Burn injuries are notorious for being highly painful. Many people burned due to car crashes, unsafe property conditions or defective consumer products simply assume that they can achieve a full recovery with medical care.
What they may not understand is that burn injuries have the potential to be catastrophic. The factors that set a catastrophic injury apart from other personal injury scenarios are the lifetime medical impact of the injury and the overall financial consequences of the injury.
What makes a burn injury potentially catastrophic?
The long-term medical consequences
People with second-, third- or fourth-degree burns now enjoy access to advanced medical care ranging from skin grafts and pain management to prosthetic devices. However, health care professionals can only treat the injury and address the limitations the burns generate. They cannot undo the damage to nerves and critical tissues.
Burn injuries tend to produce increased lifetime medical expenses. People may require continued pain management and repeat operations for the best medical outcome. They may also incur a lifetime of mental health support costs, as people with severe burns tend to develop depression, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
The personal and professional consequences
Burn injuries can have profound implications for an individual’s personal life and career. Disfiguring scars can drastically alter close relationships. The mental changes that follow serious injuries can also change family circumstances.
Additionally, those with severe burns may find that they experience professional setbacks. Functional limitations and changes in appearance could affect their job performance or likelihood of securing advancement opportunities.
Those adjusting to life after major burns may need help seeking compensation, and that’s okay. Filing a personal injury lawsuit can help burn injury survivors pursue financial compensation for their medical expenses and also any lost wages related to their injuries.