South Carolina Burn Injury Attorneys
Burn victim cases are complex. The effects of burn injuries on children and adults alike can be devastating and even deadly. Burn victim cases also involve severe emotional distress that may result from the burn and the permanent scarring that follows the burn injury. The experienced Burn Injury Lawyers at the Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. can help with your burn injuries case.
Have you suffered from serious burn injuries or lost a loved one due to:
- burns from defective products and equipment,
- chemical burns,
- electrical burns,
- open fire burns,
- radiation,
- severe scald burns, or
- burns resulting from post-car accident fuel-fed fires or explosions
Burn Injuries from Fire and Other Causes Can Be Life-Altering
By most accounts, the excruciating pain and psychological trauma of disfigurement that a third-degree burn victim suffers are unimaginable. In addition to the initial trauma suffered, serious burn injuries require ongoing lifetime care, rehabilitation, and surgical procedures. For this reason, a thorough medical analysis must be conducted to fully evaluate the injury’s effect on the individual’s life and future.
Burn victims may suffer muscle, bone, blood, and tissue damage as well as subsequent pain due to injury to nerves. Burns can also be fatal. Depending upon the severity of the burn as well as the location of the burn, a burn victim may experience a wide number of potentially deadly complications, including shock and respiratory distress. Burns can also result in severe psychological and emotional distress related to scarring and deformity. When such damage is caused by the burn, you can work with a burn injury layer to get the compensation you deserve for your case.
Understanding the Severity of Burn Injuries
First Degree Burns: usually only affect the outer layer of skin and are limited to redness and minor pain, such as sunburn. First degree burns are treated as a minor burn unless they are extensive.
First-degree burns happen every day. For most people, these are very mild burns caused by incidents such as a sunburn or brief exposure to extremely hot water, like spilling some freshly boiled tea on your hand. These burns are generally of little concern and can be treated at home with cold cloths and some aloe gel. While there may be some redness and skin peeling after a few days, the vast majority of first-degree burns are not serious. Something important to note, though, is that certain electrical burns resulting from electrocution may appear to be relatively harmless first-degree burns upon initial examination, but serious injuries may be unseen beneath the skin surface. For this reason, if you’ve been electrocuted, you should seek medical attention right away to ensure there is no further damage from the burn injury.
Second Degree Burns: affect the second layer of skin and often involve blistering; the level of pain from these burn injuries will depend upon nerve damage.
Second-degree burns, on the other hand, are typically caused by something more serious, though even a sunburn can become second-degree on a high UV day. The burn injuries may be mild if the affected area is small, such as a small burn on the finger, but can very quickly become serious when the affected area becomes much larger than a dime- or nickel-sized. Second-degree burns are often recognized by characteristic blistering that happens very soon after the burn; these blisters can become hotbeds of infection if not maintained and cared for properly. For this reason, if you believe you have a second-degree burn, you should seek medical attention.
Common causes of second-degree burns may include touching extremely hot surfaces and extended contact with boiling substances. Burn injuries caused by boiling hot water and liquids are what are known as scalding burns. These can be especially dangerous because the longer the contact with the burning substance, the worse the burn injury is. This can be compounded in environments such as industrial accidents in which the chemicals or liquids being used may be thick and difficult to wash off. Second-degree burns will generally heal relatively well, but there may be significant scarring or changes in skin pigment that can cause disfigurement. A qualified burn injury attorney at Strom law can assist with your burn injury lawsuit to seek the compensation you deserve–our personal injury lawyers have experience with industrial as well as residential fire burn injury cases.
Third Degree Burns: The most serious burn injuries. Third-degree burn injury will cause permanent tissue damage as well as major damage and deformity to all layers of the skin. Third-degree burns usually require skin grafts or plastic surgery. Injured third-degree burn victims are typically flown immediately to a local burn center.
The most serious type of burn is a third-degree burn. This results in the destruction of all layers of the skin and can cause permanent burn injuries. Victims of serious building fires or industrial accidents may have severe burns on large parts of their bodies that may take months of treatment and surgeries to heal. The burn injury attorneys at Strom law are ready to assist you in seeking the maximum possible compensation to help cover the costs of medical care as well as any loss of wages due to an inability to work while you are recovering from your burn injuries.
Regardless of the type of burn, a common theme is present in most burn cases: a lack of safety. Sadly, there are landlords, apartment complexes, and factories that cut corners when it comes to ensuring their buildings and facilities are up to the latest fire and safety codes. Our personal injury attorneys have seen every scenario imaginable and have the experience to help guide you through every step of your burn injury case.
Burn Treatment
There are two main kinds of burn treatment surgeries to repair burn injuries: acute and reconstructive.
Acute procedures occur right after the injury and are performed by a group of trauma surgeons with experience in acute burn care. Burns, with the potential for complications, almost always require a plastic surgeon to help oversee inpatient and outpatient care. Burns that cover a large area of the body or that cover critical body parts should be dealt with at a verified burn treatment center. Burns that are less severe can be managed as an outpatient.
A patient may need to have reconstructive surgery because the original burn injury has healed. A plastic surgeon typically performs this type of operation. The main goal with this type of surgery is to improve mobility at the site of the burn and to improve the overall cosmetic appearance where a scar has formed. The best burn injury lawyers agree that many burn victims will still need to see their reconstructive surgeon for years after the procedure. Scar tissue treatment will also probably have to continue for months before the patient exhibits signs of improvement.
Surgery Treatment for Burn Injuries
Unfortunately, many patients undergoing an operation understand that burn surgery will not make their scars disappear entirely. Still, they suffer the procedure to help the affected area become more functional and decrease the visibility of burn injury scars. Surgeries may also help repair setbacks affecting the eyelids, lips, and nose as well as address hair loss issues. Burn injury scars that have healed in a peculiar manner can also be augmented using various surgical and nonsurgical procedures.
Have Your South Carolina Burn Injuries Case Evaluated
At The Strom Law Firm, L.L.C., we handle burn victim lawsuits in South Carolina and throughout the Southeastern United States.
Our South Carolina burn victim and wrongful death attorneys have the resources that you need to assess burn injury cases properly. We understand the need to review and plan for the immediate and long-term effects of different types of third-degree skin burns. We welcome the opportunity to provide you a no-cost consultation to discuss how we can help you with your personal injury case.
Do You Have a Burn Injury Lawsuit? Let a Burn Injury Lawyer Evaluate Your case.
Before consulting with a brain injury lawyer, you will want to seek medical attention for your burn injuries. Fortunately, South Carolina is within reach of some of the United States’ most respected burn centers.
Medical University of South Carolina
Pediatric Burn Center
171 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC 29425
(843) 792-3681 (Adult)
(843) 792-3851 (Pediatric)
Joseph M. Still Burn Center
Located at Doctor’s Hospital
3651 Wheeler Road
Augusta, Georgia 30909
706-651-3232
N.C. Jaycee Burn Center
U.N.C. Hospitals
101 Manning Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Wake Forest University
Baptist Medical Center Burn Center
Medical Center Blvd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
(336) 716-2038
If you, your child, or a loved one has been injured or died as a result of a burn, the burn injury lawyer at Strom Law Firm can help. Founded by a former U.S. Attorney, our South Carolina Burn Injury lawyers know how to fight for clients. The access and working relationships we have with top burn care experts and other specialists, combined with the experience and resources of our entire firm and the passion we have for helping our clients recover, can help you to recover the full compensation you deserve for your burn injuries. Call today for a free appointment (803) 252-4800.
