Waking up in the middle of the night to a panicked situation is undoubtedly frightful and disorienting. That's exactly what happened, when four people in Los Angeles escaped a fire early this morning. One man suffered a severe burn injury. The man is 53 years old, and suffered burns on 60 percent of his body. Fortunately, the other man and two women in the house escaped without injury.

The second degree burns will likely mean the man will have a long recovery. Because the burns cover a large percentage of his body, he will likely have mobility issues, and may need extensive recovery and treatment to help repair the damage to his body. He may also need assistance for an unknown length of time for even routine tasks. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Sometimes fires are caused by electrical issues due to old or unmaintained wires. It could also have been caused by a human error such as a candle left burning or a person leaving a hot appliance on before going to bed. The fire happened in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles. Reports did not say what hospital the man was transported to for his burn injury.

If it is found that the fire started from a maintenance issue, or the negligence of another person, the man may be entitled to compensatory damages for his injuries. These damages could help the man pay for hospital bills, future medical expenses and lost wages depending on the severity of his burns and length of his recovery.

Source: KABC, "Man critically injured in Woodland Hills house fire," Jan. 12, 2012