About the Law: Personal Injury Law - Types of Burn Injuries

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A burn is defined as tissue damage caused by a variety of agents, such as heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or nuclear radiation. Most common are burns caused by scalds, building fires, and flammable liquids and gases. Several factors are used to determine the severity of a burn, including the patient’s age, location of the burn, and depth and size of the burn.

Burn injuries are classified into the following categories:

First-degree burns affect only the outer layer (the epidermis) of the skin. A common example of a first degree burn is a sunburn.
Second-degree burns damage the epidermis and the layer of skin beneath it (the dermis). Scalding commonly results in second-degree burns.
Third-degree burns involve damage or complete destruction of the skin to its full depth and damage to underlying tissues. People who experience such burns often require skin grafting.This type of burn frequently results from flame or contact injuries.
Fourth-degree burns destroy both the epidermis and dermis, damaging underlying tendons, bone, fat tissue and muscle. High-voltage electrical injuries may result in a fourth-degree burn.

Inhalation Injuries: Burn victims who also suffer inhalation injuries are more likely to die as a result of their injuries. According to the United States Fire Association, seventy-five percent of all burn deaths are attributable to smoke inhalation of toxic gases produced by a fire, with actual flames and burns accounting for only one-fourth of all fire-related deaths.

Fire is associated with three types of inhalation injuries:

Damage from toxins. Over one hundred known toxic substances are present in burn smoke. Toxins prevent the body from properly absorbing oxygen and may cause permanent organ damage.
Damage from smoke inhalation. It is estimated that 75% of fatalities resulting from burn injuries are attributable to smoke inhalation.
Damage from heat inhalation. Heat inhalation occurs when one directly breathes in a heat or flame source, or when high pressure forces heat into the victim.