An Overview of Burn Injuries

Oakland Injury Lawyer

Burns can result from a variety of negligent accidents, and victims sustain painful injuries that can have severe impacts upon their lives. These injuries can result from car crashes, defective products, construction accidents, and a variety of other preventable accidents. If you are a burn victim because of the negligence or careless actions of another person, it is important to discuss the specifics of your situation with a skilled Oakland personal injury attorney who can help you determine your options. There are three categories of burns that affect the body:

First Degree Burns- Only the outer layer of the skin is damaged
Second Degree Burns- The outer layer of the skin and the next level of the skin are damaged
Third Degree Burns- The skin is damaged through to its deepest layer and the tissues underneath are also harmed.

The injuries a victim suffers can vary widely, and though some may experience only painful swelling and redness, others sustain blistering, scarring, and severe damage to their skin and tissues. If the victim was harmed because of the negligent or wrongful actions of another person or party, they can seek compensation for their suffering, losses, and expenses through a personal injury claim.

Types of Burn Injuries

Thermal Burns
Thermal burns are the most common type of these injuries, and occur when the skin comes into contact with sources of heat. These can include fire, steam, hot objects, hot metals, and hot liquids, and the severity of the burn will vary depending on the area exposed to the heat source.

Electrical Burns
These burns occur when an electric current passes through some part or all of the body, which results in both internal and external injuries, although most of the damage from the current occurs beneath the skin. The severity of the injury depends upon the type of current and its intensity, the length of time of exposure, the area the current passed through, and the amount of moisture on the victim's body. Beyond the damage to the skin, these burns can have other side effects on the body, depending upon the voltage of the current.

Low Voltage Current (lower than 500 volts): This type of current often does not cause severe burns, but has other effects on the body, including cardiac issues, muscle spasms, and oral burns when children bite or suck on electrical cords.
High Voltage Current (more than 1000 volts): This type of current can have extreme consequences on the body, such as disturbances in heart rhythm, severe burns to the skin and tissues, seizures and permanent neurological effects, and fractures and blunt trauma injuries caused by the force of the jolt or falling from the jolt.

Chemical Burns
These painful injuries occur when the skin comes into contact caustic chemicals, certain acids, and alkaloids. The chemicals should be removed from the skin as soon as possible to prevent further damage, and it is important to understand that the damage from these burns often is not immediately apparent. Caustic chemicals are used in a number of industries, including the medical, automotive, agriculture, and construction fields. The burns can also be caused from such common items as:

Cosmetic products like hair dye and nail polish remover
Industrial products like gasoline, tar, and wet pavement
Household cleaning products that contain dangerous chemicals, such as sulfuric acid in toilet bowl cleaners, phenol in deodorizers, lye in paint cleaners, and sodium hypochlorite in bleaches and disinfectants

Impact Upon Victims

Burn victims often face difficult recoveries that have devastating impacts upon their lives and the lives of their loved ones. These injuries are extremely painful and require an extensive recovery period that may involve reconstructive surgery, plastic surgery, skin grafting, physical therapy and ongoing surgeries and treatment to attempt to restore the form and function of the affected area. Depending on the severity and location of the burn, it may affect underlying tissue and may even result in permanent scarring or disfigurement. In addition to the physical consequences of a burn injury, the victim may be at risk of extensive psychological trauma caused by the pain and terror of the incident or the resulting scars. In light of the serious consequences sustained by innocent victims, it is imperative that they retain relentless legal advocacy to assist them in the fight for justice against the liable parties.

Financial Compensation for Burn Victims in Oakland

With an experienced lawyer to properly handle your claim and represent your case, you have the opportunity to recover financial compensation that will help you rebuild and recover. In handling your injury claim, our goal will be to help you get the medical treatment you need, along with only the highest quality ongoing care that will help to minimize potentially negative aftereffects of a burn. We will utilize all of our resources to seek money for all of your medical expenses, any lost wages you have experienced from missed work, and for emotional damages caused by the incident or your injuries.

The grave nature of burn injuries makes these cases of the utmost importance to our law firm. At the Law Offices of Clancy & Diaz, LLP, we represent clients throughout the Oakland who have been injured in any type of accident that caused severe burns. We handle personal injury claims and lawsuits for these cases, representing our clients' rights in order to assist them in recovering maximum financial compensation. To find out more about what we can do to help you, we recommend that you schedule a free case review with a caring member of our knowledgeable staff.