How Burn Injuries Can Result from a Car Accident

Did You Experience Burns After an Auto Accident? Call Us Today

Car accidents happen every minute in the United States. While many car accidents are not overly serious, some can be. Cuts, bruises, and bleeding are some of the most common injuries that one may think of. However, burns are an injury that can happen during a car accident, and their treatment is an expensive one.

Burns injuries on the skin have to be treated very carefully. If not, they can result in an infection and permanent scarring of the skin. It's always best to have a medical facility evaluate a burn injury and treat the damages. While many hospital visits are expensive, the costs of treating burn victims can be enormous. The process is often time-consuming. Insurance companies are unlikely to foot the bill to cover their medical fees.

The Various Causes of Burn Injuries

Any personal injury attorney in Los Angeles will reveal that car accidents can lead to several different types of burn injuries for victims. Burn injuries are most likely to occur due to exposure to heat sources like scalding oil, steam, other liquids, and hot metals. While many may think of flames from an engine fire, most burns result from the following:

• Contact with a live current
• Exposure to debris
• Contact with dangerous chemicals
• Vehicle explosion
• Deployment of airbags

While some of these may cause obvious burns for individuals, they aren't always. Burns can happen during an accident and not be discovered until later. This is due to the fact that the body goes into an adrenaline shock during an accident.

This makes the pain from things like burns dampen significantly to the point where the victim may not even realize they have one. It's important to seek the help of a first-degree burn injury lawyer in Los Angeles if you notice burn injuries after you've left the scene of an accident.

Some accidents may not be the result of a vehicle collision. Rather, they can be due to a defective vehicle part. The most common culprits are gas tanks, fuel pumps, fuel filtration systems, and other fuel system components.

The Types of Burn Injuries

Your lawyer can explain how each burn injury is classified from a medical standpoint. In most cases, they will be classified on a scale of one to three. Here is a breakdown of the severity of each type of burn injury so that you can get a better understanding of each.

First Degree - This burn affects the top layer of the skin.

Second Degree - This burn reaches the second layer of the skin and produces blisters alongside intense pain for the victim.

Third Degree - This burn is typically permanent and results from damaged tissue, nerves, and blood vessels.

If you notice a burn, it's best to get it checked by a medical professional. Not all burns develop while you are at the accident scene. Some may continue to blister over in the following hours or days, leading to more serious injuries. This fact is why it's so important to seek assistance from a medical professional.

What Are Potential Complications of Burn Injuries?

Burn injuries can lead to severe and permanent changes in the patient. Hiring a legal professional can help ensure the victim has the funding to get the proper treatment to avoid permanent damage at all costs. However, there are still some complications that can happen to burn victims. These include:

Infections
Your skin is the major layer of protection against infection. When you undergo a burn injury, that first layer of skin can be destroyed and leave your body more susceptible to infection.

Septic Shock
If you do develop an infection, this can lead to septic shock. This is a condition in which the infection spreads into your bloodstream.

Others
Some other common complications include fluid loss, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism.

Apart from these complications, many victims experience major mental and emotional struggles. Those who are stuck with permanent burn injuries can have self-esteem issues and emotional trauma. Your attorney for fire-based injuries will be able to seek compensation for all your medical expenses as well as emotional and mental trauma that is a result of the burn injury.

Always Hire a Lawyer to Handle Your Case

As you learned above, burn injuries can be severe and life-changing. Not to mention the fact, they can be costly to treat. Enlisting the help of an experienced lawyer is a must to ensure that you get the help you need to handle your case. Legal professionals can do the following for their clients:

• Gather evidence
• Talk with the insurance company
• Deal with medical bills and paperwork
• Alleviate financial worry
• Ensure you get the right compensation

When you hire legal counsel, they're there to provide you with the necessary support you need to get the compensation you deserve for your burn injury. It's no surprise that you need to focus your time and efforts on healing your body. Trying to handle a case like this on your own can cause a lot of stress.

The point of hiring a lawyer is to alleviate that stress from your life. They can handle all aspects of your case. They know how to handle the legal paperwork and filing deadlines that you likely don't. It just makes sense to let a lawyer take your case while you focus your efforts on getting better.