Individuals who suffer severe burns are often required to undergo extensive skin graft surgeries in order to correct and treat their injuries. Even with costly skin graft procedures, lengthy hospital stays, and ongoing care, burn injuries can leave individuals with lifelong disfigurement and debilitation, limiting their ability to work and reducing their quality of life.
HOW MUCH DOES SKIN GRAFTING COST?
Skin substitution is a complex medical process, and can cost a great deal for those who do not have extensive medical insurance plans. The national average cost of skin grafting is between $1,900 and $3,000 per procedure.
In the event that a person should suffer a burn injury in an accident that leaves a permanent effect – known as a “residual injury” – such as scarring from skin grafts or amputation, the amount of their eligible damages can increase by a large margin. This is for obvious reasons, as residual injuries can cause a person to suffer over a long period of time. The more serious the effect of these injuries have on a burn victim’s life, the higher the compensation.
DOES SKIN GRAFTING CAUSE SCARRING?
Scars from a person’s burns or from the resulting skin grafts can be both cosmetically embarrassing and can make the affected area less flexible. If a person’s scars are on a joint or in any other area of the body that regularly flexes, such as the webbings of the fingers or toes, they can cause a permanent decrease in mobility and justify higher damages.
Unfortunately, certain social prejudices can skew insurance awards for the cosmetic damage of scars. For example, young, single women are often compensated more for their scars than older, married women on the belief that a scar will have a more serious impact on a young woman’s social life. Similarly, a woman will usually be considered to be more damaged by a scar than a man with the identical scar. To overcome some of these prejudices, injured parties can obtain a medical opinion about the cost of having the scar removed or repaired and include it in their demand letter to their insurance company.
BIRMINGHAM BURN INJURY ATTORNEY
If you have been forced to undergo skin grafts following an accident caused by another party’s negligence, the Birmingham personal injury lawyers at Glenda Cochran Associates Attorneys at Law can fight to recover compensation for your long term injuries, including your medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and emotional distress. We have more than 25 years of legal experience and are ready to go the distance on your behalf.
Call 888.906.3955 or schedule a free consultation today to review your legal options.