Burn injuries are extremely painful and can be deadly. Find out how our personal injury law office can help after your accident.

Burn injuries can not only painful, but they can be permanent and life-threatening. In the US, about 100,000 people each year suffer from burn injuries that require significant hospital and medical care. Of those people, about 5,000 burn victims die from their burns.

Types of Burn Injuries

1st Degree Burns

These are considered “minor burns.” These burns only affect the epidermis (the outermost layer of your skin) and they are generally not life-threatening or long-lasting. People with 1st-degree burns will have red skin that stings when touched for a week or less.

2nd Degree Burns

These burns are a little more serious than a 1st-degree burn. Not only do they affect the epidermis, but they also reach the dermis (deeper level of your skin). These burns require medical treatment and generally last less than a month. However, they can result in permanent scarring and discoloration of the skin.

3rd Degree Burns

These are severe burns and can be life-threatening and permanent. To avoid further damage, the burned skin will need to be removed from your body. You can tell if your body suffered from this type of burn because the skin will be very dry and leathery. These burns cause severe and permanent scarring.

4th Degree Burns

This is similar to a 3rd-degree burn, but these burns extend past the skin and affect your muscles, bones, and organs. The skin will be charred and the affected area will often need to be amputated.

Common Causes of Burn Injuries

Gas Fires

Sometimes a home will have an improperly installed gas system. Since gas is odorless, the homeowner can be unaware that there is a gas leak until it is too late. The home or office owner can be severely burned if the gas leak leads to a violent explosion.

Defective Products

Some products may not work the way they were intended. Many of them will pose fire hazards, which lead to that product being recalled from store shelves. Laptops or cell phones, for example, are known for spontaneous combusting and burning the user.

Chemical Burns

Several people work in places that expose them to dangerous chemicals. Some of these chemicals can immediately burn human flesh on contact. Chemical burns are commonly caused by negligent storage, removal, or transportation of these dangerous chemicals.

If you ever suffer from a burn injury, regardless of the severity, it will be important to contact a San Diego catastrophic injury attorney. Our lawyers have the expertise to help you with your burn injury case. So if you or a loved one has ever been a victim of a burn injury, please call our office for a free consultation.