Scald Burn Injuries in Children: Five Things You Need To Know
Photo by Kate Townsend on Unsplash
Today, our firm filed a lawsuit against Din Tai Fung for causing severe scald burn injuries to my toddler client. She was only 3 years old at the time. The servers were careless, inadequately trained, and bumped into each other causing a pitcher of scalding hot water to spill on an innocent little girl, scarring her for life.
This unfortunate incident has had devastating consequences on this little girl, BUT—like many scald burn injuries—was entirely preventable.
DID YOU KNOW? The majority of burn injuries in children are scald injuries resulting from hot liquids, occurring most commonly in children aged 0–4 years.
Burns are the third most leading cause of injury and death in children (after motor vehicle accidents and drowning). It continues to be a major epidemiologic problem worldwide. Approximately one-quarter (1/4) of all burn injuries occur in children under age 14, most under age 5. In fact, most children ages 4 and under who are hospitalized for burn-related injuries suffer from scald burns (65%) or contact burns (20%).
DID YOU KNOW? That recent studies show that nearly 75% of all scald burn injuries in children were preventable.
The most common causes of scald burns are hot liquids, steam, hot foods, cooking fluids, etc. This is consistent with our firm’s experience—in addition to the lawsuit filed today, the last scald burn injury case we litigated also involved scalding hot water spilling on a minor girl by a flight attendant during in-flight service on a commercial airplane.
Here are the top 5 things you should do if your child suffers a scald (thermal) burn injury:
REMOVE child from heat source & clothing from the burn area
Try to remove your child’s clothing from the burn area. If the clothing is stuck to the burned area, do not attempt to remove it. Instead, cut around the clothing, leaving the burn intact.
IDENTIFY burn areas
Make sure you check your child’s entire body for burn areas, including checking for wet clothing.
COOL the burn area(s)
Use cold water or cold compresses until the pain is reduced or relieved.
PROTECT the burn with a dry, sterile, gauze bandage or with a clean bed sheet or cloth.
If a blister has formed, do not break it. Do not apply any ointments, oils, or sprays to the burned area.
SEEK medical care right away.
Contact your primary doctor or check your area for a local burn center.
For more information on the different types of burns and how to spot and treat them, reference the links below.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/burns/burns-in-children
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/burns.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3500004/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134932/
Disclaimer: Blogs are for educational or entertainment purposes only, so they are not intended to be legal advice or to create an attorney-client relationship. Our law firm cannot guarantee or predict the outcome of your case. Results may vary depending on the specific facts and circumstances involved.
