Mobile Burn Injury Attorney

About Burns and Electrocution Injuries

Burn injuries are often seen on job sites and these injuries form the basis for not only workers compensation claims but also third party liability claims against sub-contractors.  An Alabama personal injury lawyer at McAleer Law will know how to help you recover from negligent contractors or others who cause burn injuries. 

For example, one client, an electrician was working for one company in a manhole on a series of high-voltage circuits.  At the same time a subcontractor who was working in close proximity to our client inadvertently crossed two high-voltage lines with a testing device.  An explosion and fireball occurred and our client was knocked from his feet and seriously burned.  When he was discovered several minutes later, his clothing was on fire and he was unconscious. 

Emergency treatment usually includes the insertion of an endotracheal tube through the nasal cavity as air passages are often blocked.  Sterile sheets soaked with cool water are placed on the burned areas.  Once in a burn unit, soaking in ice water will cool the deeper layers of the burns.  Debridement of the burn wounds is done superficially at first.  After a few days of treatment with hydrotherapy (soaking, spraying, etc.), an escharotomy may be performed in which the obviously necrotic, or dead, tissue called the eschar is carefully removed.

Further, donor sites are chosen, often from the thighs and buttocks from which split-thickness skin grafts are harvested.  These grafts cover the open wounds left by the removal of dead tissue.  Burn injuries this extensive often require hospitalization for several months.  Total vocational disability often follows.  Prompt treatment at a hospital burn unit can preserve some of the mobility in burned limbs.  Considerable amounts of scarring usually remain and often there is permanent and extensive lung injury.

Serious burn injuries involve nearly all of the systems of the body.  Fire probes the skin, devastating first the most vulnerable layer of dead cells on the surface (epidermis), and then laps at the deeper, softer pockets of fat, nerves, and blood vessels in the dermis. 

When the skin is burned partially it is a second degree burn.  When the skin is burned completely through the deep fascia, the connective tissue of the muscle, and to the muscle itself, it is a third degree burn.  A full-thickness third-degree bum destroys not only the skin but also the blood vessels and nerves. This type of wound is no longer sensitive since the nerves are destroyed. The area around the wound, however, is exposed, and inflamed nerves can be extremely painful. 

Another side effect of skin loss is the diminished ability of the body to regulate bodily fluids. The capillary and lymph systems, which bring tissue fluid back into the circulation, are gone.  Fluid, dissolved minerals, and other constituents of the body's fluid environment are lost in great quantities. The burn team must constantly battle this problem to avoid circulatory collapse, kidney failure, and heart attack. The skin is also our defense against most of the bacteria, molds, and fungi we come into contact with. Burned areas are notoriously susceptible to infection. This alone is often the cause of death in burn patients. 

If you've suffered a severe burn or electrocution injury, the legal team at McAleer Law can assist you with your case. Contact an Alabama Burn Injury Attorney at our firm today for the legal guidance you need.