Most burn injuries occur in the home or at work, but they can happen anywhere for a variety of reasons. When heat breaches your skin, varying degrees of burns occur. Your skin is your body’s largest organ and, although it is waterproof, it is not impervious to extreme heat, which can damage not only the skin itself but also the underlying tissue, organs, and even bones.
Burn injuries range from a painful reddening that does not blister and heals quickly, to severe and fatal damage, as evidenced by the numerous house fires that kill residents every year. If someone else’s carelessness or intentional act caused you to suffer serious burns, you may be entitled to compensation for your physical, financial, and emotional losses. Our experienced burn injury attorneys could build a narrative to explain your situation. That starts with whether the harm to you is among the common causes of Houston burn injuries or unique to your case.
What Are Some Common Causes of Burn Injuries?
While fire is a leading cause of burn injuries in Houston and beyond, other causes include:
- Explosions
- Hot liquids or steam
- Live electrical wires
- Grease splatter during cooking
- Hot surfaces, such as stove burners
- Structure fires set recklessly or intentionally
Although many burns are accidental, negligence is a common contributor to burn injuries. A negligent person could be a speeding driver who hits another car so hard it bursts into flames, an employee who fails to store caustic chemicals properly, an arsonist, or someone who mishandles fireworks. When a person has a duty to act as a reasonable person would, but instead they are careless and cause an accident in which you are burned, that person could be held responsible.
Categorizing Burn Injuries
The Mayo Clinic categorizes burn injuries by degree of severity. First-degree burns are the least severe, characterized by a reddening of the outer layer of skin, the epidermis. These burns are painful but should easily heal with proper treatment.
Second-degree burns penetrate the epidermis and damage the underlying layer, the dermis. These burns often blister and are very painful. They can easily become infected, and medical care is recommended for proper healing.
Third-degree burns damage tissue below the epidermis and dermis. The skin chars black and is eventually numb when touched. These burns require skin grafts to compensate for extensive scar tissue.
Catastrophic injuries that destroy muscles, fat, and bones are often fatal fourth-degree burns. Once your burn injuries are stabilized, our personal injury attorneys could determine if negligence is a cause of your losses.
What are the Compensation You Could Expect After Negligent Burn Injuries?
Burn injuries more severe than first-degree often require significant medical care to control infections and update skin grafts. Your medical team may include psychologists who can help you process depression, anger, and helplessness, providing the support you need to re-enter society when you are ready.
You may also experience financial stress because of the wages lost during your recovery. Your battle may include the loss of enjoyment of life and your family. With strong knowledge of the common causes of burn injuries, our Houston attorneys could investigate whether your case involves negligence and determine fair compensation for your losses.
Contact Our Houston Attorneys To Learn More About the Common Risk Factors Involved in Burn Injuries
Our attorneys have been winning personal injury lawsuits for more than 60 years, with the satisfaction of knowing we are helping families like yours when they need it most. We hold careless people and entities responsible for compensating you for the damage they have caused.
We study medical records and reports, your employment situation, and your future needs to determine economic damages, and we fight to maximize non-economic ones. Negligence is one of the most common causes of Houston burn injuries. If you have been injured in this way, call Schechter, Shaffer & Harris for help with your case.
