San Diego Burn Injury Lawyer

While some medical professionals refer to burn severity by the thickness of the damage through the layers of the skin, the most common classification is the degree measurement.

First-degree burns only affect the outer skin layer (the epidermis). They can be red and can be painful. There are no blisters for first-degree burns, nor is there usually scarring later. An example of a first-degree burn is a sunburn.

Second-degree burns are when the tissue damage extends through the outer two layers of skin (the dermis). Again, there is redness and pain, and the burn injury itself may appear shiny. Second-degree burns often blister and can result in scarring. Burns of this degree around joints can be a problem and affect movement.

Third-degree burns mean the damage has gone through the entire two layers of skin and may affect the nerves below. If nerve damage occurs, you may not feel the pain of this burn. These injuries may be black, brown, white, or yellow. Movement can become a problem if burns occur on any joints. This type of burn injury can require surgery and sometimes skin grafts. The likelihood of complications resulting from the injury is greater with this damage.

Fourth-degree burns are less painful than third-degree ones, but that is because of destroyed nerves. All the skin is damaged, and the bones, tendons, or muscles may also be. This type of burn can be extremely life-threatening.

In some cases, the diagnosis of the type of burn may change if further damage occurs. Increased damage means a greater likelihood of complications like infections and movement problems resulting from joint burns.

Many accidents can cause burns, thanks to the different types of injuries. A burn injury lawyer can investigate the circumstances surrounding the injury event to determine if another party may be liable for your misfortune. Some accidents that can cause serious burn injuries to include the following:

• Motor vehicle accidents if the car catches fire and the occupant is trapped inside.
• House/building fires – faulty fire alarms and other fire code violations are often found in building fires.
• Explosions can be common on industrial sites. It may be caused by propane leaks, flammable liquids stored improperly, or volatile chemicals disposed of incorrectly, as examples.
• Construction accidents.
• Industrial machinery accidents.
• Defective products – Examples are issues with wiring, improper safety guards, and gas tank explosions.
• Hazardous conditions in a property.
• Electrical appliances.
• Radiation exposure.
• Flammable liquids – May be handled, transported, or stored improperly.
• Flammable clothing.
• Chemicals – Can be found in the workplace and household cleaning products.
• Electrocution – May be caused by faulty wiring, underground cable cuts, or bucket truck accidents.

The personal injury lawyers at Mova Law Group – Personal Injury Attorneys will hear your story in an initial free consultation. We can work on putting together your case.

Burns remove our other organs’ only protection from the outside world, making it easy for foreign materials to enter our bodies. This removal is why infections resulting from burn injuries kill so many people yearly – they develop severe illnesses from harmful foreign bodies and can become septic. People with very severe burn injuries may have to stay in a specialized burn unit with a strictly controlled environment so they do not catch any disease.

Other complications stemming from burn injuries include:

• Hypothermia – The body cannot maintain proper temperature. A body temperature that gets too cold for too long can cause organs to shut down.
• Scarring – Plastic surgery may help with some scars, but in some cases, it is not enough to hide disfigurement. Many accident victims are unable to afford plastic surgery as an option.
• Failed skin grafts – Attempts to cover burns with healthy skin from elsewhere on the body can result in rejection and repeated attempts. These are pretty painful.
• Pneumonia.
• Heart arrhythmia – Caused by electrical burns.
• Dehydration.
• Edema (swelling) from excess fluid in tissues.
• Seriously low blood pressure – Can put the body into shock.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – A psychological complication stemming from the trauma of the accident.

If an infection or other complication from a serious burn injury claims the life of your loved one, you may be able to receive compensation in a wrongful death suit. Like in personal injury law, you must prove negligence to file this claim.

Negligence must meet specific standards to prove a party was negligent and thus liable for your injuries. Personal injury attorneys can help you determine the party (or parties) that might have played a role in your accident. Under California law, any party found to have contributed to your injuries may be held liable.

To determine negligence, first, it must be established who owed you a duty of care when the accident occurred. For example, a landlord may owe a tenant the duty of care when they live on their property.

Secondly, that duty of care has to have been breached by the individual owing it. In our example, a landlord failed to follow up on a tenant’s complaint about smoke alarms not working.

Then, you must show how the breach of the duty of care caused the accident that resulted in your burn injuries. If a fire broke out in an apartment building and authorities found the landlord ignored requests to fix smoke alarms, they breached their duty of care. If this act made it so tenants weren’t aware of the fire in time to get out of the building without getting burned, the landlord could be considered negligent. Risk existing on its own is not enough to prove negligence.

While working with your personal injury lawyer on this question, you may find that multiple parties played a role in your injuries. Your attorney can help you decide if you should pursue one personal injury claim or file multiple for each defendant.