Burn Injury

It’s an unfortunate and sobering fact that burn injuries are second only to car accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.

Research from the American Burn Association finds that over one million Americans suffer from burn injuries every year, and about half of these victims require medical treatment. Over 4,000 people lose their lives to burns each year, and those who don’t often deal with excruciating pain.

Common Burn Injuries

An estimated 70% of burn injuries occur in the comfort of our own homes, often from cooking and fireplaces, though burns can also result from catastrophic workplace incidents.

Typical burn injuries include:

• Thermal Burns– injuries that occur when you are exposed to heat over 115 degrees Fahrenheit (boiling water, hot metal, fire, steam, etc.).
• Electrical Burns– caused by high voltage electrocution, which can lead to severe external and internal burn injury depending on the strength of the electrical current.
• Chemical Burns– resulting from contact with a corrosive chemical, such as acids, detergents, solvents, or alkalis.
• Inhalation Injuries– caused by breathing in toxic gases or fumes, which triggers an inflammatory response in the lungs. Can also occur when you breathe in excessive smoke or steam.
• Defective Product Burns– such as when a malfunctioning or recalled product causes burn injury.

Call Denver burn injury attorney R. Mack Babcock today for a free consultation if you’ve suffered a burn injury due to someone else’s negligence or a product malfunction

Types of Burns

In order to distinguish between a major and minor burn, you should have a medical expert assess the tissue damage. The severity of a burn is divided into four categories:

• First Degree– First degree burns are the lowest classification and only affect the outermost layer of skin. Anyone who has gotten sunburned has experienced a first degree burn. First degree burns typically do not require medical attention –unless it causes significant pain to the head, face, hands, feet, groins, joints, or buttocks– but may cause some minor redness of the skin, swelling, and discomfort.
• Second Degree– In addition to the first layer of skin being burned off, second degree burns damage the dermis as well, but is generally no larger than three inches. Second degree burns can be treated as a minor burn, and may include blisters, major red skin, splotchy skin tone, pain and swelling.
• Third Degree– A severe burn is considered third degree, which penetrates all layers of skin resulting in permanent tissue damage. Skin suffering from third degree burns is severely painful, sensitive, and can turn white or black and become very dry. Medical help should be sought out for these kinds of injury.
• Fourth Degree– Few people know about fourth degree burns, which refer to a burn that is so severe that it damages not only the skin, but the muscles, tendons, ligaments, or bone beneath the injury. These injuries are extremely painful, often life-threatening, and can require amputation.

If you have received a major or minor burn injury and experienced pain because of someone else’s negligence or a defective product, then contact a Colorado injury lawyer at Babcock Law to discuss your case today.

Our firm will fight tirelessly to ensure you receive due compensation for pain and suffering caused by a burn, and protect you from getting “burned” by those responsible.