Burn injuries can change your life in an instant—painful treatment, the risk of infection, time away from work, and the possibility of permanent scarring or disfigurement. Whether your burns were caused by a fire, explosion, electrical incident, chemical exposure, or a defective product in San Diego County, Hulburt Law Firm represents burn victims and families in serious injury and wrongful death cases throughout California.
Types of burn injury cases we handle:
Throughout your burn injury case, we keep you informed, answer your questions, and explain each step in clear, practical terms. Because we limit the number of serious injury and wrongful death matters we accept, we’re able to move quickly to preserve critical evidence—photos and video of the scene, fire department or incident reports, and, when a product or device is involved, the item itself in its post-incident condition.
Burn cases often involve complex liability questions, including property owners and managers, contractors, utilities, employers, and manufacturers. We investigate how the fire, explosion, electrical fault, or chemical exposure occurred, identify every responsible party, and work with qualified experts when needed to explain causation and safety failures.
We also focus on documenting the full impact of burn injuries—burn-center care, grafts, infection complications, scarring and disfigurement, future procedures, and the emotional toll that often follows. With Hulburt Law Firm handling the investigation, insurance companies, and legal process, you can focus on healing while we pursue full and fair compensation under California law.
Our attorneys have a proven track record of achieving extraordinary results.
A defective front driveshaft broke apart and ripped a whole in the underbody of a truck, causing a vehicle fire. The driver suffered catastrophic third-degree burns.
A lithium ion battery exploded in a man’s pocket, severely burning his leg.
Jury verdict against Caltrans for a 13-year-old boy who was hit by a car while using a dangerous crosswalk.
A defective front drive shaft in a 4x4 truck broke apart and spun up through the floorboard at 70 mph, ripped through the fuel and brake lines, and ignited the truck and driver in flames. The truck maker and its team of lawyers denied everything and obstructed the truth at every turn. They claimed it was a freak accident caused by improper maintenance.
Attorney Conor Hulburt uncovered that his client's nightmare was shared by others. Dozens of identical truck owners across the country had experienced similar incidents. Conor found their stories in online posts, YouTube videos, NHTSA complaints, and lawsuits. He traveled to their homes, video recorded their testimony, and put it all together in an irrefutable presentation. He also worked with an MIT design engineer to present evidence that the driveshaft was underbuilt and dangerously flawed in its design.
The case resolved with a confidential settlement that significantly improved the client's life.
If you or a loved one suffered serious burns from a fire, explosion, electrical hazard, or defective product in San Diego County, you don’t have to face the insurance companies alone. Request a free burn injury case review to discuss what happened and your options under California law.
During your free case review, we listen to how the burn happened, what treatment you’ve received, and how the injury is affecting your life and work. We review any information you already have—photos or video, incident or fire reports, medical records, and insurance letters—and give an honest assessment of whether a burn injury claim may be available under California law. This conversation is confidential and there’s no obligation to move forward.
If you decide to work with us and the scope of representation is signed, we move quickly to preserve key evidence. In burn cases, that may include photographing the scene, identifying witnesses, obtaining fire department or incident reports, and securing any surveillance footage before it’s overwritten. If a product or device was involved (battery, appliance, tool, heater, etc.), we work to preserve it in its post-incident condition and document packaging, warnings, and purchase records. Acting early matters because scenes change and physical evidence can be lost.
Next, we work with the right experts to determine how and why the burn occurred. Depending on the case, this may include fire investigators, electrical engineers, chemical safety experts, product engineers, and human factors experts. Their analysis helps establish whether the burn resulted from unsafe property conditions, negligent maintenance, code violations, defective products, or other preventable safety failures.
Burn injuries often involve long-term treatment. We gather burn-center records, surgical and graft documentation, rehab and therapy records, and treating-provider opinions to prove the severity and permanency of your injuries. When appropriate, we coordinate with plastic surgeons, wound-care specialists, life-care planners, and vocational/economic experts to document future procedures, scar management, functional limitations, and long-term financial impact.
We handle communications with insurers and defense lawyers so you don’t have to. Burn claims are often undervalued because adjusters focus on early bills and ignore future care, scarring/disfigurement, and the emotional toll. We present a clear package of liability evidence and damages—including future treatment needs and life impact—to pursue a full and fair resolution. Throughout negotiations, we keep you informed, explain any offers in plain language, and help you weigh settlement versus litigation.
If a fair resolution cannot be reached, we are prepared to file a lawsuit and take your case to court. Litigation can involve discovery, depositions of property owners, manufacturers, and experts, and detailed technical proof about causation and safety standards. At trial, we present the evidence clearly—what caused the burn, why the responsible parties are accountable, and what the injury will require going forward—so decision-makers understand the full impact on you and your family.
Burn injury cases in California are usually built around one core question: who failed to prevent a foreseeable burn hazard—and what did that failure cost you in medical care, future treatment, and life impact. Burn cases often involve multiple responsible parties (property owners, employers, contractors, manufacturers, or utilities), so identifying the right legal theory early is important.
Liability depends on how the burn happened and who controlled the hazard. Common burn-claim scenarios include:
Many serious burns involve more than one cause (for example, negligent maintenance and defective equipment). California allows multiple defendants to share responsibility when the facts support it.
The elements depend on the type of claim, but most burn injury cases require showing:
In product cases, the focus is often whether the product had a design defect, manufacturing defect, or failure to warn. In premises/fire cases, key issues often include notice, maintenance practices, code compliance, and whether reasonable safety steps were taken.
Burn injuries frequently involve unique damages that insurers tend to undervalue. Depending on the case, compensation may include:
Economic damages
Non-economic damages
If a burn injury results in death, families may also have wrongful death and related survival claims, which have their own damage categories and rules.
California has strict filing deadlines, and burn cases can involve shorter deadlines if a government entity may be responsible.
In many cases:
Shorter deadlines may apply when:
Because burn injuries can involve evolving diagnoses, long treatment courses, multiple defendants, and time-sensitive evidence, it’s smart to speak with an attorney promptly so the correct deadlines and claim procedures are identified and protected.
Forget surface-level research and mediocre inquiries. We dive deep to conduct extensive investigations and gather evidence in order to build your strongest case.
We use technology to your advantage. By using video and photography, scene recreations, and graphics, we tell your story in a visually-compelling way that other law firms cannot match.
Defense attorneys and insurance companies know us and respect us. We assess the full extent of your damages and pursue all responsible parties in order to maximize the compensation you deserve.
Catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases are rarely simple. We have taken on the largest corporations, insurance companies, and defense firms in the country and won.
We understand how important it is to have a compassionate and considerate lawyer. From providing regular case updates to ensuring clients are adequately prepared for each step of the case, we continually demonstrate our care for all of our clients.
Get medical care immediately—especially for facial burns, electrical burns, chemical burns, burns with blistering, or any burn that causes severe pain, numbness, or trouble breathing. Follow treatment instructions carefully and keep copies of discharge paperwork and follow-up recommendations.
If you can do so safely, take photos of the burn and the scene, note any witnesses, and identify whether there were cameras nearby (business, home/security, or facility cameras). Avoid signing releases or giving recorded statements to insurance companies until you understand your options.
Yes—if it’s safe to do so. In product-related burn cases, the device and its components are often the most important evidence. Do not throw it away, repair it, return it, or allow it to be taken for “inspection” without legal advice.
Save the product in its post-incident condition along with the packaging, manuals, warning labels, and proof of purchase. If the product is in someone else’s possession (a landlord, employer, insurer, or retailer), acting quickly to preserve it can make a major difference.
Burn cases are often won or lost on early evidence. Helpful items include:
Because scenes change quickly and footage can be overwritten, evidence preservation is often time-sensitive in San Diego burn cases.
Serious burns can happen in many ways, but common causes include:
Many cases involve more than one contributing factor, which is why a thorough investigation is important.
They can. Even burns that initially look manageable may involve complications such as infection risk, nerve pain, limited range of motion, and ongoing wound care. More serious burns may require grafts, multiple surgeries, scar management, physical therapy, and long-term follow-up, including treatment for sleep disruption, anxiety, or trauma.
Because future care is often a major part of burn injury damages, documenting treatment plans and expected long-term needs is important before a case is resolved.
Work-related burns often involve workers’ compensation, which can help cover medical care and a portion of lost wages regardless of fault. However, some burn cases also involve third-party claims against someone other than the employer—such as a negligent contractor, property owner, equipment manufacturer, or other company on the jobsite.
The right approach depends on the facts. A lawyer can help you understand whether you may have both a workers’ comp claim and a separate third-party case.
Burns can result from unsafe wiring, missing smoke detectors, blocked exits, faulty appliances provided by a landlord, or other maintenance and safety failures. If the injury happened in an apartment, hotel, or other property in San Diego County, documenting the scene quickly is important because repairs are often made soon after an incident.
A premises-related burn case often depends on evidence like maintenance history, prior complaints, inspection records, and whether reasonable safety steps were taken.
It’s common for insurers to try to shift blame—claiming a person “used the product wrong,” “should have known better,” or “ignored warnings.” But many injuries involve foreseeable use, foreseeable misuse, missing warnings, or hazards that weren’t obvious until something went wrong.
Fault analysis is fact-specific and often requires expert input, especially in fires, electrical incidents, and defective-product burns. Getting guidance early can help prevent your claim from being unfairly minimized.
The timeline depends on the severity of the burn, how long treatment lasts, and how clear liability is. Many cases cannot be valued fairly until doctors have a clearer picture of healing, scarring, future procedures, and long-term limitations.
Some cases resolve within months; serious burn cases—especially those involving fires, explosions, multiple defendants, or technical investigations—often take longer and may require filing a lawsuit.
Burn injury cases are subject to strict deadlines, and shorter timelines can apply in cases involving public entities or other special circumstances. Because the correct deadline depends on the facts—and because burn cases often require time-sensitive evidence preservation—it’s smart to speak with an attorney promptly.
For a detailed overview of deadlines and special rules, see the California Burn Injury Law section above.
You’re not required to hire an attorney, but serious burn cases can be complex—especially when they involve fire investigations, electrical or chemical analysis, defective products, or multiple responsible parties. A burn injury lawyer can help preserve evidence, work with the right experts, handle insurance communications, and pursue full compensation for future care and life impact.
Most serious injury firms, including Hulburt Law Firm, handle burn injury cases on a contingency fee basis. That generally means no upfront hourly fees; attorney fees are typically paid as a percentage of any recovery, and case costs may be advanced and reimbursed as explained in the written fee agreement.
Simply fill out the form or call 619.821.0500 to receive a free case review. We’ll evaluate what happened, your injuries, and potential defendants to determine how we can best help you.