According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), scalding injuries are the second most frequent cause of severe burn injury. Tragically, scalding injury victims are frequently children. The CDC estimates that nearly 75 percent of these child injuries are preventable.
Depending on the cause and severity of the scalding, the victim may be scarred or disfigured for life. Surgeries, skin grafts, medications, and lengthy hospital stays are often very expensive. If you're the victim of negligence, a severe burn injury attorney can help you obtain compensation. You shouldn't have to bear financial responsibility for an accident that wasn't your fault. At McElyea, Santos & Barnard, P.A., our lawyers have successfully represented many burn injury victims. We've obtained substantial personal injury verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients statewide. For a free initial case consultation, contact a severe burn injury attorney at our offices in Orlando, Florida today.
Scalding is a type of burn injury caused by exposure to hot fluids or gasses such as hot water, cooking oil, or steam. Although scalding injuries rarely result in death, serious personal injuries are common. Young children, with their delicate skin, can suffer a severe burn injury more quickly and with less exposure than the average adult. Also, because of their size, even a small amount of hot liquid can cause serious burns over a large area of their body. Every year approximately 112,000 victims are treated for scalding injuries, 6 percent of which require hospitalization.
If you or a loved one has been injured by a severe burn injury, please contact an attorney at our Florida office for a complimentary consultation and case evaluation. Any negligent parties liable for your injuries should be held responsible for the results of their actions.
A person who is exposed to boiling liquid or hot steam even for a very short period is liable to suffer a severe burn injury. Boiling water, cooking oil, or hot steam that comes into contact with the skin for as little as three seconds can cause debilitating wounds that may require the use of skin grafts to correct. Because children are the most common victims of scalding, these injuries are usually accidental and generally occur in the bathroom or kitchen. Hot liquid being tipped from the stove or scalding bath water are usually the result of poor supervision. Those responsible for the accident should be held accountable for the financial hardships and pain and suffering they have endured. An experienced severe burn injury attorney at our Florida firm can help you obtain a monetary settlement for your hardships.
The easiest way to prevent scalding injures to young children is to make sure they have adequate adult supervision. Children are naturally curious and have a tendency to explore their surroundings, so hot liquids (such as boiling water on the stove) should never be left within their reach. However, every severe burn injury attorney at our Florida firm understands that accidents happen. Whether an accident occurs when your child is left in the presence of another person, or at a location other than your own home, you may be entitled to pursue a lawsuit and collect compensation for medical bills and other expenses resulting from someone else’s negligence.
For experienced legal representation during this difficult time, contact a severe burn injury attorney at our Florida firm for a consultation.
McElyea, Santos & Barnard P. A.