The summer months bring many dangerous accidents, especially for children. This is a time for BBQ grills and fireworks, so there are many hazards that can cause serious injury. According to the CDC, fires and burns are the third leading cause of death in homes. In the United States, more than 12,000 people among those 0 to 19 years of age die from unintentional injuries, and over 9.2 million are treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries.
Causes of Burns and Scalds in Children
Many children who are taken to hospital emergency departments for burns and scalds are referred to further treatment. In many cases, recovery may take a long time and involve a lot of pain. Many are also left with permanent scarring. Among children under 5 years, scalds are mainly caused by contact with hot drinks. Because children’s skin is much more sensitive compared to an adult’s, a hot drink can still scald them 15 minutes after it is made. Hot bath water is the leading cause of severe scalding injury and death among young children. During summer, children can suffer serious burns and scalds as they are exposed to camp fires, BBQ grills, fireworks, etc. These are the main causes of burns among children during this time of the year. Parents and adults should ensure that they take all necessary precautions to ensure that children are kept safe from such hazards.
Tips to Prevent Burn Injuries
Here are tips to help you prevent burns and scalds among children this summer:
- Make sure that you do not hold a cup of hot beverage and a child at the same time.
- Never leave children alone in the bathroom with hot bath water.
- Make sure that you keep all hot cups and containers out of reach of children, whether it is in your home or outdoors.
- Always run the hot water system in your home at 46 degrees Celsius or fix a thermostat-mixing valve to the taps.
- Keep children from getting too close to campfires.
- Make sure that there is adult supervision when playing with fireworks.
- Make sure that property owners or managers have taken all necessary precautions where there are fires or fireworks involved.
Burn Injuries and Personal Injury
If your child has suffered burn injuries due to the negligent actions of another person, you may be entitled to file a personal injury claim against that person. To recover compensation for the injury under the legal theory of negligence, the first thing you need to do is prove that the person who caused the injury acted negligently or carelessly. Negligence law applies to virtually every personal injury case and it requires the plaintiff to establish that the defendant, or negligent party, owed a duty of the care to the plaintiff and that they failed to meet that standard. If your child has been a victim of burn injury due to the negligent actions of another person, you should seek the counsel of the qualified and reliable personal injury attorneys at Rosenberg, Minc, Falloff, & Wolff of RMFW Law at 212-344-1000. The first meeting is free. We want to hear what you have to say. We know what a winning case looks like. If your case is viable, we will carry this legal baton for you all the way until the end. RMFW Law will keep you informed every step of the way. We only take a percentage of the final settlement or verdict. So in effect, you really never pay us at all. We look forward to hearing from you. Take the initiative, give us a call 212-344-1000.
