Burn Injury Lawyers Serving Morgantown

Dedicated West Virginia Burn Injury Attorneys

The American Burn Association reports that 450,000 people are burned and have to visit the emergency room every year in the U.S. Of the burns seen yearly, roughly 3,400 are fatal. If you or a loved one have been burned, there is a possibility that you may be able to seek compensation for your injuries. Determining whether you have a case can be difficult, so it’s best to contact our Morgantown burn injury lawyers to find out if you have a right to take legal action.

National Burn Injury Statistics

Burns are far more common than many realize, resulting in hundreds of thousands of injuries and tens of thousands of hospitalizations in the United States each year. According to research by the American Burn Association:

• Nearly 400,000 burn injuries require medical treatment each year.
• Over 29,000 hospitalizations occur each year due to burns.
• In 2021 (the most recent year of data), 3,800 deaths occurred due to fire/smoke inhalation (3,010 due to structure fires and 680 due to automobile fires).
• Just 1,290 burns were severe enough to require surgery and prolonged ventilation, though the mortality rate was very high for these serious burns at 17.8%.
• Overall, the survival rate for burn injuries is 97.7%.
• Two-thirds of burn victims are male.

Sadly, many burn victims are children. According to the CDC, fires or burns result in nearly 300 deaths of children or adolescents and emergency medical attention or hospitalization for over 100,000 children annually.

According to Stanford Medicine, most scalding burns suffered by children—nearly 75%—are preventable.

How Do Burn Injuries Happen?

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 44 percent of burns are caused by direct contact with fire. On average, someone is injured by a burn every 30 minutes in the U.S.

Fire-related burns are also the third most common cause of deaths that occur in the home. Someone dies in a home fire, on average, every 2.5 hours in the U.S.

Additional causes of burn injuries include:

• Being scalded by steam or a hot liquid (33 percent)
• Coming into direct contact with another type of heat source (9 percent)
• Receiving an electrical burn (4 percent)
• Being burned by chemicals (3 percent)
• Being burned by other causes (7 percent)

As Morgantown burn injury lawyers, we’ve also seen victims who have been burned by:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Defective products
• Natural gas accidents
• Explosions

Types of Burns and How They Should Be Treated

How severe someone’s burn injury is depends on how long they were exposed to the chemical or heat source and what the temperature of the heat source was. Burns can damage internal organs, but they are classified based on the damage they do to the skin. Burns may be classified as full-thickness or partial thickness, but are more commonly divided into degrees. 

First-Degree Burns

First-degree burns (partial thickness) may result in red, non-blistered skin and/or slight swelling. These types of burns usually heal quickly (within a few days) if they don’t become infected. They should be treated by running the burn site under cool (not cold) water and applying an antibacterial burn cream. If the pain, redness, or swelling hasn’t gone down in 3-4 days, it’s best to see a doctor for further treatment.

Second-Degree Burns

Second-degree burns (partial thickness) occur when the damage extends beyond the first layer of skin. These types of burns can cause blisters and make the skin look as though it’s wet. Mild second-degree burns may be treatable if they are run under cool water, coated in burn ointment, and wrapped in a loose dressing. Severe second-degree burns that do not go away in 2-3 weeks or hurt for a week or more should be treated by a medical professional.

Third-Degree Burns

Third-degree burns (full thickness) happen when all the layers of the skin, and sometimes internal organs, are damaged. These types of burns can cause nerve damage so severe that the victim is no longer able to feel pain. They may make the skin look thick, black, leathery, or bumpy and should never be treated at home. If you or someone you know sustains a third-degree burn, do not rinse it or attempt to treat it in any way. Elevate the burned area, remove any clothing or item that is touching the burn, and go to the emergency room immediately.

Burn Injury Complications

Scarring and disfigurement after a burn can last a lifetime. If burns aren’t treated appropriately, they can result in blood loss, infections, tetanus, shock, and even death. Electrical burns and chemical burns are especially dangerous, as they can damage internal organs without showing external damage.

Burns to the feet, hands, face, or groin are much more dangerous and should be treated by a doctor or in the emergency room as soon as possible.

Severe burns may require the victim to undergo surgery or skin grafting which are both painful and expensive. Victims may also suffer emotional damage that can require therapy to overcome.

Hiring a Morgantown Burn Injury Lawyer

Your right to seek compensation for your burn injury depends on the circumstances.

For instance, if you were burned in a place of business, like a school, retail establishment, or restaurant, you may be able to get money for your injuries. In this scenario, you could be able to file a suit against the owner or company who contributed to your burn accident.

If your burn was the result of a defective product, you could have the opportunity to sue the product’s manufacturer or retailer. If you were burned while working, you could potentially file a claim against your employer.

At Colombo Law, we employ an in-house medical professional to help us determine whether your burns are severe enough to seek compensation. After you’ve been treated by your doctor, you should schedule a free consultation with us so we can discuss your future treatment needs and develop a life care plan that shows how much money this experience will cost you.

Get in touch Colombo Law in Morgantown by calling 304-599-4229 to find out if you have a burn injury case.

Frequently Asked Questions About Burn Injuries