Houston Burn Injury Lawyer

Suffer a burn injury in Houston, TX? Contact the top Houston burn injury lawyer to seek justice and compensation.

Houston generates more of these injuries than most American cities. Refinery flash fires along the Ship Channel, apartment blazes traced to ignored code violations, tanker collisions on I-10, and defective consumer products send victims to Memorial Hermann’s burn unit and UTMB Galveston every week. Behind almost every one of them, someone made a decision that put cost, speed, or convenience ahead of your safety.

At DeHoyos Accident Attorneys, we treat your recovery as the priority and your story as the foundation of your case. We investigate how the burn happened, hold negligent parties accountable, and pursue the full resources you need to rebuild, from medical care and reconstructive surgery to lost income. With a track record of $20 million or more in settlements and verdicts, we have spent more than a decade advocating for injured Texans and securing meaningful compensation for our clients.

Get a free consultation and discover how trusted burn injury lawyer in Houston, TX, can help you seek the compensation and justice you deserve.

Why Choose DeHoyos Accident Attorneys for Burn Injury Cases

High-volume personal injury firms, commonly called “injury mills”, take on hundreds of cases at once and hand your file to a paralegal the moment you sign. The result is less contact with an actual attorney and, far too often, less compensation.

Our firm operates on a different standard. When you hire us, Ryan DeHoyos personally reviews your medical records, meets with your doctors, and builds a legal strategy around your specific situation. He is a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” with a 5-star Google rating and more than a decade of Houston courtroom experience, and he is the person you speak with every step of the way.

• Direct attorney access: You call Ryan directly, not a case manager, at every stage of your case.
• Contingency fee: You pay us nothing unless and until we recover compensation for you.
• Letters of protection: If you’re uninsured, we arrange for qualified burn care specialists to treat you now and defer payment until your case resolves.
• Trial-ready resources: We engage fire origin investigators, accident reconstructionists, and independent medical experts when your case demands it.

“AWESOME legal representation. Ryan is an amazing attorney to have on your side. He was very responsive to all of my phone calls and if he was busy then he would make time to talk to me about my case. Outstanding service by this lawyer who puts their clients first. Ryan treated me like I was his only case. I would definitely recommend Ryan to anyone that is involved in a motor vehicle accident. Ryan leveled the playing field with the big insurance company. Definitely exceeded expectations on my recovery!” – David M.

Types of Burn Injury Cases We Handle

Burn injuries occur across a wide range of accidents and conditions. We represent clients injured in:

• Apartment and residential fires tied to landlord negligence, code violations, or faulty electrical systems
• Industrial explosions, plant fires, and chemical burns along Houston’s petrochemical corridor
• Post-collision fires involving cars, 18-wheelers, and tanker trucks
• Defective products including lithium-ion batteries, e-cigarettes, pressure cookers, and portable fire pits
• Scald burns from commercial kitchen equipment or defective residential water heaters
• Electrical contact burns from improperly installed or exposed wiring on construction sites
• Offshore platform fires and vessel explosions governed by the Jones Act
• Workplace burns at Texas non-subscriber employers, companies that have opted out of workers’ compensation and can be sued directly for full damages

“Insurance companies aren’t there to be your best friend by any means.” – Attorney Ryan DeHoyos

How Burn Severity Affects Your Claim

Burn injuries are classified by degree, and that classification has a direct effect on the value of your case and the treatment you will need going forward.

• First-degree burns affect only the outermost skin layer, the epidermis. They typically heal within days and rarely cause permanent harm.
• Second-degree burns damage the epidermis and the dermis beneath it, causing blistering, significant pain, and sometimes requiring a skin graft, a surgery that replaces burned skin with healthy tissue from another part of the body.
• Third-degree burns destroy the full thickness of the skin and the tissue beneath, requiring immediate hospitalization, multiple surgeries, and frequently resulting in permanent disfigurement.
• Fourth-degree burns extend into muscle and bone, are life-threatening, and often leave victims with lasting disability.

One pattern we see often in Houston burn cases is an early settlement offer that is calculated off the initial hospitalization alone, before anyone has accounted for the scar-revision surgeries, skin grafts, or reconstructive procedures a serious burn can require years down the line. We work with treating physicians and, when needed, life care planners so the full lifetime cost is part of the claim from the start.

Cases involving third and fourth-degree burns, particularly those covering a significant portion of the body, support the most substantial recoveries.

“There’s certain things in your life that really have no monetary value, but you value them.” – Attorney Ryan DeHoyos

Who Can Be Held Liable for a Burn Injury?

Identifying every responsible party is often the difference between an inadequate settlement and the full compensation you deserve. A single fire or explosion can expose multiple defendants simultaneously.

• Property owners and landlords: Texas premises liability law holds owners accountable for ignored electrical hazards, blocked fire exits, and absent sprinkler systems.
• Manufacturers and distributors: When a defective product causes a fire, a product liability claim can be filed against the company that designed, built, or sold it.
• Employers and non-subscribers: Companies that fail to provide safe equipment, proper training, or a hazard-free work environment can be held directly liable for your injuries.
• Trucking companies and drivers: Both the driver and the company may share responsibility when a commercial vehicle crash results in fire.
• Utilities and municipalities: Power companies responsible for poorly maintained infrastructure that sparks a fire are not exempt from legal action.
• Medical providers: Burns caused by faulty electrosurgical tools or warming device failures during a procedure are a recognized form of medical negligence.

A pattern we run into often with burn claims involving refinery and industrial sites along the Ship Channel is a company that points to its own safety audits to argue an incident was unforeseeable. We routinely find that the same equipment or process had caused near-misses before, and that history often becomes central to proving the company knew about the danger and failed to fix it.

How We Investigate and Build Your Case

From the day you retain our firm, we take immediate steps to protect the evidence that determines whether burn injury cases are won or lost.

We send spoliation letters, formal legal notices requiring all potential defendants to preserve surveillance footage, maintenance records, inspection logs, and internal documents. Any party that destroys evidence after receiving one of these demands faces serious legal exposure.

We then engage fire origin and cause investigators who analyze the physical evidence to establish exactly how the fire started and who bears legal responsibility. Their findings frequently uncover defendants that weren’t initially obvious.

Finally, we work with your treating physicians and independent medical specialists to develop a life-care plan, a comprehensive projection of your future treatment needs, including reconstructive surgeries, physical therapy, and psychological care, so the full scope of your losses is captured in your claim.

“I hired Ryan because he actually cared about my case and I actually met with him in the consultation. Ryan explained the whole process to us and what to expect in this difficult time. I definitely benefited from hiring Ryan as he kept me updated throughout the entire case. Additionally, the experience was less terrifying and stressful due to his counsel.” – Angel A.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

Texas law allows burn injury victims to pursue three categories of damages, covering financial losses, personal suffering, and in some cases, punitive accountability.

Burns frequently require years of follow-up treatment, reconstructive procedures, occupational therapy, and ongoing psychological care. Every one of those future costs must be documented and built into your claim from the outset, not added as an afterthought.

What Is a Houston Burn Injury Case Worth?

The value of a burn injury claim depends on the degree and extent of the burn, the permanence of any disfigurement, your age and income before the injury, and the insurance coverage available. No attorney can give you an honest number without reviewing your specific records.

Third and fourth-degree burns requiring years of ongoing treatment typically support the largest recoveries. Our firm has obtained substantial recoveries in serious injury cases, and we bring the same preparation and commitment to every burn case we handle.

Texas Filing Deadline for Burn Injury Claims

Texas law gives you two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit, a rule called the statute of limitations. Missing this deadline almost always forfeits your right to recover compensation permanently.

Limited exceptions apply for injured minors, cases involving government entities, or situations where the cause of injury wasn’t immediately discoverable. Contact an attorney early so no deadline puts your claim at risk.

How Comparative Fault Affects Your Recovery

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule. You can still recover compensation even if you bear some responsibility for the accident, as long as your share of the blame is 50% or less. Your final award is reduced proportionally by your percentage of fault.

Insurance companies routinely try to inflate your responsibility to lower their exposure. We respond to those tactics with evidence, not arguments.

One pattern we see often with burn injury claims is an adjuster who leans on a client’s own recorded statement, taken before the client understood how serious the injury actually was, to argue a smaller share of fault against the true liable party. That is one of the reasons we tell clients to decline a recorded statement until they have spoken with an attorney.

What to Do After a Burn Injury in Houston

The steps you take in the hours and days following a burn directly affect both your physical recovery and the strength of your legal claim.

1. Seek specialized care immediately. Serious burns require treatment at a certified burn center. Facilities like Memorial Hermann’s John S. Dunn Burn Center are equipped for life-altering burns in ways that general emergency rooms are not.
2. Preserve all physical evidence. If a product caused your burn, keep it. Photograph the accident scene and your injuries before conditions change.
3. Decline recorded statements. Insurance adjusters are trained to use your words against you. Do not speak with any insurer before consulting an attorney.
4. Call us early. The sooner we get involved, the sooner we can issue spoliation letters and begin building the case that protects your recovery.

“Before you have a true understanding of what your injuries are, they’ll make an offer to you immediately.” – Attorney Ryan DeHoyos

What It Costs to Work with Our Firm

Hiring DeHoyos Accident Attorneys costs you nothing upfront. All burn injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, our fee is a percentage of your final settlement or verdict, and only if we win. If we don’t recover for you, you owe us nothing.

“Very professional, authentic, honest, reliable and always kept in touch with me about my case. Ryan is bringing trust back to personal injury attorneys. I highly recommend him if you are injured in an accident.” – Angie C.

Will Your Burn Injury Case Settle or Go to Trial?

Most burn injury cases resolve through settlement before reaching a courtroom. But the settlements that fully compensate victims are built by attorneys who are prepared to go to trial when insurers refuse to offer a fair amount.

Insurance companies track which law firms will fight at trial and which ones fold. Our trial-ready approach sends a clear message that we won’t accept less than what your case is worth.

“Sometimes that’s what it takes, showing them that we’re going to go to trial on this case, in order for them to be fair with you.” – Attorney Ryan DeHoyos

Houston Burn Injury FAQ

Do I Have a Claim if I Was Partially Responsible for the Fire?

Texas comparative fault law allows you to recover compensation as long as your share of fault is 50% or less. Your final award is reduced by your percentage of responsibility, but you are not barred from pursuing a claim.

How Long Does a Houston Burn Injury Case Take to Resolve?

Most cases are resolved within one to two years, although claims involving severe injuries or multiple liable parties can take longer. We move your case forward efficiently without ever accepting a settlement that fails to cover your future needs.

Can I File a Product Liability Claim if a Defective Product Caused My Burn?

Yes. A design defect, manufacturing flaw, or absent safety warning that caused your burn gives you the right to pursue a product liability claim against the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer, independently of any other personal injury claim.

If My Employer Has Workers’ Compensation, Can I Still Sue a Third Party?

Workers’ compensation limits direct lawsuits against your employer, but it does not protect third parties. If a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or property owner contributed to your burn, we can file a separate lawsuit to recover full damages, including pain and suffering.

What If I Can’t Afford Burn Treatment Before My Case Settles?

We arrange letters of protection with qualified Houston burn care providers so you can begin treatment immediately at no upfront cost. Your medical expenses are settled from your recovery when the case concludes.