Alabama Burn Injury Attorneys
Some of the most painful injuries a person can suffer are burn injuries. Minor burn injuries only affect the outer layer of skin, which is called the epidermis. The skin will regrow and heal leaving only a minor scar, if any. When the burns are more severe and affect the lower skin layers, these are second or third degree burns. Common causes of burn injuries are from electrical burns, fires, thermal burns, automobile fires, job accidents, chemical burns or radiation burns. If you have been burned in an accident, call Alabama Burn Injury Attorneys today to find out if you have a lawsuit to consider.
Electrical Burn Injuries
Exposure to high voltage electricity results in electrical burn injuries. These injuries occur when electric currents flow through the body searching for an exit causing serious exit wounds. High voltage can also stop the heart killing its victim. Those who work in the electrical field face the possibility of electrical burn injuries daily.
Thermal Burn Injuries
When the skin comes in contact with flames, steam, hot liquids or hot surfaces at 115 degree temperatures, thermal burn injuries occur. For example, thermal burn injuries may be on the job related and can happen while cooking on hot stoves.
Burn Injuries from Automobile Fires
Auto accidents could cause automobile fires placing passengers in great danger. As vehicles collide into other objects, gas explosions can cause automobile fires.
Chemical Burn Injuries
Skin that comes in contact with acids or alkaloids can suffer chemical burn injuries. Laboratories often use strong chemicals that easily dissolve skin on contact. Those who work in such laboratories are at risk of chemical burns.
Radiation burns occur when a person comes in contact with nuclear radiation or ultraviolet light. These types of burns can be a result of the use of tanning beds, persistent sunlight exposure, excessive x-ray exposure or medical imaging. A common side effect of chemotherapy is radiation burns due to the amount of radiation necessary to fight cancer. Radiation burns are also a risk for those who work with medical imaging and x-rays on a daily basis. Effects from these burns are not always immediate, which is a very dangerous aspect of radiation burns. You should seek medical attention if there is a possibility that you may be suffering from a radiation burn.
Severe Burn Injury Consequences
- Scar tissue forms when the skin is severely burned. Due to the severe scarring, this burned tissue loses many normal characteristics.
- If third degree burns occur, the skin can lose its ability to regrow. Surgeons can transplant skin that is undamaged from another part of the body to the area that was burned. Artificial skin or laboratory grown skin can also cover the damaged areas.
- Scarred tissue can lose its elasticity. Undamaged skin usually has a good amount of elasticity, which is key in preventing wrinkles and maintaining good skin tone.
- Severely burned skin can lose its sense of touch, which is what we depend on to let us know if something is cold or hot.
- Skin that is seriously burned can lose its ability to perspire, which is a way the body cools itself. Waste is also eliminated through perspiration. If your body cannot perspire, it cannot cool itself down.
- Skin that has been severely burned has to have permanent protection from the sun and weather.
- There is a risk of infection with dead skin tissue as burned tissue is a breeding ground for infection and bacteria.
Burns can cause debilitating, life altering, devastating burn injuries, or even death. Painful recovery with many skin graft surgeries may be involved. If you or a loved one has suffered a serious burn injury, you should contact a lawyer. Alabama Burn Injury Attorneys at Alabama Attorney Group will help you determine if you have a case of liability that has resulted in a burn injury.