Burns are among the most painful injuries a person can suffer, as they can cause nerve damage, scarring and even thickening of the skin that persists long after the burn itself heals. If you’ve ever had a second-degree burn, you know that it can take a long time for the pain to go away and even longer for the scar to heal. For children, both the medical and physical wounds of a burn injury can last a lifetime.
Children can wind up burned in a broad range of circumstances. Fires or explosions in car crashes are one example of a situation in which a child could wind up burned. An unattended candle or a gas range in a home of a child care provider could also result in serious risk for children.
Burn injuries tend to be painful and expensive to treat. People often need care for both their physical and emotional recovery after suffering serious burns. For children, the road to recovery may be even more difficult than it would be for adults with similar injuries.
Children may struggle to comply with medical recommendations
The more severe a burn injury is, the more likely it is that a child will require invasive medical treatment, like skin grafts. After a burn, children require ongoing care for their wound as it heals.
Unfortunately, kids of all ages typically aren’t excited to sit and receive a massage over a burn scar or cover their skin to avoid worsening of the scar tissue, especially if the scar is somewhere exposed by their bathing suit in the summer.
Skin grafts and reconstructive surgery may require multiple phases for kids
When adults require reconstructive or plastic surgery, they may only require one operation. For children who require reconstructive surgery because of burns or who have had skin grafts, they may need to have repeat procedures as their body continues to grow.
In other words, the families of children who suffer serious burns in car crashes or because of a mistake made by a third-party may have extensive financial losses that they have to consider before releasing liability or accepting an insurance settlement offer.