Traffic Collision and Occupational Burn Injuries
We have all felt the searing pain of a kitchen stovetop burn or the lingering blister caused by grabbing a hot pan. Most burns happen in the home, and many of these burns can be incredibly severe. Burns also happen at work or as the result of traffic collisions. A tractor-trailer collision ended in a fiery ruin recently on Interstate 77 in Surry County, according to WXII News 12. One person was taken to a local trauma center with serious injuries. Burn victims may be owed serious financial compensation if their injuries were caused by another party.
Causes of Burns in Traffic Collisions and Occupational Accidents
In the case of traffic collisions, the predominant way a person suffers a burn injury is by fire. Fire, hot metal, scalding liquid, and other hot objects are caused by thermal burning, according to WebMD. Thermal burns are the most common of all burns, and victims trapped inside vehicles can be exposed to deadly levels of thermal burning in a matter of seconds. Occupational burn injuries may be caused by a variety of other factors, depending on the specific type of work that the employee does. Those who work around chemicals may be exposed to chemical burns. Cold burns, or frostbite, occur when an employee is exposed to severely cold weather or a cold object for a long period of time. Radiation burns are a real risk for dental assistants, flight attendants, and other occupations that demand frequent exposure to X-rays and other types of radiation. Friction burns, like the kind that happens to your hand when you lose grip of a rope, happen to construction workers, landscapers, factory workers, and others who do manual labor. Finally, electrical burns, which traffic collision victims are sometimes exposed to in rare cases, can cause not only a burn but nerve damage and other long-term problems as well.
The Degree of Burn and the Burn Area Determine the Severity of the Injury
The severity of your burn injury depends on two things: the degree of the burn and the area of the burn, including the specific location and the body surface area that it envelops. The face, hands, and groin are the most serious burn locations, and any third or fourth-degree burn requires hospitalization. Burns that cover more than 30 percent of the body is likely fatal if not immediately treated.
- First degree burn – Damage to the outer layers of skin only, such as a normal sunburn;
- Second-degree burn – Damage to the outer and middle layers of skin, such as a burn resulting from grabbing a hot panhandle for a second and developing a small blister;
- Third degree burn – All of the layers of the skin are burned. Blackened flesh is common; and
- Fourth degree burn – Fat, muscle, bone, and/or tendon are burned in addition to the skin.
A High Point Lawyer is Here to Help
A High Point personal injury attorney can help make fair compensation a reality. Similarly, workplace burn injuries deserve to be treated with the best medical care available, and at no cost to the injured employee. Obtaining workers’ compensation benefits is easier said than done, however. Please reach out to the High Point workers’ compensation and personal injury attorneys of McAllister, Aldridge & Kreinbrink, PLLC for help today.