Each year across the country, more than 1.1 million Americans need medical help for burn injuries. About 4500 victims die directly as a result of their burn injuries and another 10 000 die from complications caused by their injuries. Burn injuries can be caused by anything from hot water to a fire, but many burn injuries are also caused by trucking accidents.
Many commercial trucks are used to carry flammable substances and chemicals. Some trucks on the road even carry fuels. These large trucks contain large amounts of fuel or flammable substances. If a truck carrying such dangerous cargo is in a car accident, the resulting collision can cause the fuel or flammable substances to leak, explode, or catch on fire. Any driver or pedestrian in the near vicinity can experience severe burn injuries as a result.
Trucking accident burn injuries are especially dangerous because the size of the truck and the impact of the collision can cause very hot fires and explosions that can cause damage over a wide area. Worse, trucks carrying flammable substances usually carry large amounts of these chemicals. If these trucks are in a collision, the large amount of fuel can feed a fire, causing it to burn very hot and to grow quickly out of control. Fatalities caused by truck accident burn injuries are very common as a result.
In addition, trucking accidents often cause additional injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, head injuries, and other serious injuries. When combined with burn injuries, these additional injuries may be very slow in healing. In fact, complications can easily result when burn injuries are sustained at the same time as other injuries. This can make treatment very challenging and can increase the likelihood of infection, heart failure, and other problems.
Burn injuries caused by trucking accidents are often devastating. In addition to facial scars that can leave victims withdrawn and unable to resume normal social activities, serious burn injuries – such as those caused by trucking accidents – are often extremely painful. If the injury has penetrated the outer layers of skin and has damaged tissues and muscles, patients may be unable to walk or move normally. Treatment may require months or even years of physiotherapy and surgery.
Drivers and companies who own trucks have a legal responsibility to keep their trucks safe. They must adhere to safety standards, maintain trucks correctly, operate the trucks responsibly, and not overload the trucks. Unfortunately, not all drivers and companies are careful with trucks. If you or a loved one has sustained an injury as a result of a trucking accident, it’s important to seek help from a qualified Florida personal injury attorney. A good Florida attorney can help ensure that you have all the resources available to you by law so that you can focus on healing.