Burn Injury

When you or a loved one experiences a burn injury due to the negligence of another individual or a company, it is important to fully understand what exactly caused the burn and what category of burn injuries were sustained. The more facts you can gather about your incident, the stronger the case our Cannella & O’Neal lawyers can build.

Types of burn injuries:

• Thermal – Burns that are sustained by coming into contact with high heat sources (i.e. a person involved in a firework accident).
• Chemical – Burns caused by strong chemicals (acids, detergent, etc.) getting onto skin or into eyes (i.e. coming in contact with a strong acid at a manufacturing plant).
• Radiation – Burns caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays (i.e. someone being affected by a nuclear power plant leak).
• Electrical – Burns caused by an electrical current (i.e. being shocked by a household electrical current).
• Friction – Burns that result from the heat produced by friction (i.e. a motorcyclist sliding on the road after an accident).

Classifications of burn injuries:

• First degree burns – Burns that result in less serious injuries to the body, affecting only the outer layer of the skin and causing pain, swelling, and redness.
• Second degree burns – Burns that are more serious, causing pain, swelling, red or blotchy skin, and blisters. These burns affect the outer layer of the skin and part of the second layer.
• Third degree burns – Burns that cause the most serious injuries, affecting deep layers of the skin. These burns may appear black, white, brown, or yellow, and require immediate medical treatment.

Higher degree burns, such as fourth degree burns, run even deeper into the body, affecting muscle and bones.