Understanding Burn Injuries after a Queens Motor Vehicle Accident: New York City Personal Injury Lawyers Explain
One of the most painful types of personal injuries that could be caused in any motor vehicle accident is a burn injury. This is not only an agonizing type of injury, but the recovery is usually equally painful, fraught with delays, and commonly results in serious infection. Victims who suffer a burn injuries may also face permanent disability or disfigurement, including significant scarring. Unfortunately, many causes of a birth include and usually be avoided if a motorist was not reckless, careless, or negligent. But our New York City personal injury lawyers know that burn injuries from a Queens motor vehicle accident are typically due to negligence that is not prevented.
This is why Cohen and Cohen Law Group, P.C. has dedicated its firm to representing the rights of victims who have suffered serious or catastrophic personal injuries as a result of the another’s negligence. This could be the negligence of another person, business, or government entity who failed to follow their duty of care to avoid unnecessary harm to another. If you or a loved one suffered any type of serious personal injury including burn injuries, ask our Queens motor vehicle accident lawyers for a FREE consultation.
Common Causes of Burn Injuries
There are many common causes of burn injuries. In a Queens motor vehicle accident, the most common cause of a burn injury is actually with a tractor trailer such as a semi, big rig, box truck, or other type of 18 wheeler. These vehicles have a lot of gasoline and cargo which means any ruptured fuel tank has 1) plenty of accelerant, and 2) plenty of burning fuel. Of course, collisions with tankers are also likely to result in serious personal injuries from burns due to the payment—even if it is not gasoline, it could be a flammable liquid.
In addition, high speed collisions always risk rupturing the engine block or fuel line and causing a leak. This means that the vehicle could suffer serious or catastrophic damage and light on fire, causing burn injuries.
Types of Burn Injuries
Everyone has heard about the degrees to burns, but very few people know what they are until they actually experience a significant burn resulting in catastrophic injury. Individuals who suffer these types of burns always have the risk of disfigurement and scarring, as well as the potential for infection. However, there are other dangers with scars including wrongful death.
The three degrees of burns include the following:
First Degree Burns – the most mild, but still incredibly painful. This type of burn affects only the outer layer which causes redness and swelling. Most times medical treatment is not needed unless an infection start, in which medical treatment needs to be immediately administered.
Second Degree Burns – this is the moderate or middle type of injury, and it is very painful. This is when the next inner layers of skin are damaged. The damage here causes blistering, bleeding, and oozing, as well as other injuries like swelling and redness. This is a very painful type of burn and remains painful for a long time. Any type of second degree burn should be evaluated by a physician, but a burn more than three inches could be life-threatening due to the high risk of infection. When in doubt, always get treated for a second degree burn.
Third Degree Burns – this is the most severe type of burn and it is extremely painful until the pain just stops, which is usually the damage to the nerves which die. This is because a third degree burn goes through the layers of skin and starts to burn actual tissue such as muscles, blood vessels, and even bone. Nerves initially scream in pain until they are damaged, which shuts off all the pain. These burns are usually excruciating and the recovery is equally painful. Victims with third degree burns are almost guaranteed to get an infection and are at a high risk for sepsis.
Other Types of Burn Injuries
There are many other different types of burn injuries that could be caused other than a type of burn classified by a degree. For example, fire injuries in a Queens motor vehicle accident could result in the following:
- Blindness
- Amputations
- Brain injuries such as TBIs
- Organ injuries, especially to the lungs that can suffer but heat and smoke damage
- Nerve damage including loss of nerves in horrible burns
- Psychological injuries including depress, anxiety, or PTSD
- Muscle, tendon, or ligament damage from burns
- Wrongful death, and
- Many other types of serious burn injuries.
Ask our New York City Personal Injury Lawyers for Help With Any Type of Burn Injury in Queens, NYC, or Long Island
Victims who have suffered a burn injury from a Queens motor vehicle accident may be entitled to compensation under New York law. This is particularly true if the burn injury was caused by the negligence of another person, business, or government entity that was reckless, careless, or downright disregarded the safety of others. If you or loved one suffered any type of burn injuries due to another’s negligence, ask our New York City personal injury lawyers and Queens car accident lawyers Cohen and Cohen Law Group, P.C., to learn what your rights to compensation may be by scheduling a FREE consultation by dialing 800-247-8164 or using our convenient and easy-to-use contact us box available here.