Recovering For A Pennsylvania Burn Injury
Many people think of burns as injuries they cause to themselves, such as picking up a too-hot pan. However, it is much more common than people think for burn injuries to be caused by the negligence of another person. If this happens to you, it is important that you are aware that you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Multiple Types of Burns
One of the most misunderstood aspects of burn injuries is that there are actually multiple types of burns, and each one can cause injury or even death if severe enough. The most common are thermal or heat burns, from fire and other objects that have been directly heated, but other types can cause injuries that are just as serious or potentially life-threatening. The National Burn Association estimates that 43 percent of burns in 2016 were fire or flame related, with 34 percent coming from scalds – touching boiling water or other ‘moist’ heat.
While fire and scalding are the two most common types of burns, there are others. Electrical burns are another type seen slightly less (about 4 percent of burns in 2016 were electrical), stemming from a direct contact with electric current – for example, touching a downed wire or completing an electrical circuit with one’s body. Chemical burns are also worth mentioning, because while they are infrequently seen in trauma centers, at about 3 percent, they can cause significant damage to the body in a short amount of time, especially if they are internal. Toxic gases can get into the bloodstream or pass the blood-brain barrier, causing serious injury or death very quickly.
What Type of Suit?
With a burn injury, the type can play a major role in how to bring suit for your injuries and who to bring suit against. If, for example, you sustain chemical burns in an accident at home, your remedy will be different than if you were burned by hot water at a friend’s house. The question of who to sue and which legal theory should be used to bring your action will vary from case to case, but the most common theories under which this type of suit is brought are personal injury negligence and product liability.
Product liability is a legal theory under which a person sues the manufacturer or seller of a product because he alleges that the product was dangerous when it came into his hands. There are multiple types of product liability that you may argue occurred, but this would be the right type of case to bring if you, for example, sustained chemical burns from inhaling something. Negligence is a theory that is appropriate when you are injured directly because of another person’s reckless or negligent conduct. Be advised that both of these cases carry a two-year statute of limitations, meaning that you do not have much time in which to decide to bring suit.
Contact A Scranton Burn Injury Lawyer Today
Burn injuries can come in so many different types, and cause so many different injuries, that you need an experienced Scranton personal injury lawyer to help guide you through the process of seeking compensation for your injuries. The Needle Law Firm has years of experience with these cases, and we are ready to put our knowledge to work for you. Call our office today for a free consultation; we serve Scranton, Stroudsburg, Wilkes-Barre and most of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Resource:
ameriburn.org/who-we-are/media/burn-incidence-fact-sheet/
