Houston Burn Injury Attorneys

What are the degrees and types of burn injuries?

Burn injuries are varied in both severity and type. Different burn injuries require different kinds of treatment, and while some burns may heal in a short period, some burns need massive medical intervention and can leave a person permanently disabled or disfigured. Medical experts classify burns in degrees, from least to most severe.

• First-degree burns. These burns are relatively minor and affect only the most outer layer of skin (the epidermis). A typical first-degree burn is a sunburn, one that leaves your skin red, painful to the touch, but without blistering.
• Second-degree burns. These burns go through the epidermis and the layer underneath (the dermis). Second-degree burns cause the skin to redden, swell, and blister.
• Third-degree burns. A third-degree burn goes through the epidermis, dermis, and down to the subcutaneous tissue. The victim may not feel any pain in the affected area, as nerve endings may be destroyed. Skin can appear either whitened or blackened from the burn. These injuries are quite serious.
• Fourth-degree burns. Considered a catastrophic injury, a fourth-degree burn affects every layer of skin, nerves, muscles, and sometimes down to the bone. Many victims do not survive fourth-degree burns, and those that do face a very long road to recovery or permanent disability.

Although we’re most familiar with burn injuries happening from fires and flame, you can sustain a burn injury in a variety of ways, including:

• Thermal burns. These include burns from flame and fire, but also anything hot, including steam, scalding liquids, hot surfaces, and any other high-temperature objects.
• Chemical burns. You can suffer a chemical burn at home or on the job from chemicals like cleaners, corrosive agents, solvents, acids, and other toxic substances. Whether through skin contact or accidental ingestion, these can be very dangerous, especially to children.
• Electrical burns. These can happen from contact with a live electrical current, which typically occurs in on-the-job accidents or with defective products.
• Friction burns. Friction burns often occur in motorcycle accidents (also called “road rash”). Think of these as a combination of a thermal burn and an abrasion. These burns are extremely painful and often lead to infection and scarring.
• Cold burns. These are caused by frostbite, and can happen by skin contact with sub-freezing objects – not just the obvious snow and ice, but also in workplaces like chemistry labs and cold storage.
• Radiation burns. These include burns caused by severe sunburns, X-rays, and certain cancer treatments.

After you suffer a burn injury that wasn’t your fault, the Houston personal injury attorneys at the Kishinevsky Law Firm will thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident that led to your injury. It’s not fair that you should end up with the financial burden your injury has caused. We’ll work to find out what caused your injury and who should be held accountable.