South Carolina Burn Injury Attorneys

A burn accident can happen anywhere, any time – in your home, in your car, at work or when you are just out and about. Statistics show that every 19 seconds, a local fire department is responding to an emergency fire call somewhere in the United States. The age groups most vulnerable to fire accidents and burn injuries are children under 5 and seniors over the age of 65.

The numbers depicting burn injuries in the United States are frightening. Close to 2.5 million burn injuries are reported each year. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), on an average someone in this country dies from a fire every 135 minutes and someone is injured every 30 minutes About 1.1 million burn injuries require medical attention each year, according to the American Burn Association; about 50,000 require hospitalization; and about 20,000 are severe burns involving at least 25 percent of the total body surface. About 10,000 people die every year of burn-related infections.

There are several factors that are used to determine the severity of a burn injury such as the victim’s age and size as well as the depth and location of the burn. Injuries may vary:

• First-degree burns: These affect the outer layer of the skin causing pain, redness and swelling.
• Second-degree burns: Affects both the outer layer and underlying layer of skin, causing redness, pain, swelling and blisters
• Third-degree burns: Causes charring of the skin. Healing is very slow because skin tissue and structures are destroyed. This also results in severe scarring.
• Inhalation injuries: Numerous toxic substances are present in fire smoke. When a person suffers inhalation and external burns, the chance of death increases significantly. The injuries sustained could be from heat inhalation, smoke inhalation and systemic toxins.

Many South Carolina burn injury victims suffer as a result of defective products or improperly maintained property. A defective product such as a space heater or even a car that catches fire in the garage could result in a product liability case or wrongful death lawsuit against the manufacturer of the faulty product. If a victim is injured as a result of a poorly maintained property, then the landlord could be held liable for damages. A classic example is when a landlord or management company fails to install smoke sensors or sprinklers on a property. These are required by law in most states and are said to reduce the probability of a fire by 50 percent.

If your life has been affected by a burn injury, please call The Louthian Law Firm for a free consultation. We understand that treatment and rehabilitation for burn injuries can be extremely traumatic and very expensive. Many burn injuries also require costly reconstructive surgery, which may not be completely covered by health insurance. Having our competent and experienced personal injury attorneys on your side will ensure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries and losses. Call us today. Our consultations are always free and you don’t pay a dime until we win or settle your case.