Burns are incredibly painful and terrifying injuries to the skin and deeper tissues caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, or even severe friction. For children, burns are particularly devastating and can leave permanent scars, both visible and invisible.
- What They Are: Damage to tissue caused by heat (flame, hot liquid/steam, hot objects), chemicals, electricity, or radiation. They are classified by “degree” based on their depth.
- First-degree: Only the top layer of skin (like a mild sunburn).
- Second-degree: Deeper, causes blisters, very painful.
- Third-degree: Deepest, destroys all layers of skin, often looks white or charred, and can destroy nerve endings (so sometimes less initial pain). These are life-threatening.
- Causes:
- Scald burns (hot liquids/steam): The most common burn type for young children. Think spilled hot coffee, pulling a hot pot off the stove, or bathwater that’s too hot. Just a few seconds of exposure can cause a severe burn on a thin child’s skin.
- Contact burns: Touching hot objects, such as stoves, irons, or space heaters.
- Flame burns: From fires, matches, lighters, house fires.
- Chemical burns: From strong cleaning products and batteries.
- Electrical burns: From outlets, frayed cords, and downed power lines.
- Statistics:
- Burns are a leading cause of accidental death and injury in children under 14 years old [American Burn Association – Burn Stats].
- About 600,000 children aged 0-19 are treated in emergency departments for burn-related injuries each year.
- Scald burns cause 68% of all burns in children under 5, highlighting a specific danger for toddlers.
- Tragically, around 300 children aged 0-19 die from burns each year..
- Diagnosis and Treatment: Diagnosis involves a visual examination and specialized care in a burn unit. Treatment can include cleaning the wound, applying dressings, managing pain, and, in severe cases, skin grafts, where healthy skin is taken from one part of the body to cover the burned area.
- Long-Term Impact: Severe burns require immediate, specialized medical care.
- Multiple surgeries: Children with severe burns often need many skin graft surgeries as they grow, as scar tissue doesn’t stretch like normal skin. This can mean dozens of painful operations over a child’s lifetime.
- Permanent scarring: Burns can leave disfiguring scars that cause lifelong physical limitations, such as those that cross joints, affect movement, or impact facial features.
- Emotional and psychological trauma: Children may struggle with body image issues, anxiety, depression, and PTSD due to the pain, disfigurement, and the traumatic event itself. This can significantly impact their social development and self-esteem.
The clock is ticking, and evidence can disappear. If negligence turned what should have been a moment of fun into a lifelong struggle or an unbearable loss, our experienced team is ready to uncover the truth and fight fiercely for the justice your child deserves. We serve families nationwide, bringing decades of unwavering advocacy to your side.
