Burn injuries are a serious and potentially deadly type of injury, and many workers are at risk of sustaining burns. If you’ve been in a workplace accident and suffered a burn, injury lawyers from Gacovino, Lake & Associates can help recover damages that you suffered. This may involve filing for workers’ compensation benefits, and in some cases, filing a third-party liability claim.
Causes and Types of Burn Injuries
There are several causes and types of burns; they include thermal, chemical, radiation and electrical. A thermal burn is the most common and is caused by heat or fire. It might occur when the worker is exposed to flame or when the worker touches or falls on something very hot, like a stove in a restaurant kitchen.
Chemical burns involve exposure to dangerous chemicals, including acids as well as bases. Chemical burns can be minor or severe, depending upon the substance causing the burn and the duration of contact with the skin. Workers at risk of chemical burns include those who use cleaning chemicals, those who work in industrial plants and others who work around hazardous chemicals.
Radiation burns involve exposure to radiation. Those in the healthcare industry may be at risk if proper protocol is not followed, while workers in other industries could suffer radiation burns if they work around radiation. Keep in mind that roofers and others who work in the sun can suffer radiation burns from ultraviolet radiation that comes from the sun – or more commonly, sunburns.
Electrical burns occur when a person comes in contact with electricity, such as through live electrical wires. Electrical burns are often severe, and extensive damage to deeper tissues can occur as a result of electricity traveling through the body. Electricians, construction workers and others may be at risk.
Degrees of Burn Injuries
Burns are classified based on their degree of severity. A first-degree burn is the least severe type of skin burn. While a first-degree burn is often very painful, it is a surface-level burn only and typically doesn’t require medical care beyond cleansing the wound and basic home care.
A second-degree burn, on the other hand, is a more severe type of burn injury. In a second-degree burn, both the outer layer of the skin and the layer underneath the surface layer sustain burn damage. While it may require basic medical care, it usually doesn’t require extensive treatment beyond keeping the area clean and applying basic home care.
A third-degree burn is the most severe type of burn injury. In fact, a third-degree burn may result in numbness, rather than pain, because the nerve endings under the skin are often destroyed. In a third-degree burn injury, all layers of skin and tissues underneath are destroyed. Third-degree burns require immediate medical attention, may require surgical skin grafts and long recovery periods, and can cause permanent disfiguration.
Recovering Compensation for a Workplace Burn Injury
Whenever a workplace burn injury occurs, a worker insured under his or her employer’s workers’ compensation has the right to recover benefits. This may be in the form of medical benefits, partial lost wages and more.
If a third party was responsible for the accident that caused the workplace burn, then a worker may be able to pursue a third-party liability lawsuit to recover damages in addition to workers’ comp benefits. This requires establishing fault and liability, whereas workers’ comp does not.
Our Burn Injury Attorneys in New York Can Help
At Gacovino, Lake & Associates, P.C., our attorneys will help you pursue workers’ compensation benefits to which you’re entitled and explore whether you may have a valid third-party claim. If you sustained a severe injury that requires expensive medical attention or time off work, our legal team can help. To get started, reach us now at 1-800-550-0000 or use our online contact form.
photo credit: House fire via photopin (license)
