Orange County Burn Injury Lawyer

Last updated: October 2026 · Reviewed by Faud Haghighi, Esq., Founder & Lead Trial Attorney

How Can an Orange County Burn Injury Lawyer Help?

An Orange County burn injury lawyer identifies what caused the fire, scald, or electrical injury, whether a careless driver, a property owner, an employer’s contractor, or a defective product, and pursues compensation for surgeries, scarring, disfigurement, lost income, and years of recovery.

Serious burns are among the most painful injuries a person can suffer, and their effects, including skin grafts, scarring, limited movement, and emotional trauma, can last a lifetime. The Law Offices of Faud Haghighi represents burn survivors and their families throughout Orange County and Southern California from offices in Aliso Viejo and Tustin. Faud Haghighi has handled hundreds of cases, including product liability and premises liability cases, and handles each case personally.

What Should You Do After a Burn Injury?

Get emergency care first, then protect the evidence of what caused the burn before it is cleaned up, repaired, or thrown away.

1. Get medical treatment immediately. Burns can look less serious at first, and deeper damage and infection risks are not always obvious.
2. Report the incident to the fire department, police, property manager, or business, and ask for a copy of any report.
3. Keep the product, device, charger, or container involved, along with receipts and packaging, and don’t send it back to the seller.
4. Photograph your injuries regularly as they heal, and photograph the scene before it changes.
5. Write down names of witnesses, employees, and anyone who responded.
6. Don’t give a recorded statement to an insurer or manufacturer before speaking with a lawyer.

How Are Burns Classified?

Burns are classified by how deeply they damage the skin: superficial (first-degree), partial-thickness (second-degree), and full-thickness (third-degree) (MedlinePlus). The deeper and larger the burn, the more likely it is to need surgery and to leave permanent scarring.

Burns can also damage the airways when someone breathes in smoke, steam, superheated air, or chemical fumes. Burns that cross joints can tighten as they heal (contractures), limiting movement and requiring therapy and sometimes further surgery.

What Causes Burn Injuries That Lead to Claims?

Burn claims arise when someone else’s carelessness or a defective product causes a fire, explosion, scald, chemical exposure, or electrical injury. Common examples include:

• Vehicle crashes and fires, including fuel-fed fires after a car or truck collision.
• Defective products, such as lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes, scooters, and devices that overheat or ignite, and faulty heaters or appliances, which can support a defective product claim.
• Apartment and building fires made worse by missing or broken smoke alarms, blocked exits, or faulty wiring. California requires approved smoke alarms in every dwelling intended for human occupancy (Health & Safety Code §13113.7), and a landlord who ignores fire hazards may face a premises liability claim.
• Scalding from hot liquids or steam in restaurants, hotels, and other businesses.
• Electrical burns from exposed wiring or improperly maintained equipment.
• Job-site burns caused by a contractor or equipment maker other than your employer, which can support a third-party construction claim.

Who Is Responsible for a Burn Injury?

Whoever caused the dangerous condition or failed to prevent it: a negligent driver, a property owner or landlord, a business, a contractor, or a manufacturer or seller of a defective product. Product cases can rely on California’s strict product liability rules, which focus on whether the product was defective rather than on whether the manufacturer was careless. Fire cases often depend on a cause-and-origin investigation, so the burned product, the scene, and any debris should be preserved and not discarded or repaired. If the injured person shares some fault, California’s comparative negligence rule reduces the award rather than barring it; a person with $150,000 in losses found 20% at fault still recovers $120,000. Read more about product liability cases in California.

Where Are Serious Burns Treated in Orange County?

The UCI Health Regional Burn Center at UCI Medical Center in Orange is the only American Burn Association-verified burn center in Orange County, and it treats both adults and children (UCI Health). Specialized burn care records, including surgical notes, graft procedures, and therapy plans, are central evidence of the injury and the future care it will require. (We are not affiliated with UCI Health or any hospital.)

In Orange County, burn injuries can follow freeway and surface-street crashes, apartment and house fires, restaurant and commercial kitchen accidents, and fires caused by consumer products and batteries.

What Compensation Is Available for Burn Injuries?

Burn injury compensation can include emergency and burn-unit care, skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, therapy, scar treatment, lost earnings, and damages for pain, disfigurement, and emotional distress.

• Hospitalization, burn-unit care, and surgeries, including future reconstructive and scar-revision procedures
• Physical and occupational therapy, pressure garments, and wound care
• Counseling for anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium for a spouse or registered domestic partner

For serious burns, a life-care plan and an economist help value future surgeries and care. There is no reliable “average burn injury settlement”: value depends on the depth and size of the burns, where they are, the surgeries and future care needed, scarring, lost income, and the evidence of what caused the burn. For the most serious burns, see catastrophic injury claims, and read more about what affects the value of a personal injury case.

What Are the Deadlines for a Burn Injury Claim?

Generally two years from the injury to file a lawsuit, and six months for a written claim if a public agency is responsible.

This page explains California law in general terms as of October 2026. Laws change and exceptions apply, so it is not legal advice about your situation.

How Does Faud Haghighi Prove the Cause of a Burn?

Burn cases often involve complex causation, multiple defendants, and product questions, which is where Faud Haghighi’s practice is centered. He has practiced law in California since 2012, has resolved cases against large corporate defendants and insurance carriers, and prepares each case as if it will go to trial. He handles each case personally, moves quickly to preserve the product and the scene, and works with fire-cause, engineering, and medical experts when the case needs them. If the defense won’t pay fair value, the case is filed in the Orange County Superior Court.

We represent burn survivors throughout Orange County and Southern California, including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Mission Viejo, and Aliso Viejo, as part of our Orange County personal injury practice.

Burned because of someone else’s negligence or a defective product? Call (949) 313-7656 or request a free consultation. There is no attorney fee unless we recover for you.