Burn Injury Attorneys Serving Cincinnati & All of Ohio
Every year, nearly half a million Americans seek medical assistance for burn injuries. Approximately 40,000 are considered acute burn injuries and require hospitalization, with 30,000 requiring care at specialized burn centers. More than 80 percent of all these burn injuries and fatalities occur at home or at work. If you have been placed in the hospital or had a loved one pass from burns due to another’s negligence, contact Burg Simpson’s burn injury lawyers in Cincinnati today.
Women and children are particularly susceptible to burn injuries. According to the World Health Organization, burns are the 11th leading cause of death for children under 10 and the fifth most common cause of childhood personal injuries. Children under 5 years old are twice as likely to die in a fire as any other age group. The WHO declares burns as a global public health problem and also indicates that non-fatal burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity around the world.
If you or a loved one have suffered burn injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, a defective product, or an unsafe workplace, reach out to one of our experienced Cincinnati burn injury lawyers as soon as possible.
LEADING CAUSES OF BURN INJURIES
Burns are defined by the WHO as an injury to the skin or other tissue caused by heat, electricity, friction, chemical contact, or radiation. The most common causes of burn injuries and deaths are:
- Direct contact with flames: This accounts for more than 40 percent of all hospital admissions.
- Scalding injuries: Hot tap water burns lead to more deaths and hospitalizations than any other liquid burns.
- Thermal injuries: These burns are the result of contact with a hot solid metal, such as curling irons, space heaters, stovetops, or irons.
- Electrical burns: This type of injury is responsible for approximately 1,000 deaths per year in the United States.
- Chemical burns: Also known as caustic burns, they can be caused by battery acid, bleach, ammonia, and other chemicals.
Burn injuries also may result from:
- Fires and explosions
- Vehicle crashes and accidents
- Chemicals
- Radiation
- Defective products
- Electrocution
- Friction
- Hot liquids
Burn injuries, whatever the cause, can drastically alter one’s quality of life. Accidents that cause burns are often the result of someone else’s negligence. If you have suffered burn injuries, especially at work, it is important to speak to a Cincinnati burn injury attorney who has experience with these particularly painful and often severe injuries.
CATEGORIES OF BURN INJURIES
Burns fall into different categories, ranked in increasing order of severity:
- First-degree burns: These are the mildest of burn injuries by comparison, but can still be quite painful. They appear as a slight redness and are accompanied by pain. They affect only the epidermis, or the outer layer of skin.
- Second-degree burns: This refers to partial thickness burns that are much more serious, extending beyond the epidermis and into the dermis, or the lower layer of skin. Second-degree burns become filled with clear fluid, may show blistering and swelling, as well as being quite painful.
- Third-degree burns: These are full thickness burns, are extremely serious, and can even be life-threatening. These burns reach into the deep dermis, harming deeper tissue. These can cause white or blackened, charred skin that can be numb because of destroyed nerve endings.
- Fourth-degree burns: The most severe type of burns, these are full thickness and extend much deeper than the entirety of the skin – into muscle and bone tissues.
For the most severe burns, treatment and recovery can take months or even years because of a heightened risk of infection. Roughly 97 percent of burn victims survive their injuries, but many of them have to endure serious, extensive scarring, painful skin grafts, and possible permanent disabilities. The financial and emotional toll can be paralyzing. Serious burn survivors face lifelong challenges, such as extended rehabilitation, medical bills, lost wages, and years of constant pain management.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE SUFFERED A BURN INJURY IN OHIO OR KENTUCKY
Getting medical treatment is the most important thing you can do for yourself or your injured loved one. Then if the injury was someone else’s fault, you need to reach out to an experienced personal injury lawyer. The time following a severe injury is often painful, confusing, and emotional. Insurance companies may also be calling you before you are ready to discuss what happened. Burg Simpson can help.
Burg Simpson’s Cincinnati personal injury attorneys are committed to helping burn victims fight for compensation for their injuries caused by the negligence of others. We have helped thousands of seriously injured clients recover the damages they deserve. We can help you too. We are able to work with victims who have endured residential fires, motor vehicle explosions, workplace accidents, and other serious burn injuries. Get started with your case today by calling us (513) 852-5600 or filling out a FREE Case Evaluation form.
