Burn Injuries and Death in Fire Accidents: October is National Fire Prevention Month

Burn victims often suffer severe and permanent injuries or death during an accident involving fire or flames.

October is National Fire Prevention Month, where a widespread public safety campaign warns of the dangers of fires and the many ways that people can be hurt or killed in a fire, including breathing in toxins or taking in smoke.  Both public and private interests are joining together in this effort.  Local fire departments in both Indiana and Illinois are joining together with Lowe’s and First Alert to educate the public on how families can protect against home fires by practicing “whole home safety.”

In Springfield, firefighters are focusing upon the 2022 Illinois law requiring all Illinois homes to have residential smoke detectors with a sealed battery having a ten (10) year life span.  They want people to consider getting these new-fangled detectors now, rather than waiting for the law to become effective.  The Illinois Fire Department is even offering to install free smoke detectors, if Springfield residents want to request the service by calling (217) 788-8474.

Encouraging everyone to be more aware of the need to protect our homes and loved ones against fire is a good thing.  We support the efforts of all involved in the National Fire Prevention Month campaign.

However, from an injury victim advocate’s perspective the real concern in addressing the danger of fire is a greater recognition of how burn injuries can be so severely life-altering for accident victims and how debilitating and/or deadly burns result in all sorts of situations. The need for greater burn prevention extends past residential fires.

Accident Fires and Burn Injuries

Burn injuries happen in accidents at home, at work, and on the road.  Fires can erupt in a semi-truck crash or on a construction site just as flames can appear in a home, apartment, or college dorm.

All sorts of serious accidents, in a diversity of locations, can result in an accident victim suffering severe bodily burn injuries.

The causes for these accident victims to suffer severe burn injuries or to die from burn trauma are varied, as well.  They can include:

• Product failure (including ovens, stoves, heaters, etc.);
• Auto accidents;
• Motorcycle accidents;
• Truck Crashes; and
• On-the-job Work Accidents.

Those suffering burn injuries can be victims of someone’s neglect or failure in their duty of care, such as:

• Defective or flawed products;
• Defective or flawed work equipment;
• Defective or flawed vehicles (or vehicle parts);
• Improper repair or maintenance of products (e.g., hair curlers, ovens, etc.);
• Improper repair or maintenance of work equipment (e.g., welding tools, etc.);
• Improper repair or maintenance of vehicles (e.g., truck tires, etc.); and
• Improper repair or maintenance of roadways.

The accident victim may die as a result of the burn injuries sustained in the accident itself.  The burn victim is also vulnerable to succumbing to infections that develop in the course of care and treatment after the burn has been sustained. 

From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), we know that the flames from a fire as well as a fiery explosion can result in a range of burns.  Not all burns are the same.  The CDC explains “thermal burns,” are burn injuries that happen when the victim comes into contact with a high heat source, which can be flames from an active fire, or a hot surface or a hot liquid.  There are also “chemical burns” and “electrical burns.”

For more about the different categories of burns suffered by burn victims, read: “Burn Injuries and Death from Accident Burns.”

Importance of Fast Action to Help the Burn Victim after the Accident

For anyone who suffers a burn injury in an accident, the seconds and minutes following the victim being harmed are critical.  Fast and immediate action is needed to try and minimize the harm itself.

The CDC advises that any accident victim involved in a fire needs to smother the flames quickly, remembering the phrase “stop, drop, and roll.”  After the burn victim is in safety, he or she will need immediate help from bystanders to try and minimize the extent of the burn injury consequences. 

These include:

1. Removing all the burned clothing from the victim. If it is sticking to the skin, don’t pull it.  Cut the clothing or tear it, avoiding the burned area itself.
2. Take all the jewelry off the burn victim.
3. Remove any belt from the burn victim.
4. Take any tight clothing off the burn victim that is on or near a burned area.
5. Take any tight clothing off of the burn victim’s neck.

Note:  It is vital that all clothing or other items (like a watch, ring, or tie) that might encumber the burn victim be removed fast because burn injuries cause the body to swell rapidly.

Justice for Burn Injury Accidents in Indiana and Illinois

In Indiana and Illinois, we know that burn injuries can result from all sorts of causes, including a house fire caused by a defective heater or faulty oven, as well as a worker being burned while working on the job because of an explosion, or a truck crash victim being injured in flames from ignited gasoline or other flammables.

Under the state personal injury laws of Illinois and Indiana, any number of parties may be legally responsible for burn accident injuries.

In a truck crash, for instance, the driver as well as the owner of the rig and the cargo may have a duty of care which has been breached.  In homes, as well as on work sites, defective products can cause fires and here, manufacturers and employers along with third party repair companies may have legal liability for the burn accident.

Property owners (including landlords and schools) may have been negligent in maintaining the properties in several ways, such as failure to have smoke detectors as required by law as well as not providing escape routes or allowing a hazardous condition to remain.

For more, see:

• Legal Liability for Fatal House Fires in Indiana or Illinois
• Winter Danger: Fires and Explosions From Heating Equipment and Devices
• Huge Fire in Southern Indiana: Lessons of the Fibertech Mulch Fire

Burn victims and their families face horrific and life-changing futures after a serious burn injury accident. The state laws of Indiana and Illinois provide them with avenues for justice where the extremely expensive costs of care and treatment can be met by those who caused the accident itself.

Read: Burn Injury Accident Claims: Calculating Justice for Burn Victims.

Burn injuries are a serious threat to those of us living and working in Illinois and Indiana.  We support the efforts of the National Fire Prevention Month.  Please be careful out there!