Many burn injuries are minor. They can heal on their own. However, some burn injuries can be extremely serious. They take a long time to heal and may even cause damage to the underlying skin, muscle, bone, and organs. For these burns, multiple surgical procedures and plastic or reconstructive surgery are often necessary.
Serious burns cause victims to undergo an immense amount of physical, emotional, and financial stress. In extreme cases, entire South Carolina families are affected by a person’s burn injury. If you or someone you love has suffered from a serious burn injury due to someone else’s negligence, you should speak to a Rock Hill, South Carolina personal injury lawyer at the law offices of McKinney, Tucker & Lemel, LLC. We are here for you. Call or reach us online today for a confidential case review.
What Are The Types of Burn Injuries?
According to Stanford Children’s Health, burns fall into four categories. First-degree burns are the least serious, while fourth-degree burns are the worst a person could suffer. As such, the injuries sustained will differ depending on the degree of the burn. Let’s look closer at each category:
- First-degree burns – These are the most minor burns. They can range from anything such as a sunburn to a light cooking burn. The skin will redden with these types of burns, but you likely won’t have any blisters. Long-term damage does not usually result from these types of burns.
- Second-degree burns – These burns affect the top two layers of skin, or dermis and epidermis. After a second-degree burn, the skin will become bright, red, and swollen. Often, the skin appears shiny or wet. Blisters will likely form, and they will hurt when touched. Some second-degree burns are superficial and won’t cause scarring. Deep partial-thickness burns are more severe and may leave a scar, or a permanent change in the color of the skin.
- Third-degree burns – These burns are also sometimes called full-thickness burns. These burns completely destroy the dermis and epidermis. The skin may turn red, but these burns can also turn the skin black, brown, white, or yellow. These burns often cause little to no pain because they severely damage the nerve endings.
- Fourth-degree burns – The most severe types of burns, these burns also reach the deepest levels. Fourth-degree burns destroy all layers of the skin as well as the underlying bones, tendons, and muscles. These burns are often life-threatening.
Any time someone is injured by a burn that is more severe than a first-degree burn, they should seek medical care treatment immediately.
What Are Common Causes of Rock Hill Burn Injuries?
Burns from fires, scalding injuries, electrical injuries, and chemical burns happen every day. While many assume that most of these burns happen in the home, many other situations can lead to burn injuries. The most common situations include:
- Car accidents – In car accidents, when a vehicle gets into a crash, the gasoline in the vehicle sometimes ignites, causing the car to burst into flames.
- Defective products – When products are defective or faulty, they can spark and overheat. These incidents can cause fires and burn injuries. Products that use batteries or combustible fuel sources are particularly at risk for explosions and fires.
- Scalding injuries – When a burn is caused by a liquid, it’s known as a scalding injury. Children and the elderly are most at risk for these injuries, as even hot water can cause delicate skin to blister and scar. Kitchen workers often suffer these injuries from exposure to grease and other hot liquids.
- Gas explosions – Explosions of this kind can occur at worksites when workers are handling certain gases, or they can happen in the home in accidents involving a grill propane tank, gas furnace, or water heater.
- Chemical accidents – These accidents often happen at worksites when workers are handling certain chemicals. They can also occur at home when a person is working with bleach, concrete mix, or pool chlorinators.
- Electrocutions – An electrocution can occur due to a lightning strike, exposed wiring or downed utility lines. Electrocution can be fatal or cause serious injury to the respiratory system and the central nervous system.
Unfortunately, these are only just a few of the many causes of burn injuries. Individuals can suffer from burns in a wide variety of situations and scenarios. As we have seen at McKinney, Tucker & Lemel, LLC, in all too many cases, the burns result from the negligence of others.
