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The extreme pain and suffering caused by a childhood burn injury deserves compensation.

Child Burn InjuriesEvery child has their share of scrapes and bruises in the natural course of wholesome childhood play. Even the occasional fracture or broken bone is not uncommon if a child has a bike accident or a hard fall. Kids are resilient and can recover quickly from many kinds of injuries. Unfortunately, there is one very serious type of injury that is not so easy for a child to recover from, namely burn injuries.

Burn Injuries Are Painful

Burn injuries are not only painful at the time they occur, they can also cause significant pain and distress during the recovery process, as the victim may require extensive treatments, possibly including skin graft surgeries or repeated cosmetic procedures to minimize scarring. In the case of third- and fourth-degree burns, there may even be permanent damage to nerves, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and bones, causing the child to suffer permanent reduction or loss of mobility. In extreme cases amputation may even be required. Needless to say all of this physical damage also takes a huge emotional toll.

Children Are More Susceptible

Because young children have thinner skin than adults, the same burn incident will affect a child much more severely than an adult. Basically, the more severe a burn, the deeper the damage goes into the skin and underlying tissues. Therefore we classify burn injuries as:

  • First-degree burns: affect the top layer of skin, causing minor swelling and pain, but will heal in a few days.
  • Second-degree burns: affect the top two layers of skin, causing blistering and severe pain that will take several weeks to heal.
  • Third-degree burns: affect all layers of the skin, potentially causing nerve damage. Healing will take months and likely require skin grafts.
  • Fourth-degree burns: affect the tendons and ligaments underlying the skin and may cause permanent damage.

Causes of Child Burn Injuries

Young children who are exploring their environment without really understanding the dangers it presents often suffer burns from:

  • Scalding hot sink or tub water
  • Spilled hot beverages
  • Touching products that can cause chemical burns
  • Touching stove burners, ovens, fireplaces, bbq grills, etc.
  • Playing with electrical cords or electrical sockets
  • Severe sunburn

Compensation for Child Burn Injuries

Sadly, children sometimes suffer burn injuries due to the negligence of a caregiver such as a daycare provider, school, or camp. When this happens, it is possible to hold these negligent institutions responsible for their mistakes and recover compensation for your child’s injury with help from a personal injury attorney such as Fernando D. Vargas.

While many childhood injuries do not present an opportunity for significant compensation, burn injuries are an important exception. Unlike an injury such as a fracture, for example, which would come with a relatively low medical cost and cause little pain and suffering, burn injuries not only come with high medical costs but also extreme pain and suffering. Pain and suffering is relatively easy to prove in a burn injury case with the right evidence and documentation, which your attorney will help you secure.

If you need an expert opinion on the viability of your child’s burn injury case, please call 909-982-0707 now for a free case evaluation from Fernando D. Vargas.