Child Burn Injury Claims in California

Child burn injury claims in California can be some of the most severe and disfiguring physical harm suffered by anyone. Sadly, every year there are numerous claims filed in the Golden State for children who suffer from painful, disfiguring burn injuries, which frequently require extensive treatments and surgeries that are quite costly. Often, the burns are related to negligence on the part of the persons or institutions caring for the children, such as daycare providers, schools, community organizations, and summer camps.

Minor burns can be treated at home, but more severe burns always require medical Attention. Babies and young children are especially vulnerable to burns because of their curiosity and small size. A young child’s skin is thinner than an adult’s, therefore a burn or scald can cause serious injuries that result in permanent physical and emotional scarring. The initial step in protecting children from burns is being aware of the most basic causes of the burns.

Common Causes of Childhood Burns

• Bathtub and sink hot water faucets and tipped over hot coffee drinks
• Chemical burns caused by touching or swallowing products like drain cleaners, small batteries, or bleach
• Direct contact with flames or hot objects, such as stove burners, ovens, fireplaces, hot curling irons, barbecue grills, and fire pits
• Electrical burns, which are often caused by chewing on electrical cords or sticking objects in electrical outlets
• Sunburn resulting from overexposure

Types of Child Burns

Burns are usually regarded as first, second, or third degree, depending on the severity of the damage. All of the common burn causes listed above can result in any of these three types of burns. The degree of the burn will define the severity of the burn and how it is treated. Every type of burn should be treated swiftly to lower the temperature of the burned region to help prevent further damage to the skin and/or tissue.

• First-degree burns are limited to the top layer of skin and produce skin redness, minor swelling, and pain. The burn may lightly peel, but will usually heal in three to six days.
• Second-degree burns are more serious and include the skin layers below the top layer. This type of burn produces severe pain, redness, and blisters that may eventually break open. Depending on the severity, the healing time for second-degree burns varies and can take more than three weeks to heal.
• Third-Degree Burns are the most severe because they comprise all the layers of the skin and underlying tissue. The surface appearance can greatly differ from dry and waxy white, to brown and leathery, to black and charred. At first, if there is nerve damage, the child may feel little or no pain. Ongoing care and skin grafts will likely be needed.

Recovering from Burns

Healing time can be unpredictable, as it depends on the amount of area burned and the deepness of the burn. Second-degree and third-degree burns can cause damage to nerves, tendons, ligament, muscles and bones. Sometimes severe burns can even result in amputation of a limb or death. As the child is healing, the scarring often causes reduced mobility, disfigurement and related emotional distress.

Contact a California Attorney who specializes in Child Burns

Burns and scalds are injuries that no child should ever have to experience, for they are extremely painful. Even the smallest burn can remain painful for a very long time. If your child has been burned due to negligence, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer. Normally, health insurance plans will cover only the medical treatments in which the insurer believes are necessary but will not cover the reconstructive or cosmetic surgery needed for your child’s best possible physical and mental recovery.

A qualified California child injury lawyer will understand your child’s situation and will see that he receives all of the justified medical treatments to recover from this wrongdoing accident. He will also get your child the compensation he deserves for the pain and suffering he has gone through or will endure for the rest of his life.