Burns are perhaps the most painful and serious of the common traumatic injuries. An adult or child who has had the misfortune of suffering a serious burn injury requires both the finest medical attention to ensure maximum recovery and the best legal representation to protect their rights.

Generally, burns are divided into three categories: 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd degree. First degree burns are superficial and affect only the first layer of skin (the epidermis). Second degree burns injure both the first and second layer of skin (the dermis) and the third degree burns destroy the epidermis and dermis and may damage the tissue underneath the skin as well. Both second and third degree burn require immediate medical attention.

Burns have multiple causes, but the most common are heat or thermal burns. These are caused by fire, steam, hot objects or hot liquids (including tap water, which is the most common source of burn deaths and hospitalizations). Indeed, excessively hot tap water is one of the leading causes of childhood injuries. Electricity, chemicals, radiation and friction are the other sources of burn injuries. Many burns are fully preventable and are caused through the negligence of another party such as improperly regulated tap water, lack of or malfunctioning smoke detectors, and defective products.