Burn accidents can happen practically anywhere if you’re not careful. Oftentimes, these injuries can be caused by faulty wiring. They can also happen in rental units, places where smoke detectors are not available, where fire exits blocked or locked and in places not equipped with an adequate fire sprinkler system. According to the American Burn Association, nearly half a million people are injured every year in fire and burn-related accidents and require treatment from emergency rooms across the country. If that’s not bad enough, another 4,000 people are killed every year in burn-related accidents. Of these fatalities, roughly 3,000 are the result of residential fires. Fire-related accidents in Knoxville and elsewhere can cause burn injuries that can be excruciatingly painful, devastating for family members and can result in permanent deformities.
Our Knoxville personal injury lawyers understand a dispute with an insurance company and a burn victim can involve proving how the fire-related injury happened and where the heat source originated. Our attorneys help to fight for the rights of burn accident victims. Our firm can help victims evaluate the accident scene and collect relevant evidence to help you prove a case to collect the proper compensation.
Many times, these burn accidents are the result of someone else’s negligence. For this reason, it is important for you to contact an experienced attorney if you’ve been the victim of a burn accident.
In many burn accident cases, it is necessary for a victim to determine if the building in which the accident occurred met current safety codes. In cases where buildings do not meet safety codes and the proper corrections were not made to prevent a foreseeable accident, the property owner can be held reliable for the damages and the injuries.
Of the 4,000 fatalities that occur every year because of burn accidents, about 75 percent of the victims die at the scene of the accident or during the initial transport.
Ways to Help Prevent Burn Accidents:
-Never allow the cords of appliances to dangle.
-Keep your water heater set at 120 degrees.
-Don’t use any electric hair styling products near sinks in the bathroom.
-Keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything flammable.
-Keep paint and other flammable liquids in their original-labeled containers.
-Never toss out ashes, either hot or cold, in anything other than a metal container.
-Never smoke while lying in bed or near anything that’s flammable.
-If you live in an apartment, know where the nearest stairwell is located.
-If you have an appliance that starts to smoke, unplug it and take it to be serviced immediately.
-Never overload outlets or extension cords.
-Follow the recommendations listed by manufacturers for bulb wattage in light fixtures.
-Never put extension cords under rugs.
If you or someone in your family has been injured or killed in a burn or fire-related accident in Tennessee, contact Hartsoe Law Firm, P.C. for a confidential appointment to discuss your rights with our Knoxville injury lawyers and Maryville accident attorneys. Call (865) 524-5657.
More Blog Entries:
New Car Seat Rules Aim to Protect Kids from Injury in Knoxville Car Accidents, Tennessee Injury Attorney Blog, March 28, 2011