Catastrophic injuries can vary in type and severity, but many burn injuries can lead to severe disabilities and disfigurement. Children are often at particular risk of sustaining burn injuries from coming into contact with scalding water, cooking devices, heating devices, and other household objects. During the winter months when the temperatures drop, those risks tend to increase. According to a report from the University of North Carolina burn center, child burn injuries have increased significantly during the pandemic as a result of shelter-at-home or stay-home policies in various states. As more kids have been kept out of school and have remained at home, their contact with burn injury devices has risen.

As COVID-19 numbers increase, states may again consider implementing stay-home policies to reduce the rate of community transmission of the virus, and burn centers across the country could continue to see a rise in the rate of child burn injuries.

Rise in Burn Injury Cases Among Children 

According to Dr. Booker T. King, the Chief of the Burn Division of Surgery at UNC Hospitals, there has been a rise in pediatric patients since the pandemic began. As King explained, “What we think was happening is that normally those school-age children would be in school, and since they were home, that puts them more at risk.” Burn injury cases have risen by about 7% from the same time last year.

In school-aged children, King and other researchers found that burn injuries rose by 114% in areas with mandated school closures.

Tips for Preventing Burn Injuries

Burn injuries are preventable, but these catastrophic injuries continue to affect children at disproportionate rates. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Every day, over 300 children ages 0 to 19 are treated in emergency rooms for burn-related injuries, and two children die as a result of being burned.” The risks are even higher for particularly young kids when it comes to scald injuries, and those risks are higher for older kids when it comes to burns caused by fire or flames.

The following are tips from the CDC to prevent catastrophic burn injuries:

• Install smoke alarms in your home and replace the batteries when necessary;
• Develop a family escape plan in the event of a fire, and make sure kids are involved in the planning and understand what to do in case a fire breaks out;
• Never leave food unattended on your stove when young children are present;
• Always supervise kids, even teenagers, in the kitchen when they are using the stove, oven, or microwave;
• Check the temperature of your hot water heater and keep it at or below 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent a small child from getting burned by the hot water coming out of a faucet.

Discuss Your Burn Injury Case with Me Today 

Burn injuries are often catastrophic for adults and children alike, and these injuries can result in long-term pain, disfigurement, and disability. Nearly all burn injuries are avoidable, but accidents do happen. If you or your child sustained serious burn injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic or at any other time, it is not too late to get in touch with me to find out about your options for filing a claim for compensation. If another party is at fault for the burn injuries and the accident that caused them, I’ll Make Them Pay!® The sooner you call my firm at 877.614.9524, the quicker I can begin working on your case and helping you to obtain the financial compensation you deserve.