Thanks to advances in safety technology, today’s motor vehicles are safer than ever. However, car accidents continue to occur despite these advances due to various factors, including driver negligence, defective car parts, or hazardous road conditions. Depending on the severity of the accident, a car accident victim can suffer injuries ranging from severe lacerations and broken bones to organ damage and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Car accidents can also cause devastating burn injuries if there is a mechanical or electrical issue that causes the vehicle to catch on fire or the passenger comes in direct contact with a dangerous heat source like hot metal or hazardous chemicals. Burn injuries can be excruciating and can cause serious health complications and permanent scarring. If you suffered a burn injury in a car accident, do not hesitate to contact an experienced lawyer.
What Are the Common Causes of Car Accident-Related Burn Injuries?
While it is uncommon for a car to burst into flames, it can happen if the force of impact causes a fuel leak or the battery in an electric vehicle catches on fire. If you become trapped in the car or first responders have difficulty extinguishing the fire quickly, this can have devastating consequences. Other factors, including the following, can also cause burn injuries:
- When the airbag is deployed, it releases an aerosol of sodium hydroxide, which can cause a chemical burn when it comes in contact with the skin.
- If the impact force causes the vehicle’s lithium battery to explode, this can cause severe burn injuries.
- If chemicals like gasoline, battery acid, coolant, or oil leak during the accident, this can cause a severe chemical burn.
- If the accident causes any of the vehicle’s electrical systems to malfunction, the occupants can suffer electrical burns in a car accident.
Car Accident Burn Injuries
While a vehicle fire can certainly cause devastating burn injuries, the following are more common causes of burn injuries:
- Thermal burns: Besides burns caused by direct contact with flames from a fire or an explosion, scorching surfaces can cause thermal burns. This burn injury is caused by direct contact with a heat source like extremely hot metal.
- Electrical burns: The impact of a car accident can cause one or more of the vehicle’s electrical components – including the batteries, wiring, or switches – to malfunction, which can cause the vehicle’s occupants to suffer electrical burns.
- Chemical burns: Many fluids necessary to keep your vehicle running correctly are corrosive or hazardous. They can cause severe chemical burns if they come in direct contact with the skin.
- Scalds: Liquids evaporate and release steam when they become extremely hot. If the vehicle’s brake fluid, antifreeze, or water in the car gets hot enough, it can cause scalding severe injuries.
How Are Burn Injuries Classified?
Burn injuries range in severity from minor, first-degree burns to fourth-degree burns, which are often fatal. The following are descriptions of each of the four levels of burn injuries:
- First-degree burns: This affects the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Symptoms may involve mild pain and redness. First-degree flash burns can occur if a car accident generates significant heat.
- Second-degree burns: These burns affect the epidermis and the dermis, the second layer of skin. These often cause blistering, extreme pain, and scarring if the burn penetrates deep into the dermis.
- Third-degree burns: These affect the first two layers of skin and the subcutaneous fat layer. The damaged skin often turns brown or black and may look leather-like. These burns often destroy nerves, so numbness is a common symptom.
- Fourth-degree burns: These are the most severe types of burn injuries that affect every layer of skin and can cause damage to the muscles and bones. If a car accident victim survives a fourth-degree burn injury, they will require extensive, ongoing, and excruciating medical treatment.
In addition to the tissue, muscle, and nerve damage that a burn injury can cause, several health complications are associated with burn injuries. For example, burn injury victims can lose fluids and become dehydrated very quickly. This will require medical attention to restore those fluids swiftly and safely. In extreme cases, a burn injury can lead to sepsis, an infection that spreads throughout the body and can cause damage to the vital organs. It is essential that you seek immediate medical attention if you suffer a burn injury from a car accident. This will ensure that your injury is diagnosed and treated quickly.
Will I Be Compensated for a Burn Injury?
The medical costs associated with a burn injury will start to accumulate very quickly. The cost to treat a severe burn injury can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, particularly if you require surgeries and skin grafts. If you can prove that the other motorist involved in the accident was at fault, a successful personal injury lawsuit will help you recover the following damages:
- All medical expenses associated with the burn injury.
- Lost wages if you are unable to return to work
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Wrongful death if the burn injury results in a fatality
Our Cincinnati Car Accident Lawyers at Wolterman Law Office Help Victims of Burn Injuries Recover Financial Compensation
If you or a loved one suffered a severe burn injury in a car accident, do not hesitate to contact our Cincinnati car accident lawyers at Wolterman Law Office. To schedule a free consultation, call us today at 513-488-1135 or contact us online. Our office is located in Loveland, Ohio, where we serve clients in Hamilton County, Fairfield, Norwood, and Forest Park.