Burn injuries are one of the more severe consequences people may experience following a car crash. Burns are typically quite painful, can be easily infected and they often require expensive medical support.
It is quite common for people to underestimate the true financial impact of a burn, which means they may fail to pursue the compensation they need to cover related costs. Why are burn injuries among the more expensive kinds of injuries people may experience?
1. The medical costs are often quite high
The typical cost for a burn injury varies drastically. In minor cases, care can cost as little as a few dollars to bandage a first or second-degree burn. Other times, when people experience more severe burns or burns that cover a significant portion of their bodies, the immediate care costs are often tens of thousands of dollars, and people may require ongoing medical support for years afterward.
2. Painful and disfiguring injuries often affect income
Treatment options for burn injuries have improved, but many people will have residual scarring even after receiving the best medical care available. Both the scars from the actual burns and the scars that develop around the donor sites for skin grafts can cause physical discomfort and may limit someone’s range of motion. The scars could therefore make it more difficult for someone to perform certain jobs.
The damage caused by burns can also affect someone by altering their appearance. Unfortunately, attractiveness often plays a role in how much people make, and therefore visible injuries or scars may reduce someone’s earning potential by slightly altering how people perceive them.
3. Burn injuries often necessitate mental health support
The trauma of the incident that led to the burn, the physical pain that someone may have had to endure and may still experience on a chronic basis and the psychological/social consequences of visible scarring can all have a negative impact on someone’s mental health.
Counseling and similar mental health services may be necessary to help someone adjust to physical limitations and changes in their appearance following a major medical incident, such as experiencing significant burns.
Individuals with burn injuries and their immediate family members may need to discuss a victim’s future care needs and likely prognosis to understand the long-term financial impact of their burn injuries. Seeking legal guidance and pursuing compensation from the party responsible for the burn injuries can be a way to help someone recover lost wages and cover the cost of their treatment throughout their recovery.
