Where Do Most Burn Injuries Occur?

Just like most car accidents happen within 20 miles of your home, most burn injuries happen at or near home. On a global scale, most burns happen in low- to middle-income countries. The American Burn Association found that over a recent decade in the US, 73% of burns occurred at home. On a personal scale, most burn injuries occur on the hands and fingers.

The legal team of Varcadipane & Pinnisi has put together this report for you on where most burns occur.

Types of Burn Injuries

Regardless of where on the planet or where on your body a burn occurs, there are three main types of burns:

• Flame burns (direct contact with flames)
• Scalding (direct contact with hot liquid)
• Contact Burns (direct contact with hot solids)

There are also thermal burns (caused by a heat source), chemical burns (caused by a caustic chemical such as lye), radiation burns (caused by UV rays like X-rays or the sun), and electrical burns (caused by electrical current).

The other way burns are classified is by their seriousness, with first-degree burns being the least serious (superficial burns affecting only the top layer of skin) and third-degree burns being the most serious (painful burns going down to the bone).

Burn Injury Statistics

According to the American Burn Association, burns are a public health problem. Looking at the numbers, it’s clear to see why:

• In the United States, 486,000 people received medical treatment for a burn injury in a recent year. 3,275 people died of smoke inhalation, and 40,000 people were hospitalized for burn injuries (30,000 being treated at special burn centers around the country).
• Beyond the home, 8% of burns occurred at work, 5% in car accidents, 5% through sports or recreation, and 9% occurred in other locations.
• The rate of fatal burns in children is more than 7 times higher in low- to middle-income areas than it is in high-income areas.

Burns can happen due to electrical problems in a building, inadequate safety equipment at work, defective smoke detectors or home appliances, and many more factors. There is always a chance a burn injury can happen to you or someone in your household.

Where On the Body Do Most Burns Occur?

In general, hands and fingers are the most commonly injured body parts to be treated in hospital emergency rooms. So it makes sense that the most common location for burns on the body is there as well. Let’s look at the example of fireworks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that fireworks are responsible for over 11,000 injuries a year (predominantly burn injuries). Here are the “location numbers” specifically for firework-related burns:

• 33% of firecracker injuries involve the hands and fingers.
• 28% involve the head and face.
• 18% involve the legs.
• 12% involve the torso (ribs, shoulders, back, and belly area).
• 9% involve the eyes only (without injuries to the head or face).
• 8% involve the arms.

Most Common Causes of Household Burns

Aside from lighting off fireworks, which is a completely preventable burn injury, here are other burns common to the household environment. Considering the house is where most people get burned, use extra caution during the following activities:

• Running hot water from your faucet
• Barbequing
• Drinking a hot beverage like a coffee or a tea
• Curling your hair
• Burning a fire in your fireplace
• Operating a heater
• Ironing clothes
• Cooking a pot of something hot on the stove
• Removing microwaved food from your microwave oven
• Operating an oven

We Are Experienced New Jersey Burn Injury Attorneys

Varcadipane & Pinnisi, PC has a long history of fighting back in personal injury cases, such as burn injuries. As New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyers, we are passionate about fighting for those who have been injured due to someone else’s negligence. Contact us right away for a straightforward, free legal evaluation of your burn injury claim.

Author Bio

Jeffrey W. Varcadipane is a Certified Civil Trial Attorney by the Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey; a designation given to less than five percent of civil litigation attorneys in New Jersey.

Mike

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