Burn Injuries: Fourth Degree Burns
Burn injuries are a specific type of personal injury claim. The consequences of this type of injury are far reaching and affect the rest of your life, and when you're looking at a fourth degree burn, this is especially true. With fourth degree burns being the most severe kinds of burn, the costs associated with recovery can be staggering.
To learn more about other types of burn injuries in-depth, check out our Burn Injury Overview article.
In this article we'll focus on the severity of fourth degree burns, some examples of the complications that follow, the kinds of compensation available to you, and how an experienced attorney can help.
Questions answered on this page
- What causes fourth-degree burns?
- What are the medical complications one can sustained from a fourth-degree burn?
- What kind of compensation can I receive after a personal injury claim involving fourth-degree burns?
- How can attorney help me if I sustained a fourth-degree burn after an accident?
How Severe is a Fourth Degree Burn?
Fourth degree burns are quite severe. These are full thickness burns that extend into muscle, tendons, and bone. Fourth degree burns are typically caused by extended exposure to the source of the burn, such as:
- Open fire
- Hot liquids
In some cases, exposure to an intense surge of electricity or UV rays will cause this level of burn Failure to treat burns quickly can even allow some burns of lesser severity to worsen. It's crucial to have burn injuries taken care of promptly and correctly.
Complications that Arise from Severe Burns
All burns carry the risk of infections because bacteria can enter the body through broken skin. A bloodstream infection (sepsis) can occur in the most severe cases. This can lead to shock or even death. Tetanus, another kind of bacterial infection, is another possible complication with burn injuries. It affects the nervous system, eventually leading to problems with muscle contractions.
Severe burns also carry the risk of hypothermia or even hypovolemia. Hypothermia is characterized by dangerously low body temperatures. While this may not seem like a typical complication of a severe burn, the condition is actually prompted by the excessive loss of body heat resulting from an injury. Hypovolemia, or low blood volume, occurs when your body loses too much blood from a burn.
Scars are a complication of almost all burns. Severe burns may cause keloid scarring, which are discolored areas of scar tissue on the skin. While keloids aren't harmful in themselves, they can be bothersome. They are make someone self-conscious of their appearance an even bring out embarrassment.
Extensive damage from severe burns can lead to problems in deep skin tissues, bones, and organs. This means individuals will need extended medical care. It's possible that burn victims may require:
- Surgery/Medical Care
- Physical Therapy
- Lifelong Assisted Care
Possible Compensation That Can Be Recovered
All personal injury claims have the same kinds of damages available for recovery. As a result of the severity of your burn injuries and the consequences thereafter, it's likely you may be able to recover a sizable amount from your claim. This is largely up the jury when it comes to areas like non-economic damages. And while economic damages like medical bills may see straight forward, it is still your burden as the plaintiff to prove your damages. This can be a complex issue, but an experienced attorney will be able to guide you through the process.
The complete list of personal injury damages you can sure for under Texas law includes:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Physical impairment
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of companionship and society
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Medical expenses
- Loss of earning capacity
- Out of pocket expenses
- Future expenses
- Pre-and-post judgment interest
How an Experienced Attorney can Help
At Grossman Law Offices, based in Dallas, TX, we have 25 years of experience handling personal injury claims. Not only that, we've won thousands of cases, and we know this area of the law almost better than anyone. If you have questions, we'll be more than happy to talk through them with you. You can give us a call at (855) 326-0000. We have experienced attorneys ready to speak with you around the clock. Give us a call 24/7 and we'll make ourselves available to you no matter what kind of questions or concern you have regarding you claim.
Related Articles for Further Reading:
- Understanding Evidence in a Texas Personal Injury Case
- What Are Economic Damages?
- Causes of Action: Where the Authority to Sue Comes From