One moment you are going about your day in San Antonio, and the next you are in an emergency room with painful burns and more questions than answers. The shock hits first, then the fear about scarring, surgeries, and how long you might be out of work. On top of that, people are already asking what happened, and you may feel pressure to give quick answers before you even understand your own condition.
In this situation, it is hard to know what matters most. You might worry about whether you got the right treatment, whether you should talk to the insurance adjuster who keeps calling, or whether you made a mistake that means you have no rights at all. This guide is for you and your family. We will walk through clear, concrete steps you can take after a burn injury in San Antonio to protect both your health and your legal options.
At The Packard Law Firm, we have spent decades helping people across San Antonio and Texas after serious injuries, including catastrophic burns. Our firm is led by Dan Packard, a board certified personal injury trial lawyer, and our approach comes from what we see in real cases, not from theory. The steps we outline here are the same steps we encourage our own clients to follow, because they can make a real difference in your recovery and any claim you may have.
Focus on Emergency Safety & Medical Care First
After a burn, the first priority is always safety and emergency care. In and around San Antonio, that often means calling 911 so EMS can evaluate you and get you to an emergency room quickly. You should call for emergency help right away if the burn is large, very painful, deep, or involves the face, hands, feet, groin, buttocks, or major joints. You should also seek emergency care if you have trouble breathing, a hoarse voice after smoke exposure, burns around the mouth or nose, or if the injury resulted from electricity or chemicals.
Doctors classify burns based on how deeply they damage the skin. A superficial burn (often called first degree) affects only the top layer and looks red, like a bad sunburn. A partial thickness burn (often called second degree) goes deeper and usually causes blisters and significant pain. A full thickness burn (often called third degree) damages all layers of the skin and may look white, brown, or charred, and it may actually hurt less because nerves are damaged. The deeper the burn, the greater the risk of infection, fluid loss, and long term damage, so having a medical professional assess it is crucial, even if it looks “not too bad” at first.
People understandably try home remedies in those first confusing minutes. We see clients who used ice, butter, toothpaste, or home oils, or who popped blisters because they thought it would help. These choices can worsen tissue damage and increase the risk of infection. In general, gently cooling the burn with cool (not ice cold) running water and keeping the area clean while you get medical help is safer than any homemade treatment. The details of treatment should come from your doctors, and following their instructions closely protects both your healing and the medical record that will later explain what you went through.
In nearly 50 years of serving injured people in Texas, we have seen the difference early, proper care makes for burn survivors. Clients who went promptly to an emergency room or burn unit in San Antonio, followed up as directed, and avoided home experiments tended to have clearer diagnoses, more effective treatment, and stronger documentation. That documentation often becomes essential when insurers or defense lawyers later argue that the burn was minor or that long term problems must be from something else.
Protect the Scene & Preserve Evidence After a Burn Incident
Once immediate medical needs are addressed, the next critical step is protecting evidence. In San Antonio, burn scenes often get repaired, cleaned, or demolished quickly, whether it is an apartment unit, a workplace area, a kitchen, or a vehicle. If no one documents what things looked like right after the incident, it can be much harder to prove what caused the burn and who is responsible.
If it is safe to do so and you are physically able, photos and video from a phone can be powerful. Capture wide shots of the overall scene, then closer shots of specific items: stoves, heaters, extension cords, wiring, grills, machinery, spilled hot liquids, chemical containers, or anything that looked or smelled unusual. Include photos of warning labels, missing guards or covers, and any obvious damage. Have a family member or trusted friend help with this if you are in the hospital. Also photograph your visible burns at different stages, starting as early as possible, since the injury can change significantly over the first days and weeks.
Physical items often become key evidence in burn injury cases. Burned clothing, damaged tools or appliances, heaters, faulty cords, and even shoes covered in chemicals can help show temperature, exposure, and how the incident unfolded. Instead of throwing these things away or letting someone repair them, store them in a safe place. If an employer, landlord, or property manager takes control of these items, make a note of who has them and when. Lawyers often work with experts who analyze these materials to determine whether a product defect, code violation, or unsafe work practice played a role.
Witness information and reports also matter. Get names and contact details for anyone who saw the fire, explosion, spill, or other event, or who helped you afterward. Report the incident to the appropriate party, such as your supervisor, safety manager, landlord, or property manager, and ask for a copy of any incident report. In San Antonio, official investigations by fire marshals, law enforcement, or OSHA may also occur. Knowing early that these investigations exist allows your legal team, when involved, to request records and use them to build a clearer picture of fault.
We have investigated fires and burn incidents across San Antonio in workplaces, apartments, homes, and public places. Time and again, the cases with early photos, preserved items, and documented reports are the cases where we can most effectively show what went wrong. That is one reason we urge clients and families, whenever possible, to think about evidence preservation even while the medical side is unfolding.
Document Your Injuries, Treatment, & Daily Struggles
Serious burns are not one time events. They unfold over months or even years, as wounds heal, scars form, and doctors decide whether you need grafts, surgery, or other interventions. Insurance companies and defense lawyers often look for any gap or inconsistency in that story to argue that your burns are not as serious as you claim. Keeping your own detailed record helps you tell the full truth about what this injury has done to your life.
One simple but powerful tool is an injury journal. This can be a notebook, a note on your phone, or a document where you write a few lines each day. Describe pain levels, sleep problems, itching, tightness in the skin, and how the burns make it hard to do everyday tasks, such as showering, dressing, driving, or lifting children. Include emotional changes, such as anxiety around stoves or fire, nightmares about the incident, depression, or embarrassment about scars. Combine this with photos taken regularly of the burn areas to show how they look over time, including swelling, discoloration, and scarring.
Keeping your medical care consistent and well documented is just as important. Go to all scheduled follow up appointments with your San Antonio doctors and burn specialists, and tell them about all your symptoms, not just the ones that hurt the most. If a particular area itches constantly, pulls tight, or limits your movement, make sure it is in the chart. If you are having trouble returning to work or doing your usual job duties, say that plainly. Medical records that reflect your daily realities are much harder for insurers to ignore or distort.
It also helps to organize your paperwork from the start. Keep copies of hospital records, clinic notes, prescription receipts, co pay receipts, physical therapy invoices, and any medical devices or supplies you have to buy. Hold on to work excuse notes, disability forms, and written communication from your employer about time off or accommodations. In San Antonio burn cases, this documentation helps show both the direct costs and the less visible impacts of a burn injury, such as reduced hours, lost promotions, and the strain on family finances.
Over the years, we have seen that burn cases with detailed journals, clear medical documentation, and organized records usually stand up better to insurance company challenges. When we can walk an adjuster or a jury through a client’s journey day by day, instead of just showing a single ER bill, it becomes obvious that this is not a “minor burn” but a life altering injury.
Handle Insurance Companies & Employers With Care
After a burn injury in San Antonio, you may hear from several different people very quickly. An insurance adjuster might call you on behalf of a property owner, a driver, or a company. A supervisor or HR representative might ask you to give a detailed statement about a workplace incident. A landlord or property manager might request that you sign paperwork about an apartment or building fire. It is natural to want to cooperate, but these conversations can affect your legal rights more than you realize.
Insurance adjusters are trained to protect their company’s bottom line. In serious injury cases, they often reach out early and try to get a recorded statement while you are still in pain and on medication. They may seem friendly and say they “just need your side of the story.” In reality, they are listening for comments they can later use against you, such as guesses about what happened, statements like “it was probably my fault,” or offhand remarks that suggest the injury is not that bad. Those words can resurface months later in ways that surprise you.
Workers facing burns in a job related incident encounter a similar problem. An employer in San Antonio may ask you to fill out forms, give a statement, or sign acknowledgments that downplay hazards or suggest you violated policies. You may also deal with a workers’ compensation carrier. At the same time, there could be third parties, such as contractors, equipment manufacturers, or property owners, who share responsibility. If you sign certain documents or give a broad statement too early, you can unintentionally make these other claims harder to pursue.
You have the right to set boundaries. It is often safer to provide only basic information at first and to avoid recorded statements until you have talked with a lawyer. You can say something like, “I am still getting medical treatment and I am not comfortable giving a detailed statement right now. I would like to speak with an attorney before I do that.” You can also decline to sign broad releases or settlement documents without legal review, even if someone tells you “this is standard paperwork.” That brief pause can protect you from signing away rights you did not know you had.
Because we deal with San Antonio insurance companies and employers regularly, we understand the tactics they use in serious burn and catastrophic injury cases. Part of our work is stepping in to handle communication, so our clients do not have to navigate complex questions and pressure while they are trying to heal. When we take on a case, we notify the relevant insurers and representatives that we are involved, and from that point forward, they typically need to go through us instead of contacting you directly.
Talk With A San Antonio Burn Injury Team About Your Next Steps
A burn injury can change your life in a single day, but you are not powerless in what happens next. By seeking the right medical care, preserving evidence, documenting your injuries, and being careful in how you deal with insurers and employers, you can protect your health and your legal rights. You do not have to have done everything perfectly so far. You simply need a clear plan for what to do from here.
At The Packard Law Firm, we have guided many families in San Antonio through the aftermath of serious and catastrophic injuries, including burns. We can review what happened, answer your questions about responsibility and time limits, and take on the work of dealing with insurance companies and legal deadlines so you can focus on healing. We invite you to reach out for a free, no obligation consultation to talk about your specific situation and your options.
Call (210) 972-8918 to speak with our team about your burn injury and the steps you can take today.