San Diego Burn Injury Attorney

   In the United States alone, over 10,000 individuals are victimized each year from serious burn accidents each year. Exceeded only by car accidents and falls, burn injuries are the leading cause of death in the United States.

   Due to their complexity, serious burn injuries can be difficult to treat and heal. Not just the skin is damaged, but burn victims may also suffer from critically injured nerves, muscles, blood vessels, tendons, and bones. Side-effects of serious burn injuries include fluid imbalance, fluctuating body temperature, impaired range of motion, lack of dexterity or joint function, and a distorted physical appearance. Victims may also suffer emotional damage for experiencing such trauma. Victims must typically undergo expensive and exhaustive medical care, surgeries, and rehabilitation.

   A burn’s severity is determined by a number of factors, and is based upon the amount of skin burned and burn depth:

• First-Degree Burns are the mildest of burns, affecting only the topmost layer of skin. Despite their appearance, first-degree burns can still be fatal if they cover a majority of the total body surface area (TBSA). Damage is so great that the body cannot heal itself quickly enough. Sunburn is a classic example of a first-degree burn. These injuries typically heal within a week or two, but may be extremely painful if the nerves are still intact. Many victims will experience skin peeling during the healing process.
• Second-Degree Burns affect two out of three layers of skin, and hence cause much more damage to the burn region. Second-degree burns affect the hair follicles and sweat glands of the victim, which leads to fluid imbalance and destabilized internal temperature. It is important to have these burns treated as soon as possible, for if left without medical attention, they may regress to more severe third-degree burns.
• Third-Degree Burns affect all three layers of skin, and are the most serious and destructive. Many victims claim to suffer little pain, mostly due to the fact that their nerve endings were entirely destroyed in the burn accident. Serious burn victims will undergo months and months of surgeries, treatments, physical therapy, plastic surgery, and counseling to heal and recover. Third-degree burns typically leave a great deal of scarring on the victim.
• There is an even more serious type of burn, which destroys all three layers of skin, muscles, tendons, and even bones. Classified as “Fourth-Degree Burns,” these can be fatal and require immediate medical attention.