Burn Injury Questions

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

How long does it take to recover from a bad burn?

It depends on just how bad the burn injury was and where on the body the burn occurred. Our skin has three main layers, and when the lower two layers are damaged, recovery takes longer because these layers contain blood vessels, sweat glands, hair follicles, and nerves.

Any time the integrity of the skin is breached, as in a second or third degree burn (extending to the lower skin layers), scarring will happen. Each person forms scars in an individual way, so it's hard to predict exactly how a person will scar, how extensively, and how quickly they will heal. In general, scarring takes up to a year to fully complete. If the scars are large and raised, surgery may be able to reduce their prominence, and this would extend the final recovery time further.

What is the first medical care given to burn victims?

When a burn injury is severe, the person is first treated by the ambulance personnel, and then in a hospital emergency room. Even a very severe burn does not usually kill a person quickly. Any immediate death would more likely be from breathing difficulty or associated injuries. Therefore, your airway and lungs are checked immediately. If necessary, a tube will be inserted and oxygen given. Then the blood circulation is checked and any constrictive clothing removed.

At the same time, the burning process is stopped as much as possible by cooling burned areas with sterile saline solution or water. Charred clothing will be removed if it is not stuck to your skin. Then you are placed in dry, sterile sheets.

Follow-up care involves use of topical antibiotics, treatment and prevention of swelling in the breathing apparatus, chemistry testing, X-rays and/or CT scans to identify any related injuries or trauma, pain management, and maybe a tetanus shot.

What sort of scars will a burn victim have afterwards?

Scarring is somewhat different for each individual. Different people heal at different rates and have individual ways of scarring. Ideally, the final scar will be skin-colored and flat. There are three types of undesirable scars:

• Contractures - which involve permanent tightening of the skin, affecting the muscles and tendons, and therefore mobility. It might also damage some of the nerves. Physical therapy and exercises can help to minimize them, and if necessary, surgery, a skin graft, or one of several new techniques.
• Hypertrophic scars - which are red, raised, and thick. They often improve given enough time and can be reduced by steroid injections or local application.
• Keloid scars - which grow to be larger than the injured area. They are usually red at first and become dark brown later. While they're forming, they can be ridged and itchy. They can be irritated by clothing. There are some ways to reduce their size, using various injections, freezing, radiation, or surgery.

 

What can Jan Dils & Jim Leach, Attorneys at Law do to help me?

The experienced Ohio and West Virginia burn injury attorneys at Jan Dils & Jim Leach, Attorneys at Law can assess your situation and inform you of your legal rights. We have served the residents of West Virginia and Ohio for many years and are intimately familiar with the laws governing burn injury claims. We will thoroughly investigate the events of your accident to prove negligence so that you can receive the compensation you deserve.

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

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