Trucking accidents cause over 80,000 non-fatal personal injuries each year. Some of these injuries include burn injuries, which are among the most difficult injuries to sustain. Burn injuries occur when a truck is carrying a flammable substance which ignites when the truck is in a collision. A truck may also experience a fuel fire or a battery fire in a crash, causing burn injuries.
Due to the size of trucks, burn injuries sustained from these accidents tend to be severe. Fires can spread very quickly from the truck to any flammable substance on the road. Any substance contained in the truck can also ignite. Obviously, truck drivers can be susceptible to burn injuries if their truck catches fire and they cannot escape the cab in time. However, passengers of nearby cars involved in a collision may also be burned as fire spreads quickly. Even pedestrians may be affected.
Burn injuries sustained in a trucking accident can be fatal. Even if they are not, they can lead to lifelong scarring. For many people, this is very challenging as it can lead to on-job problems, depressions, relationship issues, and other problems. Some people who sustain serious burn injuries feel uncomfortable leaving the house and may initially want to isolate themselves. They may have feelings of sadness or anger. In cases where the burn injury reaches the tissue, bone, and muscle, a burn injury can cause extreme pain, loss of mobility, and may require years or physiotherapy.
Traditionally, there are three ways of classifying burn injuries:
1) First degree burn injury. This most mild form of injury usually involves damage at the outer skin layer only. However, even with this relatively mild form of injury, there may be scarring, the risk of infection, time lost from work, and other problems for the patient.
2) Second degree burn injury. In this type of burn injury, the top layer of skin as well as the top layer of tissue are damaged. Usually, this type of injury will require some cosmetic surgery or treatment as scarring usually results. This type of injury may be quite painful and patients may need to miss time from work.
3) Third degree burn injury. In this most severe injury, layers of tissue under the layer of skin may be affected. This form of injury may require ongoing treatment and therapy as the patient may lose some sensation or even mobility in the affected area. This burn injury tends to be quite painful and requires intensive treatment, requiring considerable time away from work. This type of injury virtually always results in heavy scarring and may require a series of cosmetic treatments to fix.