People in California who have ever dealt with a burn injury know how painful and difficult to treat they can be. The healing process for major burns can take many months of intense treatment and bandaging, creating a major inconvenience at the very least, but often much worse. Burn injuries are notoriously painful, and even once healed can leave significant scarring and unsightly permanent physical symptoms.
But what most people might not know is how common serious burns are across the U.S. The American Burn Association recently released their data for the year 2013, which was compiled from sources across the nation and seeks to provide an accurate picture of the total number of burn injuries people suffer, as well as the severity of these issues.
The 2013 numbers show that roughly 450,000 people suffered burns requiring a trip to a hospital or emergency room. This number doesn’t even take into account the countless others who suffered other minor burns which may have been treated at other locations.
The 2013 figures also showed that a significant number of burn victims were treated at burn centers, specialized medical facilities or branches of hospitals dedicated solely to treating the physical symptoms and other trauma associated with burn injuries. These specialized units are a great resource for victims, but they can also be very costly to operate, and people who enter burn centers for treatment may face shockingly large medical bills for the intensive treatment they receive.
Depending on the cause of the injury, and whether it was related to a person’s negligence or a faulty product or appliance, the victim may be entitled to damages. An experienced personal injury attorney can provide additional information for those who have suffered a burn in the recent past.
Source: American Burn Association, “Fact Sheet,” accessed March 20, 2015
