Burns can be incredibly devastating and life-altering, so it’s essential to know the different types of burn injuries and how they occur. There are four main types of burn injuries that may be suffered due to a personal injury accident, including water scalding injuries, chemical burns, burns after a car accident, and maritime burns. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Water Scalding Injuries
Scalding occurs when hot liquid or steam comes into contact with the skin. These kinds of burns can be particularly dangerous because they often involve large areas of the body. Hot liquids can cause first-degree burns—redness, pain, and tenderness—or, more severe second-degree, third-degree, or fourth-degree burns—blistering, deep tissue damage, charring, and scarring. Scalding injuries have an especially high risk for infection.
Chemical Burns
Chemical burns are caused by exposure to hazardous chemicals such as lye or acid. They range in severity from minor first-degree burns to more severe second-, third-, or fourth-degree burns depending on the type and concentration of chemical used. Chemical burn victims may also suffer from permanent scarring or disfigurement and long-term health effects due to prolonged exposure to toxic substances.
Burns After a Car Accident
Burns caused by car accidents are most commonly caused by fires from from crashes with other vehicles or objects like guardrails or buildings. The severity depends on the amount of time spent in the burning vehicle before being rescued, as well as the proximity to flammable materials within the vehicle itself, such as gas tanks and wiring insulation. Burn victims may suffer extensive scarring, nerve damage, amputations, and other long-term health complications following this injury.
Maritime Burns
Maritime burn injuries occur when workers in marine environments such as fishing boats come into contact with hot surfaces such as boilers or pipes carrying steam at high temperatures. Boiler explosions are also quite common on ships due to faulty maintenance, which can result in serious injury or death for those aboard the vessel at the time of the explosion. First-, second-, third-, and fourth-degree burn victims who suffer maritime burn injuries may face long-term health effects such as respiratory issues due to smoke inhalation and physical disfigurement from their wounds.
If you have been injured due to any personal injury accident involving fire or hazardous chemicals, you should seek medical help immediately! Depending on your specific situation you could be eligible for compensation for your medical bills and lost wages if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence or carelessness – so don’t delay getting checked out by a doctor if you’ve been burned in an accident! It’s important that you understand your rights under personal injury law to get what you deserve following an unfortunate incident like this!
Not sure about your legal options? Our team can listen to your story and let you know what your options may be. There’s no cost to speak with us, and we’re available 24/7.