What to Prove in a Burn Injury Lawsuit
There’s a lot to prove in a burn injury lawsuit, including how severe your burn is, how much of your body is burned, and the depth of the burn.
6 Steps To Take After You’ve Suffered A Burn Injury
If you’ve burned yourself, here are some steps to take to heal from your burn injury. Properly caring for the wounded area will help it heal more quickly and minimize scarring. No one wants a scar if they can avoid it! How Severe Is Your Burn? The severity of your burn will determine how it needs to be treated. You can treat most minor burns on your own at home. But it’s a good idea to go to the doctor if your burn is severe or covers more than 10% of your body, as this could require more extensive treatment than you can do at home. Some burn injuries are so severe that you need treatment at a burn center. These burns cover large areas of skin and sometimes require skin grafts. It’s not unheard of to need a feeding tube, breathing assistance, or plastic surgery for severe burns. Treating Minor Burns If your burn injury is minor, you can most likely treat it at home. Here’s what you’ll need to do. Cool the burn. Don’t use cold water or ice cubes. Your tissue will be very sensitive from the burn, and anything cold could further damage it. Instead, use cool water. This will help ease the pain without hurting your tissue. 2. Take off your jewelry. If your burn is bad enough to swell, take off any jewelry you’re wearing. Otherwise, it might get stuck and need to be cut off. You’ll want to remove your jewelry immediately before swelling has a chance to kick in. 3. Leave blisters alone. You might be tempted to break a blister open, but you shouldn’t. The fluid in the blisters helps protect you from infection. Having said that, if a blister breaks, it’s essential to clean it with water and put ointment on it. 4. Use lotion liberally. You’ll want to keep your skin as moisturized as possible. A lotion with aloe vera or a moisturizer will help soothe your skin. Just wait until your burn has cooled down to apply the cream. 5. Put on a bandage. Protect the burn with a sterile gauze bandage. Avoid using fluffy cotton. Don’t securely tighten the bandage. Wrap it loosely so the burn can heal while being protected. 6. Take a pain reliever. A burn injury can be pretty painful, so we recommend taking an over-the-counter medication that contains ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, or acetaminophen. Following these six steps will help minor burns recover. If you’re in tremendous pain, we recommend going to the doctor for more intensive treatment. Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton Did you suffer from a burn injury? It can be a terrible experience to go through, and one we hope you heal from quickly. Some burn injuries are from accidents, but another person’s negligence causes some. If someone else caused your burn injury, you might be a personal injury victim. Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton is here for you. We’ve represented personal injury victims for over 25 years. Contact us today for your free case evaluation.
What Exactly Is A Burn Injury?
Common injuries include cuts, bruises, broken bones, and fractures – so what exactly is a burn injury? Anyone can be burned, but some people are more susceptible to burns than others. Additionally, there are three different kinds of burns, and each one must be carefully treated. Even with proper treatment, it may be impossible to avoid permanent scarring or damage to the body. How Do People Get Burned? So, how exactly do people get burned? A burn injury is caused when your skin is exposed to fire, an open flame, or a hot liquid. Burns typically happen in your home from simple things like dry or wet heat, chemicals, heated objects, electricity, or even friction. Scald burns make up 35% of overall injuries at burn centers in the United States. Most scald burn victims are under the age of five. Hot water or re-heated food and drink cause most of these burns. The Layers of Your Skin Your skin is your largest organ and plays a significant role in protecting your body from infection and injury. Your skin is constantly being renewed and repaired by your body. Because your skin protects your whole body, it’s susceptible to many injuries, including burns. To understand how you may have been burned, you need to understand the skin’s anatomy. There are three layers of skin that can be burned. First is the epidermis, your top layer of skin. The epidermis is very thin. If you are burned, your epidermis will be affected. The dermis is your second layer of skin. It’s right underneath the epidermis. The dermis houses your sweat glands, hair follicles, and nerve endings. The subcutaneous layer (or hypodermis) is the third layer of skin. The subcutaneous layer is comprised of fat and helps regulate body temperature. Finally, muscle and bone are underneath the layers of skin. Some burns are severe enough to reach the muscles and bones underneath the three layers of skin. Different Types of Burns So, what exactly is a burn injury? There are three different types of burns: first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree. A first-degree burn only affects the epidermis. You’ll typically have redness and pain in the area that was burned. A first-degree burn is the mildest kind of burn. It hurts, but the pain is usually manageable. A sunburn is an example of a first-degree burn. A second-degree burn affects the epidermis and the dermis. Second-degree burns cause swelling, splotchy skin, blisters, and severe pain. The blisters could be swollen, which is even more painful, and the skin underneath hurts to touch. If the burn goes deep enough, you might have a scar. A third-degree burn passes through the epidermis and the dermis to the subcutaneous layer. The burned area could be black, brown, or white, and the skin may look like leather. Third-degree burns are more serious–they destroy every layer of skin. You could have destroyed nerves or numbness. Are You a Burn Victim? Have you recently suffered from a burn injury? Or is your burn the result of someone’s negligence? Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton represents burn victims and will work hard to get you compensated for your injury and your pain and suffering. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
The Most Common Causes of Burn Injury
Burn injuries can seriously affect a person’s health and livelihood. Those who suffer from severe burn injuries often require a lengthy, painful recovery and may sustain permanent damage to their bodies and psyche. Medical costs and lost wages may be recovered in circumstances in which burn injuries are caused by another person’s negligence. If you have suffered from a burn injury, you may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about burn injury causes, contact our Provo, UT law firm, Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton. The Different Types of Burn Injuries Burn injuries may be external or internal. External burns occur when the skin is exposed to heat, chemicals, radiation, or electricity. Internal burns may occur when superheated gas or liquids are inhaled, the body is electrocuted, or certain chemicals are ingested. Burn injuries may be more or less severe depending on how many layers of skin and tissue are damaged. First-degree burns: First-degree burns, although painful, are the mildest. First-degree burns only affect the outer layer of skin, resulting in pain and redness of the tissue. Second-degree burns: Second-degree burns are more severe and affect the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and the lower layer of skin, the dermis, causing pain, swelling, redness, and blistering. Third-degree burns: Third-degree burns, also called full-thickness burns, are the most severe, affecting the deeper tissues, which can include the bone and muscle. Third-degree burns can leave the skin blackened, charred, or white. Causes of Burn Injuries Both external and internal burns have a variety of causes. Thermal burns, caused by contact with something hot, are the most common burn injury and can occur in the home or may occur at work, especially in professions where employees are exposed to steam, scalding liquids, or hot metals. Some of the most common causes of burn injuries include: Contact with fire Contact with a hot object, like iron or oven Contact with steam or boiling liquid, such as coffee or hot water Contact with chemicals Contact with electricity Radiation Friction Defective products, like appliances or electronics Your Legal Options after a Burn Injury If you or a loved one have suffered a burn injury due to someone else’s negligence or a defective product, such as electronics or other appliances, you may be entitled to recovery of medical bills, lost wages, and personal damages. A personal injury lawyer can evaluate your case and determine if the circumstances of your case are grounds for legal recovery of compensation. Contact the Attorneys of Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton If you or a loved one have been the victim of a burn injury as a result of a defective product or another person’s negligence, it is important to meet with a personal injury attorney to learn more about your legal options. To learn more about your legal rights, we welcome you to contact our personal injury attorneys today.