Some of the most tragic injury cases we see at Miller, Rosnick, D’Amico, August & Butler, P.C., involve burns. Whether someone was injured in a house fire, by a faulty product or another cause, burns can be one of the most terrifying and painful experiences one can have. Hopefully, you will never suffer from a severe burn, but it is important for you and other Connecticut residents to understand the facts surrounding this serious type of injury.
The first week of February is Burn Awareness Week throughout the United States. The American Burn Association states that burns are one of the foremost causes of accidental death or injury in the country. You may be shocked to learn that about 486,000 burns or fire-related injuries were treated at U.S. hospitals between 2011 and 2015. The following points illustrate some important facts about burns:
- Burns from open flame or scalding liquid can be fatal or permanently disfiguring.
- You can suffer a severe burn just from touching a hot object.
- Certain chemicals can also cause serious burns.
- Contact with electricity may also produce burns.
- A product that is used improperly might cause a burn, but defective products have caused fires and burn injuries in other cases.
You may reduce your risk of being burned by regularly checking your home’s smoke detectors, by keeping children away from open flame and hot objects and by having a full understanding of how to operate potentially dangerous products. However, not all accidents can be prevented, as our product liability page explains.