Most burn injuries occur through someone elseโs careless, irresponsible, or deliberate actions. They can be caused by fires, explosions, car crashes, faulty goods, or other events. Burn injuries can be excruciatingly painful and could result in severe, life-threatening infections and disfigurement.ย
A burn survivor can expect to endure years of treatment, rehabilitation, and operations. A severe burn injury can cause psychological and emotional harm, as well. Some burn cases result in permanently or temporarily disabled people, and the victims could be out of work and lose income for months or even years.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
A burn injury lawyer could help you reclaim your life if youโve been left in pain, scarred, or living an impaired life as a result of the emotional and physical trauma of severe burns and deformities.ย ย ย
Burn Injury Classificationsย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Burn injuries are classified in four different degrees according to their severity:
First degree
- It affects only the top layer of skin and often does not need medical intervention.
- In mild and moderate levels, pressure, swelling, and skin redness can occur.
- Sunburn is an example of typical and mild cases.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- These painful, dried burns usually cure in 5-10 days after proper treatment.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Second degree
- It affects two skin layers and will most likely need medical attention.
- More painful, moist-textured burns extend through to the skinโs second layer.
- May cause blistering, pain, deep reddening, and glossy appearances on the skin, and may even lead to some skin loss.
- The total extent of the damage may often include local infections and cellulitis, but normally there is no prominent scarring.
- Clear blisters and redness develop but can heal within three weeks.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- Some second-degree burns can require some skin grafting and could leave permanent scarring. These normally take between three and eight weeks to properly heal.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Third degree
- These burns extend through all of your skin layers, leaving a stiff, leathery texture, which can be brown and white.ย ย ย ย ย
- Healing could take months, and there are no guarantees that the injuries will completely heal.
- You should expect prominent and permanent scarringย ย ย ย ย
- This type of burn may require amputation to stop spreading infections.
Fourth degree
- The most traumatizing and severe burns penetrate the bodyโs three layers of skin, causing damage to the underlying tissue, muscle, or bones. Theyโre essentially painless, despite their dusty, burnt black look.
- These would almost always necessitate excision or amputation.
- These burns leave behind substantially compromised functions throughout the best scenarios.
- In worst-case scenarios, they could be fatal.
Burn Injury Sources
These are some of the leading sources that cause burn injuries.
Workplace Accidents
- The workplace is the second location where burns can occur.
- Employees in the manufacturing, agricultural, industrial, and service sectors and all other workplaces that use chemicals, heat, or expose workers to radiation are at a higher risk of occupational burn injuries.
- Employees injured while at work can file a workerโs compensation lawsuit, depending on the severity of their injuries.ย
Apartment Building Fires
Apartment fires can occur when you are home or while you are on holiday.ย
- Nearly 75% of severe burn wounds happen at home.
- Landlords must take safety measures to prevent fires, such as installing overhead sprinklers, functional fire extinguishers, and smoke alarms.ย
Commercial Property and Businesses
- A burn injury may also occur in commercial establishments where you could be close to a fire or within proximity to a liquid hot enough for it to cause severe burns.ย ย ย ย
- Examples of these establishments are:ย ย ย ย ย
- Restaurants
- Shopping mallsย ย ย ย ย ย
- Hotels
- Fitness centres
- Clubs and nightclubs
- Supermarketsย ย ย ย
- Community centres
A personal injury lawyer can help you deal with your situation after youโve been left hurt, scarred, and emotionally traumatized from severe burn injuries or disfigurement. Contact our burn injury lawyers from Diamond and Diamond.
Things to Do When You are Suffering from Burn Injuries
There are certain things that you should do if you suffer from burn injuries.ย
- Seek medical assistance:ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- A second-degree, third-degree, or fourth-degree burn always requires medical assistance.ย
- First-degree and second-degree burns might need first aid attention or a visit to the doctor, but they donโt always require treatment immediately.ย
- When to call for emergency medical services:ย ย ย
- When you have third-degree burnsย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- If you are feeling extreme painย ย ย ย ย ย
- When your face, feet, hands, or genital regions have been seriously burnedย ย ย ย ย
- If the burned layers of skin look white, leathery, or charredย ย ย ย ย
- If the burn victim is a young child or an elderly personย
- Always document injuries:
- When you are out of any immediate danger, you should take photographs of the injuries and note any necessary information concerning the cause of the injury, including when and where it happened, the burnโs source, and if you think that it involved foul play.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
- If there were witnesses to the burn injury, gather their personal details and ask them to make a statement. They can provide their testimony to help your case later on if you choose to file a lawsuit against a third party for your personal injuries.ย ย ย ย ย
- Contact a lawyer:
- A burn injury lawyer who has experience in working with burn injury claims can help determine what your rights are and if you are entitled to compensation.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Burn Injury Lawyerย
Burn injuries could significantly impact your general livelihood and finances, taking a physical, emotional, and financial toll on your quality of life. When you decide to claim justice for your injury, which occurred due to another partyโs fault, you must be confident with your choice of legal representation. Contact a burn injury lawyer from Diamond and Diamond to help you with your case.
Even firecrackers can cause burn injuries if youโre not careful. Always make sure to read the instructions before setting off fireworks, and never let kids handle them without any adult supervision.Pro Tip