November 30, 2024

What Types of Burns Can You Suffer in Car Accidents?

Contact a Montgomery County Car Accident Lawyer at Anthony C. Gagliano III, P.C.

Usually, most people do not associate burns with injuries that you can suffer in a car accident. They think of burns as something you would sustain in a house fire. However, numerous substances and hot surfaces in a car could lead to burns from an accident. Further, a car could catch fire in the crash and burn the driver and passengers. If you or a loved one has suffered severe burn injuries in a car accident, you could be entitled to substantial financial compensation. Burn injuries are excruciating, and they can have devastating physical and financial effects.

You can suffer various burns from a car accident:

  • Thermal Burns: These are common types of burns that result from contact with an open flame or fire. In a car accident, numerous flammable substances can ignite on contact after a serious crash. You can also suffer thermal burns when your skin comes into contact with a hot surface, such as the car’s engine.
  • Electrical Burns: The electrical unit or wiring in the car could overheat or malfunction after the crash, and you could be burned when they touch your skin.
  • Chemical Burns: Your skin can suffer serious burns when it comes into contact with certain types of acids and substances. Motor oil and gasoline in your car are chemicals that can result in severe burns from a crash.

The Different Degrees of Burns

There are degrees of burns based on their severity:

  • First-degree burns are superficial and affect only the skin’s outer layer, called the epidermis.
  • Second-degree burns are more serious, and they impact the epidermis and part of the dermis.
  • Third-degree burns affect all of the skin and can also burn muscles, tendons, and bones. These types of burns require the most intensive treatment, both in the short and long term.

There is a special category of burns called fourth-degree, and these types of burns are extremely dangerous and life-threatening.

Third and Fourth-Degree Burns Can Be Life Threatening

Serious burns can put one’s life in danger in the short term. If one has suffered their degree burns, they would likely need intensive care to stabilize the situation. In the immediate time after the burn, the patient could be in respiratory distress and at risk of a severe infection. Many patients are sent to specialized burn treatment centers, where they can stay for weeks until they are stabilized. Then, they would need extensive post-burn care, which could include rehabilitation and plastic surgery.

Burns often require many skin grafts over the years to repair the damage to the fullest extent possible. Each skin graft can cost thousands of dollars and require a lengthy rehabilitation time. In addition, these procedures are often painful and subject you to extensive discomfort.

Serious Burns Can Mean a Large Car Accident Settlement

Burns can result in some of the highest car accident settlements. The size of your settlement is tied to the extent of your injuries. When you have suffered a car accident or burn, you have likely incurred significant medical expenses. In addition, the non-economic damages associated with your injury can also be extremely high. Your pain and suffering can be considerable, and you would also be compensated for the permanent scarring and disfigurement associated with your injuries.

Contact a Montgomery County Car Accident Lawyer at Anthony C. Gagliano III, P.C.

A Montgomery County car accident lawyer at Anthony C. Gagliano III, P.C. is here to help you and your family in your time of need. Call 267-861-7100 or complete an online form to schedule a free initial consultation. We have offices in Philadelphia and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and we work with clients in Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Chester County, and Norristown.

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