Connecticut Burn Injury Attorney

burns

A wire zaps you or a gas tank explodes. Your camping lamp or portable stove ignites and shoots out flames. A dangerous chemical reaction at work causes explosion and fire. A car crash causes a vehicle’s firewall to fail. In a flash, you’ve suffered severe burns due to defective product. You may have serious injuries, lifelong scars, and permanent pain. What do you do now?

Call Kocian Law Group. We will fight for you to receive fair and reasonable compensation for your injuries, and we will strive to hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions.

Types of burn injuries that can be caused by defective products include:

  • Electrical burns: When skin comes into direct contact with electricity, electrical burns occur. This type of burn includes electrocution, a serious danger many defective products pose.
  • Thermal burns: Whether in a car accident or in an industrial setting, an explosion can inflict severe burns in a flash. Similarly, any direct contact with open flames is liable to cause burns.
  • Chemical burns: Exposure to strong chemicals, especially acids or alkaloids, cause chemical burns. Many defective objects might leak chemicals, leading to chemical burns. Also, many household cleaning products contain chemicals which can cause burns.
  • Scalding burns: A burn caused by hot liquid. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to scalding, as they have thinner skin. Scalds are one of the most common types of burns.
  • Contact burns: Burns caused by direct contact with a hot object. Any time the body touches a very hot object, a person is likely to get burned.

Burns are classified by severity. There are four severity levels, or “degrees,” of burns:

  • First degree: This is the mildest form of burn, but they are nonetheless painful and irritating. First degree burns affect the epidermis, or outermost layer of the skin. This type of burn will usually heal without any particular medical treatment, though aloe and other medications can help with the pain and the peeling.
  • Second degree: This type of burn is more serious, causing blistering. The second degree burn penetrates the epidermis and heads into the dermis, the deeper layer of skin. Without medical treatment, second degree burns may worsen and become third degree burns.
  • Third degree: Skin may actually char with this type of burn. A third-degree burn barrels through the epidermis, pierces the dermis, and enters the hypodermis, the lowest layer of skin. A third degree burn may be numb because so much tissue is damaged. This type of burn requires serious medical treatment and may take a long time to heal. The risk of secondary infections also increases, because the damaged skin cannot keep out bacterial invaders.
  • Fourth degree: These are the worst type of burns. A fourth degree burn juggernauts down through the hypodermis and destroys or damages muscles, ligaments, bones, or other underlying structures. Without skin, a person suffers a gaping hole in his or her body’s defenses. Patients may die from fourth-degree burns, often due either to fluid loss or to a secondary infection.

Another way of measuring burns is by Total Body Surface Area method, or TBSA. Under this method, doctors divide the body into nine regions to determine the percentage of a person’s body that is burned.

Burn treatment can require a hospital stay, skin grafts, or even plastic surgery. Even a mild burn can cause severe pain and can mean permanent scarring or disfigurement. Companies can be held liable for defective products which cause burn injuries. There are many rules and regulations surrounding these types of claims. Kocian Law Group can help you navigate your case safely to a fair and just resolution.