San Antonio Burn Injury Lawyer
Whether caused by a defective consumer product, a car crash, a building fire, a workplace accident, or something else, burns may be one of the most devastating types of injuries that a person can sustain. Even after treatment, these injuries often result in disability, disfigurement, scarring, and pain. Burns are also much more common than most people realize. In fact, the American Burn Association estimates that every year, as many as 1.1 million people require medical attention for burn injuries. Our San Antonio burn injury lawyer is prepared to help you today.
Suffering a catastrophic injury, like a burn, is always disastrous, but it can feel even more unfair when it was the result of someone else’s carelessness. Fortunately, accident victims who can establish negligence can often obtain financial compensation for their burn-related medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Classifying Your Burn
Burn injuries occur when the body’s tissues are damaged after coming into contact with excessive heat, radiation, sunlight, chemicals, or electricity and are classified by degree of severity into three main categories, including:
- First degree burns, which are the least serious type, often only damaging the top layer of a victim’s skin (i.e. a sunburn);
- Second degree burns, which damage two layers of skin, leading to blisters, hair and skin loss, and open wounds; and
- Third degree burns, which are the most severe type and are characterized by damage not only to the skin, but also to underlying muscle, tissue, and bone.
First degree burns don’t usually require any treatment, although cool showers, sun lotion, and hydration can help ease the pain. Second degree burns, on the other hand, will likely require assistance from a medical professional, who can clean the wound, prevent shock, and prescribe medications for the pain. Third degree burns are the most dangerous, as they are excruciatingly painful and leave victims susceptible to infection. Hospitalization, the use of clean rooms, intravenous antibiotics, skin grafting, physical therapy, and even a medically induced coma may all be necessary.
Burns Resulting from Negligence
While first degree burns are most often associated with sunburn, second and third degree burns can be attributed to a variety of factors, including:
- Coming into direct contact with fire;
- Direct contact with hot surfaces or liquids;
- Exposure to electricity from defective household products or collapsed power lines; and
- Exposure to toxic chemicals, like bleach, battery acid, and ammonia, which can cause severe burns that permanently damage the organs, deep tissues, and bones.
Engine fires and exploded fuel tanks are responsible for many serious burns, especially for victims of car crashes who become trapped in their vehicles. Scalding liquids, such as boiling water or hot oil are also to blame for many injuries, especially among children. Chemical spills are also dangerous and occur not just at home, but often in the workplace.
Call Today for Help with Your San Antonio Burn Injury Case
Treating severe burns can be prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, even once victims are out of the hospital, they are often still responsible for attending painful physical therapy and may suffer from chronic pain, limited mobility, and devastating disfigurement for the rest of their lives. To get started on your own claim, contact the dedicated San Antonio burn injury legal team at the Law Office of Israel Garcia by calling 210-529-9999 today.
