Burn Injuries in Los Angeles

There are many types of burns which someone could suffer in accidents in Los Angeles.  The extent of those injuries may range from minor burns to life threatening burns.  In the United States alone, there are over 1 million burn injuries every year which require medical care by doctors.  Of all of those burn injuries, over 45,000 burn accidents require hospitalization, and nearly 10% of those burn accidents victims are killed as reported by the American Burn Association.

What is a Los Angeles burn injury?

Someone suffers a burn injury when the skin or some other part of the body is damaged when it is exposed to chemicals, electricity, heat or radiation.  These burn injuries are further defined as one of three types of burn injuries.  These different degrees of burn injuries are either first degree, second degree or third degree burns.

First Degree Burns
First degree burns generally result in minor tissue damage to the outer layer of skin.  Someone who suffers a first degree burn generally suffers from red and dry skin which is very painful and may also include swelling.

Second Degree Burns
A second degree burn causes damage to the top two layers of skin.  These second degree burns are generally accompanied by pain and blistering of the skin.  The burnt skin is generally more substantially swollen, red, moist and may result in minor scarring when the injury heals.

Third Degree Burns
The most severe type of burn is a third degree burn injury.  This burn injury damages all layers of a person's skin.  This additionally causes permanent damage to a person's tissue, fat, muscle, and bone.  Immediately after a third degree burn injury, the skin may appear charred, depressed and leathery.  The person also generally doesn't feel any pain because the person's nerve endings have been destroyed.


Causes of Burn Injuries
The most common causes of burn injuries are hot liquids or fires.  But more specifically, there are contact burns, otherwise known as thermal burns, which result when someone comes into contact with hot materials such as metals, liquids, steam or flames.  Radiation or ultraviolet burns cause burns after an extended exposure to the ultraviolet rays such as from the sun or while using a tanning bed at a tanning salon.  Another cause of burns are chemical burns which are caused by strong acids and bases which generally affect the eye or skin of a person.  These chemicals burns are often caused by alkaloids.  Someone may also suffer electrical burns which burns someone because of the flowing electrical current.


Types of injuries resulting from burns

• Amputations;
• Changes in self-esteem;
• Changes physical appearance;
• Dehydration;
• Death;
• Infection;
• Loss of range of motion;
• Loss of sense of touch;
• Loss of ability to perspire;
• Skin grafts;
• Skin disfigurement; and
• Scarring.

If you have been seriously injured in a burning accident which was caused by the negligence of someone else, please contact our Los Angeles Burn Injury Attorneys today at 800-715-4489!