to hire the best fire injury lawyers in New York.”

Hiring the best fire injury lawyer in New York follows many of the same steps that you follow for hiring attorneys that practice other types of law. The big difference is if your fire injury insurance claim morphs into a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages for negligence. Sometimes, discovering negligence is easy to do, as the evidence points to acts of wrongdoing. However, other fire injury cases are not as easy to detect negligence. Your lawyer might not discover negligence until the investigative phase of an insurance claim.

Whenever negligence is found, one thing is certain: The team of personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan will make sure you receive every dollar you deserve for suffering from painful injuries and having to replace damaged personal property. Not only is our experienced team of fire injury lawyers top-rated in litigating cases, but we are also considered top-rated for how we compassionately help our clients get back on their feet again after a destructive fire.

Do I Need to Contact an Attorney if I Have Fire Damage Insurance?

The language written into your insurance policy makes it clear that you are covered for all types of losses, from property damage to treating personal injuries. Nonetheless, insurance companies work hard to deny policyholders the money they deserve by implementing a wide variety of tactics. One popular tactic is to claim there is not enough evidence to warrant approval for an insurance claim. You can send in the most persuasive evidence, and your insurance company denies it because of insufficient evidence.

Another common tactic used by insurance companies is to overwhelm policyholders with information requests, from requesting copies of medical records to documents that reveal witness accounts. Insurance companies bank on their policyholders to be at the very least naïve when it comes to the insurance claim process.

Hiring an attorney demonstrates that you are serious about getting the compensation you deserve from a fire injury incident. How to hire the best fire injury lawyers in NY starts by realizing that you need legal counsel to fight back against the lawyers and accountants employed by your insurance company.

What Are the Most Common Types of Injuries Caused by a Fire?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) releases statistics annually that demonstrate the United States has a fire problem. As wildfires continue to rage out west and the incidence of home fires shows no signs of slowing down, you should understand the long-term negative impact a fire can have on your life. The injuries caused by a fire can leave you in pain for weeks at best and send you to the emergency room for life-saving surgery at worst.

First-Degree Burns

Short-lived pain gives way to a skin injury that looks like sunburn. A first-degree burn typically heals over a couple of days, although even a slight burn like this can increase the risk of skin cancer development down the road.

Second-Degree Burns

A fire that causes second-degree burns penetrates to the deepest layer of skin. Blisters form on the surface of your skin, which can lead to the development of painful infections. Healing from second-degree burns can take as long as several months.

Third-Degree Burns

Because of instant nerve damage, third-degree burns usually do not trigger intense pain. As the nerves come back to life, the pain increases rapidly to overwhelm the body’s immune system. Healing almost always requires some type of surgery such as skin grafts.

Fourth-Degree Burns

The fire is so intense that bones and tissue incinerate along with the skin. This life-threatening type of burn might require amputation or several plastic surgeries. However, the high risk of infection and gangrene can put a victim of a fourth-degree burn on life support.

Smoke

Prolonged exposure to smoke can permanently damage a respiratory system. Constantly obstructed breathing places such a high level of stress on the respiratory system that a victim goes into a coma or suffers from frequent seizures.

Hot Gases

Whether it starts in a basement or on a camping trip, a fire can scar lung tissue to the point that a victim suffers from lifelong lung problems. Hot gases deplete oxygen from the air, which also reduces the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. Confusion, drowsiness, and even death can result because of extended exposure to oxygen-depleted air.

Other types of fire injuries result not from the fire itself, but the damage done to a structure. Victims of fires can receive injuries from falling debris, as well as accidentally walk on exposed electrical wiring. How you handle yourself in the immediate aftermath of a fire determines how many additional injuries you suffer.

What Are the Factors to Consider Before Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Answer 5 questions, and you should have the answer to the question “How to hire the best fire injury lawyers in New York.”

Question #1: What Type of Law Does the Attorney Practice?

You want to work with a legal specialist, not a lawyer who practices several different types of law. Even better, working with a personal injury lawyer who specializes in litigating fire injury cases can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Question #2: How Much Civil Litigation Experience Does the Law Firm Have?

If your case involves negligence, you want to hire a fire injury attorney who has litigated similar cases. You want legal counsel that knows how to present compelling arguments in front of a civil court judge, as well as possesses the skills to negotiate a settlement that is in your best financial interests.

Question #3: How Does the Attorney Charge Clients?

Any personal injury lawyer under consideration should charge clients on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront and your lawyer gets paid only when you win just compensation for your fire injuries.

Question #4: Is There a Personal Rapport?

You are not looking to become best friends with your lawyer. However, you want to develop a relationship based partly on a personal connection. Knowing how to hire the best fire injury lawyers in New York starts with finding a comfort zone with your legal counsel.

Question #5: How Responsive Is the Attorney?

Uncertainty is not your friend when it comes to litigating a fire injury case in New York. Your lawyer should promptly return emails, phone calls, and text messages. Yes, your personal injury attorney handles other cases while working with you. The key is not to make you feel like you are just another client.

What Are the Steps for Hiring the Best Fire Injury Lawyers in New York?

Now you know what to look for in a fire injury attorney. Let’s discover what the steps are for learning how to hire the best fire injury lawyer in New York.

Recommendations

Nothing beats recommendations from the people that you trust. Getting a reference from a friend, a family member, or professional peers can eliminate some of the other steps in the process. You should also ask any attorneys that you know for recommendations. Lawyers work in a tight-knit professional circle, which means a workers’ compensation lawyer that you know might be able to suggest a personal injury attorney who litigates fire injury cases.

New York Bar Association

New York has developed one of the most helpful lawyer databases in the United States. You can access the New York Bar Association website to find a lawyer, as well as verify the credentials of the attorneys on your shortlist. One red flag is a lawyer who has faced at least one disciplinary hearing.

Conduct Online Research

Even if you receive recommendations from trusted friends, relatives, and/or co-workers, you should still conduct online research to confirm the legal expertise of the candidates on your shortlist. Review sites like Google can help you form an opinion about the experience of a personal injury lawyer. Client reviews should act as supporting evidence, not the sole reason why you choose a fire injury lawyer in New York.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation

Every personal injury attorney on your shortlist should offer to schedule a free case evaluation, which gives you the opportunity to determine whether the lawyer sitting across from you is a good fit. A free case evaluation also demonstrates an attorney’s commitment to work for you, not just for the money. You get the chance to have your questions answered, including whether your fire injury insurance claim should turn into a civil lawsuit.

A free case evaluation can be the moment when you realize that you have established a personal connection with a fire injury attorney. Once you establish a personal connection, you get peace of mind knowing that you and your lawyer are on the same page. A personal connection ends your quest to hire the best fire injury lawyer in New York.

Schedule a free case evaluation today with one of the personal injury attorneys from Morgan & Morgan.