Severe burn injuries lawsuit investigation

Severe burn injuries: Who’s affected?

Did you suffer a severe burn injury within the last three years while at work or due to a defective product? Did you have to stay overnight at the hospital? Do you suffer from permanent injuries as a result of your burn?

Burn injuries occur due to heat, fire, chemicals, electricity, or radiation in a number of settings. Although household burns are common, burns can also occur as a result of defective consumer products or while on the job if the proper precautions are not taken by the company.

Individuals who sustained a severe burn injury from a consumer product or who were burned at work may be able to take legal action. Manufacturers may be held liable for defective consumer products while occupational burns could be an employer’s responsibility. Either of these situations could help injured individuals recover much needed compensation for permanent burn injuries such as scarring, nerve damage, or muscle damage.

Burn injuries: Overview

A burn occurs whenever the skin is damaged by heat, chemicals, electricity, or radiation (including sunlight). Burns can be small or cover the whole body, and range in severity. Burn severity is classified by the following “degrees”:

• First-degree burns are mild and affect only the top-most layer of skin (the epidermis). These burns can cause pain along with redness of the skin, but no blisters.
• Second-degree burns affect both the epidermis and the layer of skin beneath it (dermis). Second-degree burns include the pain and redness of first-degree burns, but may also include blistering, swelling, and white or splotchy skin. Deep second-degree burns can lead to permanent scarring and other problems.
• Third-degree burns are a severe form of burn and reach the layer of fat beneath the skin. A third-degree burn appears black, brown, or white instead of red, and may appear leathery. Due to the depth of these burns, nerves and muscles can be permanently damaged.
• Fourth-degree burns are the most severe type of burn and injure deeper tissue layers, such as muscle, and possibly bone. Fourth-degree burns are often blackened and may lead to amputation due to the depth and severity of the injuries.

Burn injuries are also classified based on size. “Minor” burns are mostly superficial and cover less than 10% of the total body surface. “Major” burns are more loosely defined but typically include deep tissue damage and cover more than 10% of the total body surface.

Severe burn injuries require medical attention and may require multi-day stays in the hospital. Hospitals dress and care for fresh burns, administer medications, and even perform surgery if burns are severe enough. Even after staying in the hospital, burn patients may need rehabilitation, occupation, and physical therapy to recover fully.

Unfortunately, even after the burn is healed, patients may suffer from permanent injuries. Burns can leave behind visible scars that even plastic surgery cannot completely hide. Large, severe burns can cause contracture of skin, muscles, or tendons, causing permanent bone and joint problems and limited mobility. Deep burn injuries may also damage nerves, leaving patients with loss of sensation, nerve pain, and other long term neurological effects.

Burn injuries causes

Most people have suffered from at least one minor burn, either while cooking or from hot household objects such as curling irons. However, this is far from the only way people get burned.

People can be burned by defective consumer products. Every year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls products due to burn hazards. For example, in March 2022, Fitbit recalled its Ionic smartwatch due to concerns that the product’s battery could overheat and burn consumers while worn.

Employees can also be burned at work by equipment or through accidents. Truckers are at a higher risk for occupational burns if they get into car accidents and their trucks catch on fire. This fire can quickly spread to the driver’s cabin, causing severe burn injuries.

Join a burn injury lawsuit investigation

You (or a family member or loved one) may be eligible to join this burn injuries class action lawsuit investigation if you meet the following criteria:

• You sustained a burn while at work or from a defective consumer product;
• Your burn occurred within the last three years;
• You had to stay overnight at the hospital for your burn (a stay of at least two days); AND
• You suffer from permanent injuries (scarring, nerve damage, muscle damage, etc.) as a result of the burn.

Submit your information now to find out if you qualify.