Burn Injury Lawsuit

The American Burn Association has gathered data on the most common causes of burns in the United States¹.

Fire & Flames

Fire was the number one cause for admission to burn centers in 2015. Roughly 43 percent of those admitted to a burn center blamed fire or flames. Flames can be caused by any number of things, such as a candle tipping over or someone falling asleep with a lit cigarette.

Scalds

The next most common reason for admittance to a burn center was scalding at 34 percent. In this category, a patient is typically injured by hot water from a boiling pot or a shower. Spilled beverages like hot coffee or tea can also account for scalding injuries. Burn injuries caused by steam also fall under this category.

Contact Burns

Touching a hot object accounts for about 9 percent of burn admissions. For example, a person may accidentally lean on an iron or touch a pan on the stove.

Electricity

When a large current of electricity passes through the body, it can result in burns to the skin. Electrical burns only accounted for about 4 percent of admittance to burn centers but some estimates say around 1,000 people die each year from these types of burns. This includes burn injuries caused by touching faulty wiring, being struck by lightning, inserting fingers into electrical sockets, or coming in contact with electrified water.

Chemicals

Chemical burns make up even less of the burn injury cases at only 3 percent. However, the dangers and consequences of chemical burns remain high. As many as 30 percent of all burn deaths come from chemicals². Chemical burns are frequently caused by exposure to any number of substances, such as bleach.

Radiation & Other

The final 7 percent of cases at burn centers come from a hodgepodge of causes. Causes can include exposure to radiation resulting in sunburn or inhalation of damaging substances.

Burn treatment options have come a long way. According to Medscape, doctors noticed that in the past, patients with large burns would survive the initial event but die from shock not long after³. Over time, doctors began coming up with fluid resuscitation formulas that advanced more and more.

Fluid resuscitation is the act of replenishing lost fluids to prevent the body from going into shock. Shock will set in if 15 to 20 percent of the total body surface area is burned and fluid resuscitation is not done. This is why the first 48 hours are dedicated to resuscitation. Doctors will work to ensure that vital organs keep functioning and that fluid is replaced at appropriate levels.

Around 72 hours later, doctors may start to work on closing wounds and reconstructing some of the areas that are the most delicate. Once all the wounds are closed, the rehabilitation process begins.

About 460,000 people seek medical attention for burns every year, according to the American Burn Association. While some are injured from genuine accidents or unlucky circumstances, others suffer debilitating burns as a result of someone else’s negligence. This means the victim can hold another party responsible for their injuries.

The types of burns that may be caused by another’s negligence varies widely. Some of the most common causes include:

• Fires at apartment buildings
• Chemical spills at work
• Fires from car crashes
• Explosions from damaged pipes
• Faulty electrical wiring

• Fires at businesses
• Burns from defective products
• Workplace fires
• Scalding water or steam from pipes
• Exposed power lines

Landlords, business owners, drivers, and employers have a duty to protect residents, customers, other drivers, and employees from harm. This means they have to take reasonable action to prevent injury. For example, if someone was driving well above the speed limit and ran a red light before crashing into a car, they could be held accountable for a burn injury if the other car went up in flames.