Burn Injuries
Burn injuries are more common and serious than most people think. More than 400,000 people seek treatment for burns every year, according to The American Burn Association. Fires, car accidents, defective products, work accidents, chemical spills, and restaurant accidents are some causes of burn injuries. The recovery from burns is difficult, especially when the injury involves a large portion of a personal injury victim’s body. Even with early treatment of burn injuries, complications occur, especially if the burn victim experienced smoke inhalation or has pre-existing conditions.
Burn injury complications can lead to expensive treatment costs. According to Paradigm, the average cost for a low-intensity treatment for moderate burns is $206,853 or more. Paradigm estimates the cost for severe burns at $1,617,345. While complications differ for the various types of burn injuries, below is a list of common complications from burns.
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Psychological trauma
- Chronic pain
- Skin breakdown
- Infections
- Delayed wound healing
Types of Burn Injuries
A tough question to answer is, “what is a burn injury”, because there are various types of burn injuries. These categories of burns each have different causes and inflict different damages to an injury victim. Below are the types of burn injuries.
THERMAL BURNS
Fire, scalding liquid, hot steam, or sizzling surfaces cause thermal burns. The most common damage from this type of burn injury is skin damage, which will vary based on the temperature and contact length with the heat source. The most serious category of thermal burn is a fourth-degree burn, which will damage all skin layers, nerve endings, blood vessels, muscles, and even bone.
CHEMICAL BURNS
Chemical burns occur when solvents, detergents, or strong acids contact a person’s skin and damage or kill cells. These burns may occur immediately after contact, depending on the chemical. While this type of burn is the most common in a workplace setting, household cleaners and personal beauty products can cause chemical burns at home.
ELECTRICAL BURNS
Direct contact with electricity causes electrical burns. The injuries from electrical burns typically occur under the skin to damage the deep tissue, the organs, and the brain. The seriousness of the damage from an electrical burn may not be outwardly apparent but can be significant.
RADIATION BURNS
Radiation burns are caused by sun, ultraviolet light, or nuclear radiation, which damage the cells of the personal injury victim. The cell damage causes redness around the damaged area, meaning a radiation burn can be outwardly seen. This injury frequently occurs in a workplace setting, especially when working around radiation.
FRICTION BURNS
Friction burns occur from hard or coarse objects rubbing off the personal injury victim’s skin. This burn usually takes the form of a scrape and a heat burn. The most common cause of fiction burns are motorcycle and bicycle accidents.
Contact a PA & NJ Burn Injury Attorney Today
As seen in exploring the various types of burn injuries, there are numerous causes of burn injuries. If your burn injury was caused by another person’s negligence, you should explore your legal options. With the possibility of both medical damage and wage loss, the financial burden associated with burn injuries may be severe.
At Spear Greenfield, our burn injury attorneys are accomplished with over 200 years of combined legal experience and a proven success in winning burn injury cases. Rand Spear and the Spear Greenfield team offer a free consultation to learn more about your incident and provide you with the legal guidance to make the right decision! The Spear Greenfield burn injury lawyers will fight for your best interests and will never sell you short!
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
