Burn Injury Attorneys in Olathe, KS

What are the different types of burns?

If you think of fire when you think of burn injuries, you’re not alone. A lot of people do. But there are several types of burn injuries:

• Thermal burns: These are the “fire burns.” You can also experience a thermal burn by touching a hot surface or object, like the racks in your oven, or from hot water or steam (called a “scald”).
• Chemical burns: Chemicals are dangerous and if you are not careful then you may become the viticulture of a chimerical burn. This burn happens when your skin comes into contact with a strong chemical. They can occur at home, in schools, and at work. In some instances, they can be caused by assault.
• Electrical burns: As the name suggests, this burn happens when a person comes into contact with electricity. Electrical burns can be caused by downed power lines, faulty wiring, certain medical procedures, or even a stun gun.
• Friction burns: This kind of burn consists of a person having their skin rubbed against a hard surface, such as in road rash incidents. You will often see this kind of burn during a motorcycle or bicycle accident.
• Radiation burns: If you have been in contact with the sun or another type of radiation you might become the victim of a radiation burn. This can happen if you are receiving cancer treatment or other kinds of radiation therapy. These burns can be the result of medical malpractice.
• Cold burns: When you hear the term burn you might be led to believe that it can only happen with heat; cold burns are the opposite. Instead of heat, these burns happen when a person's skin is exposed to freezing temperatures. Frostbite would be a prime example.

How are burns classified?

Burns are classified by degrees. The higher the degree the more severe the medical professionals will categorize the burn. The four main burn classifications are as follows:

• First-degree: When you experience a first-degree burn you will only have mild symptoms. The outer layer of the skin is damaged and will appear red or irritated. In most cases, long-term damage will not occur.
• Second-degree: This category of burn not only affects the outer layer but also the first layer underneath the skin. You will also experience swelling, redness, and blisters. The skin where the burn is located will look wet and shiny. Long-term damage can consist of a scar or change of skin tone where the burn occurred.
• Third-degree: When it comes to this degree of burn, two layers of the skin are damaged and it will appear white, yellow, brown, or black. You can also feel numbness where they burn. These burns require skin grafts to treat.
• Fourth-degree: The worst type of burn you will experience is a fourth-degree burn. Every single layer of skin is damaged and often severely so. Muscles, tendons, and even bones are also damaged. Surviving a fourth-degree burn is rare as most are fatal.