Burn Injury: Truth and Consequences

When wildfires seize national headlines because they threaten the lavish homes of the wealthy, people see the sort of broad devastation that fire can bring to a community. These episodes may bring brief periods of public interest and awareness in fire safety and prevention, but when the news cycle turns and attention wanes, the human cost of these and other blazes becomes a mere afterthought.

The Numbers

For roughly half a million Americans each year, they do not have the luxury of simply returning to their normal lives. That is the estimated number of burn injuries that require medical treatment in the United States, whether the burns occur as a consequence of structural fires, wildfires, or contact with a hot surface or substance such as a stove top or scalding water.

Of those 500,000 injuries, approximately 8% require hospitalization and more than half of those admissions are to facilities with specialized burn units. Tragically, about 4,000 people lose their lives due to burns, amounting to more than 10 each day.

The Toll

Depending upon the location and severity of the burns, the victims of these incidents may be able to heal completely with little further intervention, or they may require a series of painful skin grafting procedures to allow for the best recovery possible. Some of the greatest pain, though, may be psychological. Scarring from burn injuries is an ongoing reminder of a traumatic event, and it can deal a crushing blow to one’s self-confidence and self-esteem, as the person they see in the mirror is no longer familiar.

Contact Us

If you have suffered a burn injury due to another individual or entity’s negligence, contact the Charleston personal injury lawyers of the Steinberg Law Firm at 843-720-2800.