Burn Injury

 

 

Burn injury has been on the rise in recent years, now registering as the 2nd leading cause of accidental death in the United States behind car accidents. A burn injury is best treated when handled by specialized burn centers as opposed to hospitals. Prior to 1950, there were only 10 such burn injury treatment centers in the United States; today there are more than 200.

A burn injury can be caused by heat, electricity, chemicals or radiation. Heat burns such as those associated with fire, boiling water/oil or steam are most common. Radiation burns such as those associated with sunburn are also extremely common.

The severity of a given burn injury is determined by a variety of factors, some of which include:

• Depth of the burned area
• Size of the burn
• Age & health of the burn victim
• Location of the burn
• Cause of the burn

Critical burn injuries require immediate medical attention in order to prevent patient death. When in combination with other injuries such as broken bones or profuse bleeding, moderate burn injuries can also be viewed as critical.

Burn Injury Classification

Burn injuries are typically thought to be of one of three classifications: first degree, second degree or third degree. In actuality, there are six degrees of burn injury classification.

• First degree: first degree burns are the least severe of the burn injuries. First degree burns only affect the outermost layer of the skin (epidermis) and are typically limited to redness and minor pain.
• Second degree: second degree burn injuries affect the epidermis in addition to all or part of the innermost layer of the skin (dermis). Dependent on the level of nerve involvement, second degree burns can produce more or less pain than first degree burns. Second degree burn injuries can often be identified by the superficial blistering of the skin.
• Third degree: third degree burn injuries affect all of the epidermis and dermis in addition to destroying all hair follicles and sweat glands. Third degree burn injuries are often painless (insensate) because of the fact that all nerve endings in the region have been destroyed.
• Fourth degree: fourth degree burns affect the outermost and innermost layers of the skin in addition to the tissues underlying the skin (muscles / bone). Fourth degree burns are severe to the point that the skin is irretrievably lost.
• Fifth degree: a more severe case of fourth degree burn injury in which the underlying muscle is also irretrievably lost.
• Sixth degree: the most severe type of burn injury, sixth degree burns include the charring of the bone.

Burn Injuries and Auto Accidents

Accidental burn injuries are often linked with auto accidents. Like other serious personal injuries (brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis), burn injuries can result from defective automotive designs and poor crashworthiness.

Fuel fed fire burn injuries often occur in the immediate aftermath of a car accident. As per crashworthiness, automobile manufacturers are required to go to extreme lengths to ensure that fuel tanks and fuel system designs can withstand the forces of auto accidents. As many as 1,000 people suffer deaths as a result of fuel fed fire burn injuries each year in the United States. Those injured as a result are often able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the automobile manufacturer because of the defect. Personal injury attorneys such as those of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz can help to determine whether or not burn injuries caused in auto accidents warrant compensation. Contact the law offices of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz in Pensacola, Florida today to get more information.