Everything You Need to Know About Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are one of the most devastating injuries that a person can sustain, as they are more likely to result in both short and long-term physical and emotional challenges for accident victims. Having a thorough understanding of the different degrees of burn severity is critical to assessing the impact of such an injury on a victim’s life and calculating appropriate compensation. To help, we’ve included some information on burn injuries based on their severity and how the seriousness of such an injury will affect what a victim can recover.

Degrees of Burns 

Burns are divided up into four main categories, including:

• First degree burns, which are the least severe form of burn, as they only affect the outer layer of the skin and typically result in pain, mild swelling, and redness, but don’t cause lasting damage;
• Second degree burns, which are more serious, as they cause damage to the second layer of skin (dermis) and involve more intense pain, swelling, and blistering;
• Third degree burns, which involve damage to multiple layers of skin and sometimes the tissue beneath and usually result in permanent scarring, loss of sensation, and even functional impairment; and
• Fourth degree burns, which are the most severe type of burn, as they extend beyond the skin and cause damage to the muscles, tendons, and sometimes, the bones, resulting in extensive tissue destruction, a high risk of infections, significant functional impairment, and impaired mobility.

Generally, the more severe an accident victim’s burn injury is, the more he or she can expect to recover in damages when filing an accident claim. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important for accident victims to carefully determine which type of burn they suffered.

Determining Burn Severity 

When assessing burn severity, medical professionals look to a variety of factors, including:

• The depth and size of the burn, with the deeper burns that cover a larger surface area tending to be more serious;
• The location of the burn, with burns to certain body parts, like the joints, hands, or face having more profound effects on a victim’s life;
• The age and health of the victim, which will largely dictate a victim’s ability to recover; and
• A medical professional’s diagnosis, which will play the most important role in determining a course of treatment and helping victims understand the long-term consequences of their injuries.

How these factors apply in a particular case will affect the types of recovery that an accident victim can expect to receive. Of course, the cause of the accident and the at-fault party’s degree of negligence in causing the injury will also need to be assessed.

Call for a Free Consultation 

Burn injuries tend to require a nuanced understanding not only of the medical aspects of such a case, but of the recovery-related legal implications of filing a claim. At Shiver Hamilton Campbell, our experienced Atlanta burn injury attorneys can help you navigate these complexities. Call us at 404-593-0020 or reach out to us via online message to get started on your case right away.

Sources: 

hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/burns

urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=P09575