Who is Responsible for My Burn Injuries in a Fiery Crash?

 Posted on November 03, 2021 in Personal Injury

A fiery car crash can happen in the blink of an eye. A car may explode exposing you to toxic fumes and burning flames. Burns are among the most devastating of all injuries. Unfortunately, vehicle fires make up 16 percent of the roughly one million fires in the United States each year. Crashes that cause fires are more likely to result in catastrophic injuries that require multiple surgeries and physical therapy.

Fire Dangers in a Crash

Burn trauma is a serious health problem that involves a long and painful recovery because the trauma is not just physical but mental. 

The skin is the largest organ of our body. In burn injuries, the exposed skin becomes vulnerable to infections. Every layer of the skin can be damaged by burns. The severity is determined by the layer of skin that is damaged. The more severe the burn, the more likely it is to cause permanent injuries and scarring. Serious burns can increase the risk of some of the following potentially life-threatening health complications:

• Sepsis – A potentially fatal infection that spreads into the bloodstream.

• Respiration issues - Smoke inhalation or damaged nasal passages can trigger breathing problems.

• Other complications include fluid loss, pulmonary embolisms, deep vein thrombosis, and amputation. Symptoms vary but a person suffering from a burn injury may feel dizzy, have difficulty standing, and slip in and out of consciousness.

If someone needs extensive skin grafting or plastic surgery due to their burn injuries their person will change and that could lead to significant emotional and psychological problems.

Who is Liable for My Burn Injuries?

A variety of factors are considered when determining who is liable for a car accident that caused serious burn injuries. If you believe that the other driver was negligent, you must prove the following:

• The other driver owed you a duty of care. All drivers have a duty to drive with reasonable prudence and follow traffic laws.

• The other driver breached that duty through actions or failure to act.

• The breach of care resulted in the injury.

On the other hand, if you believe that your burn injury was caused by a defective product such as defective brakes or tires, you can pursue a product liability claim against the car manufacturer. These are the three types of product liability claims:

• Incorrect or unsafe design

• Faulty assembly during manufacturing or damaged

• Packaging lacks safety warnings about possible dangers

Contact an Elmhurst Catastrophic Injury Lawyer

At Schwartz Injury Law a Joliet catastrophic injury attorney will fight for you while you focus on your physical and mental recovery following a burn injury. Call 708-226-9000 for a free consultation. We work hard to try to secure the financial compensation you need for your treatment.  

Sources:

https://ameriburn.org/who-we-are/media/burn-incidence-fact-sheet/

https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/US-Fire-Problem/osvehiclefires.pdf

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/burns/symptoms-causes/syc-20370539