How Can Severe Burn Injuries Affect a Victim’s Long-Term Health?

 Posted on October 04,2021 in Personal Injury

There are multiple types of catastrophic injuries that can result in long-term health issues or permanent impairments. Burn injuries can be especially serious, and they can result in severe pain, complications, scarring and disfigurement, and psychological trauma. By understanding the ways a severe burn injury can impact their health and well-being, victims can pursue compensation that fully addresses the ways they have been affected.

Effects of Moderate or Severe Burn Injuries

Burns are classified into different categories depending on their severity. First-degree burns involve redness of the skin, and they are not usually serious unless they affect a large percentage of a person’s body. Second-degree burns involve redness, blistering, and damage to lower layers of skin. These burns may be considered moderate or severe if they cover more than 10 percent of a person’s body or affect sensitive areas such as the face or hands. Third-degree burns are much more serious, and they may affect all layers of the skin. Fourth-degree burns are even more severe, and they may affect tissues below the skin. Third- or fourth-degree burns will often require hospitalization and surgery, and they can cause permanent scars.

Moderate and severe burn injuries can be very painful, and they can have long-lasting or permanent effects. A person may experience disfiguring scars, as well as restrictions in their range of motion in the areas of the body that were affected. For third- and fourth-degree burns, surgery may be required, and skin grafts may be needed to replace damaged tissue with healthy skin from elsewhere on a person’s body or from a donor. 

A burn injury victim may also experience multiple complications that may affect their health. Infections are common in these types of injuries, and they may lead to sepsis in some cases. A person may experience blood loss or low blood pressure, which may cause them to go into shock. The loss of heat through a burn may lead to hypothermia, and a person may also experience dehydration or swelling in the areas of the body that were affected. In serious cases, burns may cause harm to internal organs, potentially leading to organ failure. If burns cause permanent damage to body parts such as fingers, hands, or feet, amputations may be necessary.

Contact Our Rolling Meadows Burn Injury Lawyers

The effects of a serious burn injury can be long-lasting. In addition to emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, or surgery, a victim may need ongoing physical therapy or rehabilitative care. In some cases, a person may be permanently disabled, affecting their ability to work and earn an income in the future, and they may experience post-traumatic stress disorder or other types of emotional trauma. Victims may be able to take legal action against those who were responsible for these injuries and pursue compensation for all of the damages they have suffered. To learn how Newland & Newland, LLP can help you address burn injuries or other health issues that occurred because of other people’s negligence, contact our Arlington Heights catastrophic injury attorneys at 847-797-8000 and schedule a free consultation.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/burns

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12063-burns

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-the-management-of-the-severely-burned-patient