Burn wounds can be among the most catastrophic, traumatic, and painful injuries a person can sustain. They often result in extensive surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and secondary illnesses. It’s vital that burn accident victims who have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence get in touch with an expert legal team that can help hold the guilty party accountable for their actions and recover the maximum compensation they deserve.
From the common types of burn injuries and their consequences to compensation and liability information, we’ve broken down everything you need to know.
The Most Common Types of Burn Injuries
Our experienced personal injury attorneys understand that any type of burn injury can be extremely painful. To help you better recognize where you stand, burn injuries are classified into four categories depending on how deeply your skin has been damaged.
First-Degree Burns
A first-degree burn—sometimes referred to as a superficial burn or wound—is an injury that affects the first layer of your skin. First-degree burns are one of the mildest forms of skin injuries and usually don’t require medical treatment. However, some superficial burns can be quite large and painful and may require a trip to your doctor.
Second-Degree Burns
Second-degree burns—often called partial-thickness burns—are more severe than first-degree burns and affect the outer layer of skin and part of the second layer of skin. Second-degree burns can be extremely uncomfortable and often take several weeks to heal. It’s important to note that these types of burns that affect large areas of skin can cause serious complications and may be prone to infection.
Third-Degree Burns
Third-degree burns—typically considered full-thickness burns—destroy both layers of skin and may also damage the underlying bones, muscles, and tendons. The burn site will appear white or charred and you won’t feel any sensation in that area of your body because the nerve endings have been destroyed.
Common Causes of Burn Injuries
It’s not uncommon for a severe burn injury to be the result of someone else’s carelessness. These types of injuries may develop in car and motorcycle accidents, chemical compound spills, scalding water spills and showers, electrical failures, radiation treatment, explosions, or cooking hazards. Smoking and open flames are the leading causes of burn injury for older adults—according to data from Johns Hopkins—and scalding is the leading cause of burn injury for children. Other common causes for these types of injuries include the following:
- Defective products: Electrical appliances that are defectively designed or manufactured may spark, overheat, or catch fire, causing electrical burns, contact burns, or burns from a house fire
- Construction accidents: Construction workers and other industrial employees run the risk of suffering from electrical burns, contact burns, chemical burns, and thermal burns from fires and factory explosions
- Thermal burns: These types of accidents occur most often through contact with hot objects like irons and ovens
Though 96 percent of those who are hospitalized for burn injuries survive, it’s not uncommon for these individuals to face lifelong physical difficulties. In fact, burns are the fifth most common cause of non-fatal injuries in the United States.
Liability for Burn Injury Accidents
A victim can pursue a personal injury claim against the party who caused the accident as long as they can prove that that individual was liable. Most often, these claims are based on negligence, which is defined in this case as the failure to exercise reasonable care under a particular set of circumstances. Under a claim based on ordinary negligence, a victim must show that the defendant had a duty of care, breached the duty of care, and caused the victim’s injuries and damages.
Burn injuries are sometimes caused by dangerous products. If a manufacturing or design defect makes a product unreasonably dangerous to the consumer, the manufacturer may be held strictly liable for injuries caused by the product.
If you think your burn injury is the result of someone else’s carelessness, a defective product, or any other reason, contact a knowledgeable Florida burn injury lawyer as soon as possible. An expert attorney will be able to help you determine fault and the proper strategy to execute based on the specifics of your injury.
Call a Professional Burn Injury Lawyer in Boca Raton
If you’re facing moderate-to-severe burn injuries as a result of another at-fault party, consider getting in touch with Baker Legal Team for help recouping monetary damages as soon as possible. Our lawyers understand that recovering from a personal injury of this nature can be a physically challenging and emotionally demanding experience. We’re dedicated to compassionately and knowledgeably helping you recover the compensation needed to pay off medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering damages, and any other reparations that relate to your case.
Led by attorney Robert B. Baker, our firm takes a client-centered approach and is committed to ensuring that your case proceeds smoothly and efficiently. Robert is a trusted trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience helping injured burn accident victims get the compensation they need. As a Board-Certified lawyer, Robert has recovered millions of dollars for clients throughout his career and will personally handle your burn injury case and give it the attention it deserves. Give us a call at (561) 599-6845 or complete our contact form today!