Surviving Florida Accidents: What is a Serious Burn?

To know if your Palm Beach accident has caused a serious burn, it helps to know the different classifications of burns-and what to do if they happen to you.

First-degree burns are fairly minor. They affect the outer layer of the skin and do not cause any lasting damage. If the skin is unbroken, burns may be treated with cold water and over-the-counter pain medications. Second-degree burns go slightly deeper. They affect the first two layers of the skin and often are painful, red, and swollen.

Third-degree or serious burns extend into deeper layers of the skin tissue. The skin is often charred and blackened, although it sometimes appears white. Pain is not an effective measure of these burns, since most of the skin’s pain receptors have been burned away.

The symptoms of a severe burn may vary, but will usually include:

• Red or peeling skin
• Blisters on the surface of the burn
• Swelling
• Blackened or charred skin
• White or ashy skin

Burns can be caused in many different ways, such as electrical or chemical. The most common type of burns are thermal, such as open flame wounds, hot liquids falling onto the skin, or heated steam escaping from machinery. Thermal reactions are common in car accidents, defective products such as hair styling equipment or space heaters, or improper monitoring of gas and steam heating.

A few facts you may not know about serious burns:

• The pain from a minor burn often dissipates after 48 hours. If pain is still present after two days, your burn may have affected more than the outer layer of skin, and you should call your doctor immediately.
• Those most at risk of dying as a result of a burn are children and the elderly.
• Burns on the hand, feet, face and genital area are often more serious than others.
• A serious burn may cause pain, but pain is not a reliable indicator of the severity of the burn, since the pain receptors may have been deadened as a result of skin damage.
• A person may go into shock immediately after a burn episode. Look for signs of shock, including color draining from the face, blue lips or fingernails, and a distracted manner.

As experienced Palm Beach accident attorneys, we know that treatment for a severe burn must begin immediately for the best chance of survival. The outer layer of skin provides a great amount of protection for your body-particularly from viruses. Burn patients are at greatly increased risk of infection, and are often placed in sterile rooms until their skin has a chance to rebuild. If your burn pain increases, or if you develop a fever or have swollen lymph nodes following your Florida accident, seek emergency care right away.

Serious burns can cause several different types of pain-debilitating physical pain, but also emotional pain if it has caused disfigurement. If someone else was to blame for your serious burn injury, get advice from a trusted Palm Beach injury attorney today. Call Fetterman & Associates at (866) 865-1244 for a free consultation.