Dallas Burn Injury Lawyer

Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.

What follows is specific to Dallas: the courthouse, the city’s ABA-verified burn center, a gas explosion federal investigators traced to a 71-year-old main, and how Texas law treats fault and punitive damages. The medical background on burn depth and grafting is on our main burn injury lawyer page, and statewide rules are on Texas burn injury law.

Dallas County courts

Dallas County’s civil district courts are in the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building at 600 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas. The District Clerk’s civil filing office is in the same building, Suite 103 (Dallas County District Clerk).

A burn in a Dallas suburb can still be filed in Dallas County if a defendant is based here, and a case against a company from another state may be moved to federal court in Dallas. We sort out venue at the start, before the case is filed.

Parkland and other burn care in North Texas

Parkland’s burn center serves North Texas and the surrounding communities. Parkland says its burn center was established in 1962, treats more than 2,200 patients a year, has held ABA verification since 1996 and was re-verified as both an adult and pediatric burn center in 2025. Parkland describes it as the second-largest civilian burn center in the United States (Parkland Health, September 25, 2025).

Source: ABA Find a Burn Center.

Dallas also has several Level I trauma facilities on the state list: Parkland Memorial Hospital, Baylor University Medical Center, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas (Texas DSHS). Our burn center directory covers the rest of Texas.

The 2018 Espanola Drive gas explosion

On February 23, 2018, at about 6:38 a.m., a natural gas explosion occurred at a house at 3534 Espanola Drive in Dallas. All five people inside were injured, one fatally. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that gas leaked from a 71-year-old gas main that had been damaged during a sewer replacement project 23 years earlier (NTSB investigation PLD18FR002).

The explosion was the third gas incident on that block in three days. On February 21 and February 22, 2018, two houses on Durango Drive served by the same main had gas-related incidents, and in each one an occupant suffered second-degree burns. The NTSB found that Atmos Energy’s investigations of those two incidents did not detect the leak from the main. After the investigation the NTSB issued 14 safety recommendations, five of them to Atmos Energy, three to Dallas Fire-Rescue and one to the Railroad Commission of Texas (NTSB press release, January 12, 2021).

Two lessons carry over to any Dallas gas burn. Earlier smaller incidents, such as a flash fire at a neighbor’s house, can be evidence of what a utility knew or should have checked. And the Board’s own conclusions stay out of court: federal law says no part of a Board report on an accident may be admitted into evidence or used in a civil damages case (49 U.S.C. § 1154(b)). NTSB rules apply that bar to the report that states the Board’s determinations and probable cause; the investigators’ factual reports are not barred (49 C.F.R. § 835.2). The pipe, the leak survey records and the service calls have to be preserved and proven directly. Our page on gas explosion burns explains how those claims are built.

Other burns we see from Dallas

Dallas Fire-Rescue’s incident report is one of the first records we request in a Dallas fire case. Beyond gas, other Dallas burn claims we review include:

• Hot water and hot drinks. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says most adults suffer third-degree burns after two seconds in 150°F water and recommends setting water heaters to 120°F (CPSC Publication 5098). A landlord who sets a building’s water too hot, or a restaurant that serves drinks in a failing lid, can be responsible. See scald burns.
• Job sites and warehouses. A worker whose employer carries workers’ compensation can still sue other negligent companies (Labor Code § 417.001), and a worker whose employer is a nonsubscriber can sue the employer, which loses the defense that the worker was partly at fault (Labor Code § 406.033). See workplace and refinery burns.

How Texas law shapes a Dallas burn case

Two-year deadline. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003 requires a personal injury suit within two years after the claim accrues (CPRC § 16.003).

The 51% bar. A Dallas jury assigns percentages of responsibility. Your damages are reduced by your percentage (§ 33.012), and if it is greater than 50% you recover nothing (§ 33.001). In gas cases the defense may point at the homeowner, so the leak history matters.

Exemplary damages. Texas allows exemplary (punitive) damages only on clear and convincing proof of fraud, malice or gross negligence (§ 41.003). They are capped at the greater of $200,000 or twice the economic damages plus noneconomic damages up to $750,000 (§ 41.008).

Six-month notice to a government. If a city, county or other governmental unit may share responsibility, the Texas Tort Claims Act requires written notice within six months of the incident, and a city charter can set its own notice period (§ 101.101). That date comes long before the two-year deadline.

Dallas burn injury questions

Where are severe burns treated in Dallas?

The main burn center in the city is the Parkland Burn Center, which the American Burn Association lists as verified for adults and children. Medical City Plano also has an ABA-verified burn program. The burn center at Methodist Dallas is listed by the ABA as another burn center, not a verified one.

Can I sue the gas company after a house explosion in Dallas?

You may have a claim against a gas utility, a contractor who damaged a line, a landlord or an appliance maker, depending on what caused the leak. In the 2018 Espanola Drive explosion, the NTSB traced the leak to a main damaged decades earlier. Preserving the pipe and the utility’s records early is the first step.

How long do I have to file a burn lawsuit in Dallas?

Two years from the injury in most cases under Texas law. If a city or county is involved, written notice is due within six months, or sooner if a city charter requires it.

Are punitive damages available for a Dallas burn?

Only if you prove fraud, malice or gross negligence by clear and convincing evidence, and Texas caps the amount. Compensatory damages for medical care, lost income, scarring and pain are a separate category from exemplary damages.

Will my case be handled by a Texas lawyer?

Yes. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Beverly Law’s office is in Los Angeles, and we meet Dallas clients by phone or video.

Talk to a Dallas burn injury lawyer

If you or someone in your family was burned in Dallas or Dallas County, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free, confidential review in English or Spanish. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.

Related pages

Burn Injury Lawyer

Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.