Burn Injury Lawyers

Each year approximately 3.5 million burn injuries are reported in the United States. Numerous medical and healthcare professionals provide treatment and care plans for burn injury victims. Approximately 100,000 of the injured are hospitalized for treatment every year and a third of those hospitalized are burned over at least 25% of their bodies.

Children and newborns make up the largest percentage of burn injury victims admitted for emergency burn care in emergency rooms and hospitals. After children and newborns, adults over the age of 60 are the second most likely group to suffer burn injuries. Each year approximately 14,000 people die as a result of their burn injuries and approximately 1.5 million burn injury victims sustain severe and permanent disabilities from their injuries.

Burn injuries result most commonly from:

• Car Accidents;
• Gas Explosions;
• Scalding/ Hot Water;
• Electrical Accidents;
• Industrial Accidents;
• Gasoline Spills;
• Household Fires;
• Defective Citronella Candles;
• Lighters & Matches;
• Condominium, apartment or home fires;
• Aviation Accidents;
• Contact with electricity, chemicals or hot liquids and substances;
• Thermal burns caused by contact with intense heat flames, steam, scalding liquids or hot metals;
• Radiation burns caused by contact with nuclear radiation;
• X-rays, or ultraviolet rays such as from tanning beds;
• Chemical burns from contact with caustic chemicals, acids, alkalis, detergents or solvents.

Severe burn injuries can also be caused by defective children's clothing, defective products which are poorly designed or products which do not contain adequate or appropriate warnings of the dangers inherent in the products such as deep fryers used to make Thanksgiving turkeys. In the home, the kitchen is the most frequent area where burn injuries occur. After the kitchen the most frequent area for burn injuries in the home is in the bathroom.

There are different types or classifications of burns that are designated by degree.

First degree burns are minor burns involving only the top layer of skin. Sunburns are examples of first-degree burns. This type of burn is red and hot, but there is no swelling or blistering.

Second degree burns involve the top layer of skin as well as part of the layers underneath. The skin is a light red and blistery, somewhat swollen and moist and oozing. The pain is extremely severe.

Third degree burns involve all the layers of the skin. The burn will destroy the nerves and the blood vessels in the skin. There is very little pain at first. The burn area is white, yellow, black or cherry red. The skin will be dry and leathery. As the burns heal there will be dense scarring.

Medical treatments and care plans for victims of burn injuries vary depending on the degree of the burn. Common medical burn treatments for more severe burns (second and third degree) include, but are not limited to, skin grafting surgery, surgical debridement, which is the removal of dead, damaged or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the burned area, cleaning and removing dead tissue, antibiotics and of course, pain medication.

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