Burn Injury

Burns are categorized by their cause or type. The most common forms are chemical, electrical, and thermal.

• Chemical burns are caused by toxic or caustic chemicals like detergents, solvents, or acid interacting with the eyes or skin.
• Electrical burns are the result of an electric current being sent through the body.
• Thermal burns are the result of contact with an external source of heat. This contact raises the skin’s temperature and kills skin cells and the underlying tissue.

A burn injury attorney in Chicago can help you obtain significant recoveries if you sustained burns at no fault of your own.

The Degrees of Burns

Burn injuries have continued their trend of being one of the most common reasons people are hospitalized. Burns are categorized even further by their depth and degree.

• First-degree burns are superficial and only damage the outer layer of the skin. Skin becomes painful, dry, and red with no visible blisters. Many people are unaware that sunburn is typically a first-degree burn.
• Second-degree burns are thicker and damage both the outer layer and the underlying layer of the skin. These, too, are painful and red, but also cause blisters.
• Burns of the third-degree are also called thickness burns. This classification not only significantly wounds the outer and underlying layers, but can even cause damage to muscles, tendons, and bones. Skin burned to this magnitude appears charred or white. Because of fried nerve endings in the tissue around the wound, rarely is pain associated with a third-degree burn.

Treatment for Burns

When the top two layers of the skin are burned, there is damage to nerve endings, which causes extreme discomfort. Burns frequently lead to infection because the skin is less effective at providing a protective barrier. Thousands of people in the U.S. die annually from infections related to burns.

The World Health Organization has conducted extensive research on the subject.

To treat more significant burn injuries, surgeons must remove the dead tissue. This process is called debridement. A skin graft may be necessary if damage to the tissue is at a point where it will not heal. A skin graft involves removing the skin from an unburned area and relocating it to the area of injury. To help reduce scarring, burn victims must undergo physical therapy to ensure the injured areas maintain their flexibility.

If skin grafts are needed for a child, those grafts will have to be replaced as the child grows.

In Chicago and across the United States, many burn injuries are due to the intentional, negligent or reckless behavior of another party. Injuries may be the result of car accidents, injuries at work, fires, defective products, or another of a dozen causes. Victims of these types of injuries frequently experience severe pain that leaves two infections or disfigurement.

If you or someone you love has sustained a burn injury as a result of negligence, it is important to contact a burn injury attorney who has significant experience dealing with the emotional, physical, and legal obstacles that plague burn victims. Our firm has the skill and knowledge to successfully present your issues and concerns to a jury.