Burns can be painful and disfiguring. When they are left untreated they can become infected and result in secondary illnesses that can threaten the health and well-being of their victims. While most Oklahoma residents have suffered burns from hot pans, electrical equipment, or even the sun, only the most unfortunate have experienced burns severe enough to keep them out of work.
Burns are graded by degrees. For example, a first degree burn is one in which the victim’s skin is only superficially burned on its outermost layer. A second degree burn, by contrast, affects the dermis, a layer of tissue below the skin.
Third degree burns are more serious than second degree burns in that they kill two layers of skin, and fourth degree burns are the most serious. Fourth degree burns may destroy all of the skin in an affected area and may burn into other systems of the victim’s body, such as their bones, muscles, and connective tissue.
A burn injury may affect a victim’s ability to move and physically function. It may also impose serious and significant stresses on them in terms of their mental health. Burn injuries are considered disabilities by the Social Security Administration when they result in extensive lesions that will endure for at least a year.
There are many different causes of burns. Each source of burn can create pain and suffering in the lives of those who experience them. When a burn injury keeps a person from working, that individual may be able to qualify for disability benefits, thereby providing him or her with a financial resource to rely upon while he or she focuses on his or her health and living life as fully as possible given his or her condition Help from an attorney who practices in this field can guide a burn victim through the steps needed to begin the application process.