The Reality of Severe Burn Injuries
Burn injuries are among the most painful and devastating injuries a person can survive. Unlike a broken bone that heals or a laceration that closes, severe burns destroy skin, nerves, muscle, and tissue in ways that require months of hospitalization, dozens of surgeries, and years of reconstructive procedures.
Nationwide, approximately 29,165 people are admitted to hospitals for burn injuries every year. Of those, roughly 9,340 sustain deep burns requiring surgical treatment, and 1,290 suffer extensive burns requiring prolonged ventilation and surgery — with a mortality rate of nearly 18%. The survivors face a lifetime of skin grafts, scar management, physical therapy, and psychological treatment.
In Colorado, burn victims have access to the University of Colorado Burn and Frostbite Center — an ABA-verified burn center that has maintained continuous verification since 1998. It’s one of the best burn treatment facilities in the country. But world-class medical care doesn’t come cheap, and insurance companies don’t voluntarily pay what severe burn treatment actually costs.
That’s where we come in.
$26.6 Million
Jordan Law’s verdict for a catastrophic burn victim when a truck parking brake malfunctioned, crashed through a kitchen wall, and caused massive deep fryer burns.
For a free legal consultation with a burn injury lawyer serving Denver, call (303) 465-8733
Peter’s Story — What Burn Cases Really Look Like
This is a real case handled by Jordan Law. Details are shared with permission.
“One of the first really catastrophic injury cases I worked on here at Jordan Law ultimately resolved for multiple eight figures. It was a young man named Peter. He was a cook in a kitchen at a hotel resort lodge. Unbeknownst to him, someone working for a natural gas company was inspecting nearby gas lines. The worker got out of his truck and left it in neutral instead of park, positioned on a slight decline.
The truck started rolling. It hit the right bump and quite literally crashed through the wall where Peter was standing at a fryer, making french fries. The hot oil from the fryer combined with the open flame on the stovetop and engulfed him in flames.
He ran outside to grab the hose and started hosing his body off. He could see his own reflection in the windows of the building — watching skin come off of his own body.
When he told me that story, it was one of the hardest things I’d ever heard a client tell me. Jason and I didn’t say anything for minutes. What could you say? You just take it in, listen, and then think: how are we going to help him.
He was in the hospital for months at a nearby burn unit. They were growing skin for him in a lab in Boston and shipping it back to apply to his body. Two-thirds of his body had the most severe grade burn you can have.
I used to go there on Fridays with my Xbox and bring him some Detroit-style pizza from a nearby pizzeria because it was his favorite. We’d eat pizza, play video games, and just hang out — because I can’t imagine dealing with that kind of pain and also being in a hospital bed for months wondering if you’re going to make it.
He probably had a couple dozen surgeries — skin grafts, transplants. The amount of fortitude he required to get through that in one piece and keep it together mentally was an impressive feat. Still to this day I’m not sure how Peter did it.
And yet what he put out there was: it’s going to be okay, I’m alright, the doctors have got me. I’m alive. I’m so happy to be alive. If that doesn’t provide you some perspective in this life, I don’t know what will.”
Michael Harris, Litigation Attorney, Jordan Law
Peter’s case resolved for multiple eight figures. His story is why we do this work — and why we take burn cases as seriously as any case in our firm.
Types of Burn Injuries We Handle
Burns are classified by both their cause and their severity. The cause determines who is liable. The severity determines what your case is worth.
By Cause
Thermal burns (fire and flame) — the most common cause of burn admissions, accounting for approximately 42% of all hospital burn admissions nationwide. These include house fires, vehicle fires, workplace explosions, and open flame injuries.
Scald burns — caused by hot liquids, steam, or grease. Scald injuries account for roughly 32% of burn admissions. Industrial kitchen accidents, defective water heaters, and hot liquid spills are frequent causes. Peter’s case involved hot fryer oil — one of the most devastating types of scald burns.
Chemical burns — caused by exposure to strong acids, alkalis, or industrial chemicals. Common in workplace settings, manufacturing plants, and cleaning product accidents. Chemical burns can continue to damage tissue until the substance is completely neutralized or removed.
Electrical burns — caused by electrical current passing through the body. Electrical burns are particularly dangerous because the visible surface damage often dramatically underestimates the internal tissue destruction. The current can damage muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and organs along its path through the body.
Radiation burns — from exposure to ultraviolet light, radiation therapy, or industrial radiation sources.
Contact burns — from direct contact with hot surfaces, metals, or appliances. Common in workplace and home settings.
By Severity
First-degree burns — affect only the outer layer of skin (epidermis). Painful but typically heal without medical intervention.
Second-degree burns — damage the epidermis and part of the dermis (second layer). Cause blistering, swelling, and severe pain. May require medical treatment and can leave scarring.
Third-degree burns — destroy the full thickness of the skin, including the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The skin may appear white, brown, or charred. Third-degree burns destroy nerve endings, which can paradoxically make the burn site itself painless — while the surrounding areas are excruciating. These burns always require surgical treatment including skin grafts.
Fourth-degree burns — extend through the skin into underlying fat, muscle, tendon, and sometimes bone. These are the most severe burns and are often associated with explosions, prolonged fire exposure, or electrical injuries. Peter suffered fourth-degree burns over two-thirds of his body.
Denver Burn Injury Lawyer Near Me (303) 465-8733
Common Causes of Burn Injury Claims in Colorado
Burn injuries that lead to legal claims are almost always preventable. Someone’s negligence, recklessness, or failure to maintain safety standards caused the fire, explosion, or chemical exposure. Common scenarios include:
Workplace explosions and fires — gas leaks, welding accidents, chemical storage failures, spray foam insulation fires, and electrical system malfunctions. Colorado’s oil and gas industry, construction sector, and manufacturing facilities present elevated burn risks for workers.
Vehicle accidents — car, truck, and motorcycle crashes that result in fuel tank ruptures and post-collision fires. Jordan Law recovered $20 million for a victim of a fuel tanker explosion that caused permanent brain injury.
Defective products — water heaters, stoves, space heaters, electrical appliances, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial equipment with design or manufacturing defects that cause fires or explosions. These cases involve product liability claims against manufacturers.
Restaurant and kitchen accidents — commercial deep fryer fires, grease fires, gas line leaks, and kitchen equipment malfunctions. Peter’s case involved a natural gas company worker’s negligence combined with commercial kitchen fryer oil.
Residential fires — faulty wiring, defective appliances, gas leaks, and landlord negligence in maintaining smoke detectors, fire escapes, or electrical systems.
Chemical exposure — industrial accidents, hazardous material spills, and workplace chemical burns from improper handling, storage, or protective equipment failures.
Electrical injuries — contact with power lines, defective electrical systems, construction site wiring errors, and industrial electrical equipment malfunctions.
The Long-Term Consequences of Severe Burns
The initial hospitalization is only the beginning. Severe burn survivors face years — often a lifetime — of medical treatment, physical rehabilitation, and psychological recovery.
Ongoing surgeries — skin grafts, scar revision surgeries, reconstructive procedures, and contracture releases. Peter had approximately two dozen surgeries. Many burn survivors require surgeries for years after the initial injury.
Infection risk — damaged skin is vulnerable to bacteria. Serious infections can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death. Infection management is a constant concern during the months-long hospital stay.
Scar contracture — as burn wounds heal, scar tissue forms and tightens, pulling skin, muscles, and joints into abnormal positions. This can cause permanent loss of range of motion and require surgical release.
Chronic pain — nerve damage from burns can cause persistent neuropathic pain that is difficult to treat and may last a lifetime.
Psychological trauma — PTSD, depression, anxiety, body image issues, social withdrawal, and fear of fire or the circumstances that caused the burn. Burn survivors have among the highest rates of PTSD of any injury population.
Disfigurement — permanent scarring and disfigurement affect self-esteem, relationships, employment, and daily life. Even with advances in reconstructive surgery, severe burn scars are lifelong.
“Tell us what you’re going through. Tell us what life is like at home because of your injuries. Tell us if you’re not feeling like yourself, if you’re feeling foggy, you just seem a little off lately. We really want you to share that kind of information with us because it helps us understand your story — so we can tell the jury one day what you’ve been through.”
Michael Harris, Litigation Attorney, Jordan Law
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How We Build Burn Injury Cases
Burn cases are among the most complex personal injury claims. The medical treatment is extensive, the damages are enormous, and the liable parties often fight aggressively. Here’s how we approach these cases:
Immediate investigation — We identify every potentially liable party: the property owner, the employer, the equipment manufacturer, the maintenance company, the chemical supplier, the general contractor. Burn cases frequently involve multiple defendants with multiple insurance policies — and each additional liable party expands the available recovery.
Medical coordination — We work with your burn treatment team, plastic surgeons, pain management specialists, and rehabilitation therapists to document the full scope of your injuries and future treatment needs. In Peter’s case, that meant understanding a treatment protocol involving a lab in Boston growing skin grafts and shipping them to Colorado.
Life care planning — We retain life care planners who project the lifetime cost of your future medical treatment, surgeries, therapy, adaptive equipment, home modifications, and psychological care. These projections often total millions of dollars — and they’re essential to proving the full value of your claim.
Expert testimony — Burn cases require fire investigators, engineers, metallurgists, product safety experts, and medical experts who can explain to a jury exactly how the burn occurred, who is responsible, and what the victim’s life will look like going forward.
Aggressive negotiation backed by trial preparation — Insurance companies know that burn cases with disfigurement and extensive medical costs generate sympathy from juries. They also know which firms will actually take these cases to trial. We prepare every burn case with a trial-level approach, because that’s what drives fair settlements.
“Insurance carriers know which law firms try cases and you get better value on your case because of it. A lot of the ones that are running those big volumes, they don’t try anything. In fact, a lot of times they’re calling us to litigate and try their cases.”
Jason Jordan, Founding Partner, Jordan Law
Compensation for Burn Injury Victims in Colorado
Severe burn injuries generate some of the largest personal injury verdicts and settlements because the damages are so extensive and so clearly documented. You may be entitled to:
Medical expenses — emergency care, burn unit hospitalization, surgeries, skin grafts, reconstructive procedures, infection treatment, pain management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and all future medical care. Burn treatment costs routinely exceed $1 million for serious injuries.
Lost wages and earning capacity — months or years away from work during treatment and recovery, and in many cases, permanent reduction in earning capacity due to disfigurement, physical limitations, or psychological impairment.
Pain and suffering — burn injuries are among the most painful injuries a person can experience. The pain of debriding (cleaning) burn wounds, the pain of skin graft procedures, and the chronic pain of nerve damage are all compensable. As of January 1, 2025, Colorado’s cap on noneconomic damages increased to $1.5 million under HB 24-1472.
Disfigurement and scarring — permanent visible scarring and disfigurement are separately compensable damages that reflect the lifelong impact on the victim’s appearance, self-esteem, and quality of life.
Psychological damages — PTSD, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, and the emotional toll of living with severe burn scars.
Loss of enjoyment of life — the activities, hobbies, relationships, and daily pleasures that the burn injury has taken away.
Wrongful death damages — if you lost a loved one to a fire, explosion, or burn injury, surviving family members can seek compensation under Colorado’s wrongful death statute.
“Colorado has one of the highest percentages of people driving around with no insurance. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is coverage that you get to protect yourself and your family. I call it “you coverage” because it is coverage for you.”
Sarah Freedman, Director of Pre-litigation, Jordan Law
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How Long Do You Have to File a Burn Injury Claim in Colorado?
The statute of limitations for a burn injury claim depends on how the burn occurred:
Motor vehicle fires and explosions — three years from the date of the accident under C.R.S. § 13-80-101.
Workplace burns, premises liability, and general negligence — two years from the date of the injury under C.R.S. § 13-80-102.
Defective products (appliances, equipment, chemicals) — two years under the product liability statute.
Government entity involvement — if a government-owned property, vehicle, or facility is involved, you may need to file notice within 182 days under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act.
Do not try to determine your specific deadline on your own — burn cases often involve multiple legal theories with different filing deadlines. Contact an attorney immediately. We’ll confirm your deadlines and begin preserving evidence the same day.
What to Do After a Burn Injury
Get emergency medical treatment. Burn injuries require immediate specialized care. If possible, get to a facility with a dedicated burn unit — in Colorado, the University of Colorado Burn and Frostbite Center at the Anschutz Medical Campus is the state’s premier burn treatment facility.
Preserve evidence of the cause. If possible, photograph the scene, the equipment involved, the conditions that caused the fire or explosion. If a product was involved, do not discard it — it’s critical evidence. If it’s a workplace injury, report it to your employer and file a workers’ compensation claim immediately.
Do not give recorded statements to insurance companies. The property owner’s insurer, the manufacturer’s insurer, and your employer’s workers’ comp carrier will all begin investigating quickly. Their goal is to minimize what they pay. Do not give statements or sign documents without speaking to an attorney first.
I have people tell me all the time, “I’ve been dealing with this insurance company for 20 years and they’ve always treated me great.” And I say, “Have you ever made a claim?” And they say, “No.” Well, okay. So the person who has been taking your money has been treating you great. Not surprising. Wait till you go to the claims department.
Jason Jordan, Founding Partner, Jordan Law
Contact a burn injury attorney. We send preservation demands to all potentially liable parties, secure physical evidence, retain fire investigators, and begin building your case while you focus on surviving and healing.
Why Jordan Law for Your Burn Injury Case
We’ve won eight-figure burn verdicts. Our $26.6 million result for Peter’s catastrophic deep fryer burn case demonstrates our ability to handle the most severe burn injury claims and achieve results that reflect the true scope of the victim’s suffering and future needs.
We understand burn treatment. Burn cases require attorneys who understand the medical reality — skin grafts, debriding, scar contracture, reconstructive surgery timelines, and the psychological toll of disfigurement. We work closely with burn treatment teams and life care planners to document the full cost of recovery.
True trial lawyers. Insurance companies fight burn claims aggressively because the potential verdicts are so large. We prepare every burn case for trial, and our track record of taking cases to verdict is what forces fair settlements. Other personal injury firms regularly refer their most complex cases to us for litigation.
We show up for our clients. Michael Harris didn’t just litigate Peter’s case — he visited him in the burn unit every Friday with an Xbox and Detroit-style pizza. That’s not a billing strategy. That’s who we are. We believe that representing someone through a catastrophic injury means being present, not just filing paperwork.
No fee unless we win. We handle burn injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront. We invest in fire investigators, medical experts, life care planners, and litigation at our own expense. Consultations are always free.
Our Colorado Location
Our office is located in the Denver Tech Center at 5445 DTC Parkway, Suite 1000, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.
