Morgantown Burn Injury Lawyers

While open flames are one of the most common causes of burns, there are a variety of different burns that can create lasting injuries.

Burns can include:

• Friction burns, which are caused when a hard object rubs off skin. “Road burn” is a type of friction burn, and many car and bike accident victims can get them.
• Thermal burns, which occur after touching a hot object raises the temperature of your skin.
• Chemical burns, which are caused when your skin meets acids, detergents, or solvents.
• Radiation burns, which can occur after X-rays or radiation therapy. Sunburn is also a type of radiation burn.
• Electrical burns, which can occur after coming into contact with an electrical current.

Doctors group burns into categories based on how severe the burn is. Known as “degrees,” the higher the degree, the more serious the burn is.

Degree types include:

• First-degree: These burns affect only the outer layer of your skin, and long-term damage is rare. An example of a first-degree burn is a mild sunburn – the skin may be red and tender, but you won’t suffer from blisters.
• Superficial second-degree: In this type of burn, the outer layer of your skin and the layer underneath, referred to as the dermis, is damaged. You may have blisters, and your skin will appear swollen and red. If it’s superficial, only part of your dermis is damaged, so you most likely won’t have scarring.
• Deep second-degree: In this more serious type of burn, also known as a deep partial thickness burn, more of your dermis may be damaged, leaving a scar or causing a permanent change in the color of your skin.
• Third-degree: Also known as a full thickness burn, this type of burn destroys a full two layers of skin, and it won’t hurt because your nerve endings will have been damaged. Instead of turning red, your skin may turn black, brown, white, or yellow.
• Fourth-degree: The most severe of the burns, this type destroys all layers of your skin and goes beyond to destroy your bones, muscles, and tendons, too.