Burns cause painful damage to skin tissue, resulting in internal and external injuries of varying severity. Serious burns can result in permanent scars, agonizing pain, nerve damage, and even death.
Brownsville-area residents and workers face a constant risk of burns in their everyday lives. For oil and gas workers, the risk of a severe burn is present whenever they work near flammable hydrocarbons. In Brownsville homes from Cameron Park to Southmost, children and adults confront burn dangers from appliances, backyard grills, drain cleans, and hot water taps. Even the hot Texas sun can inflict burns severe enough to cause dangerous illnesses.
Many burn injuries in Brownsville happen because of the careless or reckless actions of someone other than the burn victim. In those cases, victims may have the right to receive substantial financial compensation for their injuries and losses.
Attorney Kenny Perez and the skilled Brownsville burn injury attorneys at Kenny Perez Law can help. Contact us today to learn about your rights to compensation after suffering a preventable burn.
Burn Injury Facts
Over one million burn injuries requiring medical attention occur each year in the United States. Of these, 50,000 burn victims need hospitalization, and 10,000 victims die from their burns. According to the American Burn Association, in the U.S., 1 out of every 1500 residents will die from exposure to smoke, flames, or fire.
In fact, burns are one of the leading causes of death in most age groups. Heartbreakingly, children under 15 make up almost one-quarter of all burn injuries.
Burns can be caused by heat, electricity, friction, radiation, and chemicals. Most happen through exposure to flames, or contact with hot water, steam, a hot object, electricity, or chemicals.
Burn injuries are classified into three levels of severity.
First-degree burns are also called superficial burns. They affect only the outer layer (the epidermis) of your skin. The area affected is red, painful, and dry, but not blistered. An example is a mild sunburn. There is usually no long-term damage but they can result in discoloration.
Second-degree burns are partial-thickness burns. They affect the outer layer and part of the underlying layer (the dermis) of your skin. These burns are red, blistered, and painful.
Third-degree burns are full-thickness burns. They destroy all three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and fat. They can also damage bones, muscles, and tendons. The burn results in a white, charred, or leathery site. They can also destroy nerve endings. Most third-degree burns require skin grafts, which replace damaged tissue with healthy skin, to protect the open wounds.
Complications of Burn Injuries
Other potential complications of third-degree burns are:
Compensation for the High Cost of Burn Injuries
At Kenny Perez Law, we represent Brownsville burn victims in legal actions aimed at securing as much compensation as possible for their injuries and losses.
Every case we handle differs, but oftentimes our team can obtain compensation to pay for a client’s:
For example:
Practice Areas
Brownsville Burn Injury FAQ
When a burn incident causes extensive injuries, the surviving victim endures long hospitalizations and endless medical care. The most serious burns often become painful, disabling, and physically challenging. They leave victims with disfiguring scars and impairments that often last a lifetime.
Few people experience burn injuries with lifetime consequences. We still believe that it’s important to know the facts. We offer our Brownsville Burn Injury FAQ to provide essential burn injury information just in case a burn incident affects you or someone you love.
Each day, Over 300 children younger than 19 need emergency treatment for burns. For younger children, scalding water and other hot liquids cause the most burns. Older children often sustain burn injuries due to flames.
These are the primary causes of their burn injuries.
Casualty rates for all types of Texas fires:Â 2.1 fatalities per 1,000 fires; 6.9 injuries per 1,000 fires
Casualties rates for Texas residential fires:Â 5.5 fatalities per 1,000 fires; 22.3 injuries per 1,000 fires
First-degree burns:Â This type of burn causes minor skin damage. These simple burns heal quickly and leave minimal or no scarring.
Second-degree burns: At this level, burn damage usually affects the skin’s dermis layer. Patients sometimes require scar revision and grafts.
Third-degree burns:Â Third-degree burns damage sweat glands, hair follicles, and underlying tissue down to the epidermis layer.
Fourth-degree burns:Â These severe burns damage dermis, epidermis, and underlying fatty layers.
Fifth-degree burns:Â This type of burn causes damage through skin layers and fat, all the way to the muscle.
Sixth-degree burns:Â This burn is highly destructive. It causes damage through all tissue layers down to the bone. At this stage, victims often require limb amputation.
Emergency surgical removal of damaged tissue
Open wound repair
Contracture surgery to relieve tendon and muscle shortening, deformity, and hardening
Amputations due to severe, irreparable limb and digit damage
Scar revision surgery: The most recent American Society of Plastic Surgeons annual report documents 24,391 burn revision plastic surgeries.
The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center documents the range of issues their burn patients often experience.
Itchy skin and intense pain
Pain management, which often includes prescription opioids
Wound care and scar management
Employment issues
Sleep issues
Mental health issues such as PTSD, hopelessness, sadness, and mood disorders
Delirium: awareness, thinking, behavioral, and emotional issues often associated with emergency intubation
Self-image and intimacy issues due to scarring and disfigurement
Pain Description: Intensity, duration, timing, quality, impact, and itching.
Options include:
Over the counter NSAIDs and other non-prescription pain relievers
Anticonvulsants
Sleep medications
Antidepressants
Hypnosis and relaxation techniques
Exercise
Here are a few of the circumstances where another party is often legally liable for burn injuries.
Premises Owner:Â The property owner is responsible if he/she knew about a defective furnace or electrical system and it caused a fire in your leased apartment.
Product Manufacturer:Â If a defective appliance or tool causes a fire, the manufacturer or designer is often responsible.
Vehicle Owner/Driver:Â If a fire ensues after an accident, the negligent driver or vehicle owner is usually responsible.
Workplace Injuries: If you sustain burn injuries during a workplace incident, your employer owes you worker’s compensation benefits. You may also have the right to sue a third party, non-employer if they caused your injuries.
When you consult with a personal injury attorney, you don’t have to pay for the appointment. You have an opportunity to discuss your case and learn more about your legal options.
Contact a Compassionate Brownsville Burn Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been in an accident that resulted in serious burns, you need a burn injury attorney you can trust; someone who can fight for every last dollar of compensation you deserve, while you put your energies into healing and moving forward with your life.
Attorney Kenny Perez and his team fight for burn victims like you. We know how to investigate the causes of your burn injury, target the parties at fault, and secure the money you need to pay for your care and rehabilitation.
Contact us today online or call our Brownsville office at (956) 420-6678 to learn about how we can help you in the aftermath of a serious burn injury.
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