Burn Injury Attorney

Serving West Virginia and Ohio, including Parkersburg, Charleston, Morgantown, Huntington, Wheeling, Belpre, and Athens

Among children and babies, accidental burns are one of the most common injuries. Young children are curious about their surroundings and often adventurous. Their skin is more sensitive than an adult's skin. Therefore, if a child is not taught to stay away from hot surfaces like the kitchen stove, their curiosity may hurt them.

Minor burns involving only some redness and no blistering may be treated at home. However, anything more severe should be given prompt medical attention.

Some Burn Injury Statistics

The Burn Survivor Resource Center collects statistics each year and compiles them for public education. They have found that each year, about 2.4 million burn injuries are reported, of which about 650,000 need medical care. About 75,000 of them are severe enough for hospitalization.

Fatalities from burns each year are between 8,000 and 12,000. Approximately one million more will have severe and perhaps permanent disabilities from their burn injuries.

Common Causes of Burns

Common causes of burn injuries include:

• Scalds from steam, hot bath water, tipped over hot drinks, and cooking fluids
• Contact with flames or hot objects such as the stove, fireplace, curling iron, and candles
• Chemical burns from swallowing things like drain cleaner and batteries or from spilling chemicals onto the skin
• Electrical burns from electrical cords and outlets

Severity of Burns

Several factors are used to determine the severity of a burn, including the patient's age, size, depth of burn, and the location of the burn. Burns are classified as first degree, second degree, or third degree.

First degree burns are red and very sensitive to touch. The skin will appear blanched when light pressure is applied. These burns involve minimal tissue damage and only involve the epidermis (top layer of skin). These burns may cause pain, redness and swelling. A sunburn is a good example of a first degree burn.

Second degree burns affect the outer layer of skin (epidermis) and the underlying layer of skin (dermis), causing redness, pain, swelling and blisters. Second degree burns also affect sweat glands and hair follicles. If a second degree burn is not treated properly, swelling and decreased blood flow in the tissue can result in the burn becoming worse.

Third degree burns affect the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, causing charring of the skin or a translucent white color with coagulated vessels visible just below the surface of the skin. These burns may be numb, but the burn victim may complain of pain due to other second degree burns. Healing from third degree burns is a very slow process due to the skin tissue and structures being destroyed, and third degree burns usually result in extensive scarring.

The treatment for second and third degree burns is the same:

• Stop the burning by covering the flames with a blanket. If your clothing catches fire, stop, drop, and roll on the ground to smother the flames.
• Check for other injuries.
• Remove jewelry or clothing at the burn region. If clothing is stuck to the burn, do not remove it. Cut around the stuck fabric to remove all loose fabric.
• Make sure the victim is breathing and if breathing has stopped, begin CPR.
• If the victim is breathing, cover the burn with a cool moist sterile bandage or cloth. Do not use a blanket or towel; a bed sheet is best for large burns.
• Do not apply ointment and avoid breaking blisters.
• Separate burnt toes and fingers with dry sterile non-adhesive dressings.
• Elevate the burned area if possible and protect it from pressure or friction.
• Monitor the victim's vital signs.
• Try to prevent shock by laying the victim flat with feet elevated about 12 inches and cover the victim with a coat or blanket. Do not place the victim in this position if it makes the victim uncomfortable or if a head, neck, back or leg injury is also suspected.
• Do not apply ice, ointment or butter to a burn.
• Do not allow the burn to become contaminated.
• Do not apply cold compresses.
• Do not immerse the victim in cold water.
• Do not place a pillow under the victim's head if there is an airway burn and they are lying down as this can close the airway.

Burns are said to be the most excruciatingly painful physical injuries, and even minor burns can be relatively painful. If you are burned, seek medical attention immediately.

If your burn was due to a defective product, industrial accident, automobile accident, chemical spill or an electrical mishap, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your suffering.

For more information, please read our Burn Injury Attorney Questions page.

Having served his West Virginia and Ohio clients so successfully in the past, burn injury lawyer Jim Leach is well prepared to look at the particulars of your case. His focus is first on listening to you, as a potential new client, and evaluating your legal situation. No two cases are alike, and Mr. Leach always caters his legal strategy to address the unique attributes of your situation. After years of dealing with insurance companies, he's familiar with how they operate and how they determine the settlement value of your individual case. Using his case management system, Mr. Leach and his associates can effectively gather and organize all the important information necessary in making your claim.

Please contact our Ohio and West Virginia burn injury lawyers today to discuss your claim. We represent burn injury victims throughout West Virginia and Southern Ohio including the communities of Belpre, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Athens, Morgantown, Charleston, and Huntington.