Burn Injuries

According to the American Burn Association, more than 450,000 people are seriously burned every year in the United States. Burn injuries can be extremely painful, devastating, and life changing. Severe burn injuries may require complex treatments, therapies, and lengthy in-patient stays in a specialized burn care center. Skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries may be necessary. Insurance companies might not cover some of the costs of burn treatments and associated medical procedures. An experienced burn injury lawyer can help you deal with the costs of a burn injury including medical expenses and work with the insurance companies to get the compensation you deserve.

What Are The Types Of Burn Injuries?

The different degrees of burn injuries are assigned a degree by a health care provider according to the depth of the burn and the amount of affected skin. They usually happen accidently and may be caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, radiation, and sunlight.

According to Paradigm, an accountable specialty care management organization, the top five types of complications to burn healing are:

• Disfigurement, scarring, or contracture.
• Psychological complications.
• Fragile skin or skin breakdown.
• Infections including pneumonia, sepsis, and organ failure.
• Delayed wound healing or skin graft failure.

Additional effects of burn injuries include smoke inhalation, chronic pain, cataract and other corneal injury, and exacerbation of pre-existing conditions.

The Types Of Burn Injuries Are Classified By Severity Into Degrees.

First degree burns are mild and involve only the epidermis, the top layer of skin, that becomes red after a mild burn or a sunburn. There is usually no blistering with a first-degree burn.

Second degree burns involve the epidermis layer, and the next layer called the dermis. These kinds of burns are more painful, and the skin may have redness, swelling, and blistering.

Third degree burns involve all three skin layers: the epidermis, dermis, and fat. A third-degree burn destroys the sweat glands and hair follicles. Burned skin may be black, white, or red, or have a leather like appearance.

Complications Of Burns

Third-degree burns are the most severe and can be catastrophic. Extensive third degree burns that are deep and cover a significant portion of the body can be life threatening. First and second-degree burns may become infected and cause a discoloration of the skin. Second and third-degree burns may cause permanent scarring.

Additional complications for third-degree burns that may require medical treatment may include:

• Disfiguring scars.
• Loss of bone and joint motion.
• Infections that can lead amputation.
• Psychological issues.
• Heart rhythm abnormalities
• Extremely low blood pressure

Outlook For People Who Have Burn Injuries

The outlook for people with first or second-degree burns is excellent. They usually heal in two to three weeks with minimal scarring, if any. Third-degree burns are more serious that may have life-long consequences and sometimes death. People recovering from third degree burn need a significant amount of medical care. They may require physical and occupational therapies to regain and improve joint mobility.

If you have suffered burn injuries in Woodland Hills, California, you should consider seeking qualified legal assistance. A fire and burn injury attorney can explain your rights and advise you about the best way to obtain any benefits and compensation that you are eligible for because of your injuries.