Burn Injuries

Types of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are classified by how deeply they damage the layers of skin and underlying tissue. Understanding these classifications helps explain the severity of treatment required and the long-term impact on victims.

• First-degree burns – These are the least severe burns, affecting only the outer layer of skin (epidermis). They cause redness, pain, and minor swelling but typically heal within a week without scarring. A sunburn is a common example. While painful, first-degree burns rarely require legal action unless they’re part of more extensive injuries.
• Second-degree burns – These burns damage both the outer layer (epidermis) and the layer beneath it (dermis). They cause intense pain, redness, swelling, and blistering. The skin may appear wet or shiny, and victims are at risk for infection. Second-degree burns can take several weeks to heal and often leave scarring. Deep second-degree burns may require skin grafts.
• Third-degree burns – These are severe burns that destroy the epidermis, dermis, and underlying tissues including sweat glands and hair follicles. The skin may appear white, blackened, charred, or leathery. Ironically, third-degree burns may be less painful than second-degree burns because nerve endings have been destroyed—but the damage is far more severe. These burns always require medical intervention including skin grafting, reconstructive surgery, and extensive rehabilitation. Scarring and disfigurement are permanent.
• Fourth-degree burns – These catastrophic burns extend through all layers of skin into the fat layer beneath. They require extensive surgical intervention and often result in the need for amputation of affected limbs.
• Fifth-degree burns – These extend into the muscle tissue and can cause permanent loss of function in affected areas.
• Sixth-degree burns – The most severe classification, these burns reach the bone. They are often fatal and always result in permanent disability requiring amputation of affected areas.

Burns beyond third-degree are considered catastrophic injuries with life-altering consequences.

Different Causes of Burns

Burns aren’t caused only by fire. Many different types of accidents and exposures can result in serious burn injuries:

• Thermal burns – The most common type, these occur from contact with flames, hot liquids (scalding), steam, or hot objects. House fires, car fires, kitchen accidents, and industrial incidents are frequent causes.
• Chemical burns – Exposure to strong acids, alkalis, or other corrosive substances can cause severe tissue damage. These often occur in workplace accidents, product defects, or industrial incidents.
• Electrical burns – Contact with electrical current can cause burns both at the entry and exit points, as well as internal damage along the path the electricity travels through the body. These injuries often appear less severe externally than they actually are.
• Radiation burns – Caused by exposure to radiation sources including medical equipment, industrial accidents, or prolonged sun exposure.
• Friction burns – High-speed contact with rough surfaces, common in motorcycle accidents and treadmill injuries, can cause severe skin damage.

Common Accidents That Cause Burn Injuries

Burn injuries can occur in countless situations, but some accidents are more common than others:

• Motor vehicle accidents – Car fires, truck fires, and explosions can trap victims in burning vehicles. Fuel leaks, electrical system failures, and post-collision fires cause devastating burns.
• Motorcycle accidents – Riders can suffer severe friction burns from sliding across pavement, as well as burns from contact with hot engine parts or fuel fires.
• Workplace accidents – Construction sites, manufacturing facilities, restaurants, and industrial workplaces present numerous burn hazards including hot equipment, chemicals, electrical sources, and flammable materials.
• Defective products – Faulty appliances, electronics, heating systems, and consumer products can malfunction and cause fires or explosions. Manufacturers can be held liable when their defective products cause burns.
• Premises liability accidents – Building fires, faulty wiring, broken water heaters, and lack of proper safety equipment can cause burns when property owners fail to maintain safe conditions.
• Truck accidents – Commercial truck crashes involving tankers or vehicles carrying hazardous materials can result in explosions and chemical burns.
• Nursing home abuse and neglect – Elderly residents can suffer scalding burns from excessively hot bath water or heating pad burns when staff fail to provide proper supervision and care.
• Medical malpractice – Burns can occur during surgical procedures, laser treatments, or radiation therapy when medical professionals fail to follow proper protocols.
• Pedestrian and bicycle accidents – Being struck by a vehicle can cause friction burns, and victims may suffer additional burns if a fire results from the collision.

The Devastating Impact of Severe Burns

Burn injuries are uniquely traumatic because the suffering extends far beyond the initial injury. Victims face multiple layers of physical, emotional, and financial hardship:

• Immediate medical treatment – Severe burns require emergency care including fluid resuscitation, wound cleaning and debridement (removal of dead tissue), pain management, and often immediate surgery. Many burn victims spend weeks or months in specialized burn units.
• Multiple surgeries – Skin grafts, reconstructive surgeries, and scar revision procedures may be required over many years. Each surgery means additional pain, recovery time, and medical expenses.
• Excruciating pain – Burn injuries cause some of the most intense pain known to medicine. The pain continues through treatment, as wound cleaning and dressing changes can be agonizing even with pain medication.
• Risk of infection – Damaged skin can no longer protect against bacteria, making infection a constant threat that can be life-threatening.
• Permanent scarring and disfigurement – Severe burns leave visible scars that can cover large portions of the body. Contracture scars can limit movement and function. Facial burns can completely change a person’s appearance.
• Loss of function – Burns to hands, arms, or legs can result in permanent loss of mobility and the ability to perform work or daily activities.
• Emotional and psychological trauma – Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and body image issues are common among burn victims. Many struggle with social situations and relationships due to their appearance and the reactions of others.
• Employment challenges – Many burn victims cannot return to their previous jobs due to physical limitations, and visible scarring can affect employment opportunities.
• Financial devastation – The costs of burn treatment are staggering. Extended hospitalization, multiple surgeries, medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychological counseling, and ongoing medical care can easily reach into the millions of dollars.

The impact on family members is equally profound. They watch their loved one suffer, take on caregiving responsibilities, and often face their own emotional trauma and financial stress.

Compensation for Burn Injuries

California law allows burn injury victims to seek full compensation for all losses caused by someone else’s negligence:

• Economic damages – These compensate for measurable financial losses including emergency medical treatment and hospitalization, surgical procedures including skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, medications and medical supplies, physical therapy and rehabilitation, occupational therapy, psychological counseling and mental health treatment, assistive devices and adaptive equipment, home and vehicle modifications for accessibility, lost wages and loss of future earning capacity, and ongoing medical care and treatment.
• Non-economic damages – These address the profound impact on your life including physical pain and suffering (both during treatment and ongoing), emotional distress and psychological trauma, permanent scarring and disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium (impact on relationships), embarrassment and humiliation from visible scarring, and reduced quality of life.
• Punitive damages – In cases involving particularly reckless or intentional conduct—such as knowingly dangerous products or extreme negligence—California courts may award punitive damages to punish the wrongdoer and prevent similar behavior in the future.

Burn injury cases often involve some of the highest damage awards in personal injury law because the injuries are so severe, treatment is so expensive, and the impact on victims’ lives is so profound and permanent.

Why You Need an Experienced Burn Injury Attorney

Insurance companies and defendants will fight aggressively to minimize burn injury claims, even when the evidence of negligence is clear. They may argue that your injuries aren’t as severe as claimed, that you’re exaggerating your limitations, or that the scarring isn’t that noticeable.

Don’t let them diminish your suffering. Here’s what our Fresno burn injury attorneys do:

• Thorough investigation – We identify all liable parties, whether it’s a negligent driver, a product manufacturer, a property owner, or an employer who failed to provide a safe workplace.
• Expert collaboration – We work with burn specialists, plastic surgeons, life care planners, vocational rehabilitation experts, and economists who can document your injuries and testify about the full extent of your damages and future needs.
• Comprehensive damage calculation – We don’t just add up your current medical bills. We calculate the lifetime costs of your ongoing care, future surgeries, lost earning capacity, and the non-economic impact of permanent disfigurement.
• Aggressive negotiation – We handle all dealings with insurance companies and fight for maximum compensation through settlement or trial.

Burn injury cases require specialized knowledge of both the medical aspects and the unique legal challenges they present. We have the experience and resources to handle even the most complex burn injury claims.