A burn injury is one of the most painful injuries a person can suffer, whether suffered in a Fourth of July firework mishap, a car accident, or a bonfire alcohol explosion. Burns can cause permanent scarring and disfigurement and sometimes require skin grafts and corrective surgery.

What are the symptoms? Burn injuries are generally classified into three categories according to their severity:

• First-degree burns damage the outer layer of skin and cause redness and swelling.
• Second-degree burns damage the outer layer of skin and the layer directly underneath.  They can cause blistering and are more severe than first-degree burns.
• Third-degree burns are the most serious of all.  They damage all of the layers of skin and can also damage the tissue underneath the skin and bones.

How are they caused? Burn injuries are caused in many ways and are often a result of someone else’s negligence or carelessness.  Some of the common causes of burn injuries are:

• Home and apartment fires ― Many fires result from furnaces or hot water heaters in disrepair, faulty wiring, and smoking.
• Car crashes ― While many car crashes don’t result in explosions, others do because of shoddy wiring and improper maintenance.
• Construction accidents ― Many burn injuries occur on the job from chemical spills, gas explosions, and electrical fires.

If you’ve suffered a burn injury, consult knowledgeable Arizona personal injury attorneys who will have access to experts that can help to investigate the cause of the fire or explosion and help you establish liability to get you the compensation you deserve.