Burn Injuries: Definitions, Causes and Compensation
There are few injuries that are as painful as burn injuries. Burn injury victims can have long and painful recoveries, which last can last for months, years, or may go on for life. Burns can cause extensive damage to a victim’s skin, nerves and bones. This damage can be permanent and change the life of the victim and their family. These types of injuries may mean that the victim, or the victim’s family, needs to file a personal injury claim under Florida law to help cover medical costs related to recovery.
Burns are classified in a degree system:
- First-degree burns: these are burns where only the outer layer of skin is damaged. They usually do not have blisters and will likely heal in a few days.
- Second-degree burns: these burns can be divided as partial thickness or full thickness burns. Partial thickness burns may blister but usually heal within a matter of weeks. Full thickness burns are more serious for victims. Full thickness burns appear dry and do not blister the skin. However, healing these types of burns require excision and skin grafts.
- Third-degree burns: these are the most serious burns and pose a great danger for victims. Third degree burns destroy all layers of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. They are not painful for victims because a victim’s nerves have been destroyed. However, third degree burns are normally accompanied by painful second degree and first degree burns.
It is also possible to have a fourth degree burn. They occur when a burn extends to a victim’s muscle and bone.
What causes Burns?
Burn injuries have typical causes such as heat from a flame. Other times, a dangerous product will cause a burn. Other typical causes of burns include:
- Hot steam or liquids;
- Overheated objects (eg. metal, glass);
- Radiation; or
- Over expose to ultraviolet light.
Many burns are chemical and electrical. Chemical burns can be caused by acids. These types of burns continue to cause damage to the skin until the acid is neutralized. Electrical burns are generally caused by an electrical current. These type of burns carry a greater risk for heart attack or hypoxia since they can also damage the victim’s internal organs.
Burn Injury Victims Deserve Compensation
Regardless of the cause of the burn, burn injury victims experience serious pain and suffering. Victims may dread leaving their home or resuming normal social interactions because of anxiety around their burns. Furthermore, pain from burns may last for months or years. Victims may require long term therapy to ensure full rehabilitation to regain lost mobility and deal with mental health issues. Burn injury victims deserve compensation to help cover the cost for their rehabilitation. The Miami burn injury lawyers at the law office of Alan Goldfarb, P.A. can assist burn injury victims obtain compensation that can help ease the burden of a long recovery process. Please contact us today at to schedule your appointment.