From Pittsburgh's legacy steel mills and Marcellus Shale wellpads to the Delaware Valley's chemical corridor and Philadelphia's industrial waterfront, Pennsylvania's industrial heritage creates significant burn injury risk — and significant legal rights for those who are hurt.
Two ABA-verified burn centers serve the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you were treated at either facility, your medical records are critical evidence in a burn injury claim.
Major Level I Trauma Center serving North Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley industrial corridor, and the legacy chemical refinery communities along the Delaware River.
Part of the UPMC Health System. Serves Western Pennsylvania's legacy steel and manufacturing communities and the Marcellus Shale natural gas region.
ABA-verified burn center at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Serves cement and manufacturing workers, warehouse and logistics employees, and construction burn patients from the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region.
ABA-verified burn and trauma center at Western Pennsylvania Hospital (Allegheny Health Network). Treats steel mill, Marcellus Shale, and chemical industry burn patients from Pittsburgh and western PA.
Pennsylvania law gives burn injury victims two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. This deadline is strict. While limited exceptions exist — such as the discovery rule for latent chemical exposures — the vast majority of burn injury claims require filing within two years of the accident. Do not delay in consulting an attorney.
Pennsylvania's Workers' Compensation Act (77 P.S. § 1 et seq.) requires virtually all employers to carry workers' compensation insurance. When your employer is covered, workers' comp provides the exclusive remedy against the employer for work-related injuries — meaning you generally cannot sue your employer directly in court for a burn injury. However, there are critical exceptions:
Under Pennsylvania's Fair Share Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 7102), each defendant in a civil lawsuit is generally liable only for its proportionate share of fault — not the total damages. However, if a defendant is found more than 60% at fault, that defendant becomes jointly and severally liable for all damages. This framework matters in burn cases with multiple responsible parties — for example, a chemical plant explosion where the employer, a contractor, and an equipment manufacturer all share fault.
Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region, spanning western and central Pennsylvania, is one of the most productive natural gas formations in the world. Wellpad fires, blowouts, flare burns, and chemical exposures create a significant stream of serious burn injuries. Workers on natural gas drilling operations may have rights under both Pennsylvania workers' comp and federal law depending on the nature of the work and their employment classification.
Whether you were burned at a Pittsburgh metals facility, on a Marcellus Shale wellpad, in a Delaware Valley chemical plant, or on a Philadelphia construction site — Pennsylvania law provides substantial rights to pursue compensation. You have two years to act. Don't wait.
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