Synopsis

  • A fiery crash in Boone County has left a young girl with severe burn injuries
    on as much as 80 percent of her body.
  • People with burns covering a large percent of their bodies can survive,
    although they often have permanent impairments.
  • The annual number of traumatic fatalities related to vehicular burns has
    fallen in triple numbers since 1990s due to advances in the early care
    of these injured patients but complications resulting from burns are still
    a life-long problem for most victims.
  • Burns can lead to devastating, life-changing injuries and even death. They
    place a physical, psychological, social, and financial burden on the victim
    and often the victim’s family members.

Young Girl Severely Burned in I-65 Crash

A 12-year-old girl from Tennessee was found seriously injured in a crash
that closed all northbound lanes of Interstate 65 in Boone County’s
Lebanon recently. Reports from CBS4 in Indianapolis stated the crash happened
when a Nissan Xterra and a Jeep collided and bounced off the guardrails,
ejecting the 12-year-old victim from the Jeep. She was then taken to Riley
Hospital and is now being treated in serious condition. NewsChannel 5
has reported that the young girl has also gone through surgery and been
transferred to a pediatric burn unit due to burns across 75 to 80 percent
of her body. Because of the severity of her burns, doctors say she has
a long road to recovery but is improving.

The girl’s mother and an infant were also taken to the hospital.
The driver of the Xterra suffered minor injuries. The cause of the crash
and details about how the girl was burned remain under investigation.
The team at Wagner Reese is thinking of this brave young woman and happy
she is not one of the 300 burn injury deaths resulting from the thousands
of vehicle crash fires reported each year.

Burn Injuries Related to Motor Vehicle Crash

Although fire is relatively rare in car accidents, if it does occur, the
resulting injuries are often severe, life-altering and at times, deadly.
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences says injuries most
commonly related to scalds from hot liquids and steam, fires and flammable
liquids and gases, as well as inhalation injuries caused by breathing
in smoke from an accident, can be the result of a
motor vehicle crash. These burns will damage the body’s tissues in three different categories.

There are three types of burns:

  • First-degree burns damage only the outer layer of skin
  • Second-degree burns damage the outer layer and the layer underneath
  • Third-degree burns damage or destroy the deepest layer of skin and tissues
    underneath

Any of these burns can cause swelling, blistering, disabilities, infections,
life-long scarring and disfigurement, and in some serious cases even death.
More than 50 percent of burn patients are treated in specialized burn
centers, and most hospitals have trauma teams that care exclusively for
patients with traumatic injuries.

A car accident that involves a vehicle fire requires an in-depth investigation
and review of accident cause and the ruling out of any issues related
to faulty system designs with fuel tanks, engines, radiators, electrical
wiring, and exhaust systems to ensure they withstood the impact of the
collision and did not contribute to the
fire and burn injuries. If these systems fail, vehicle manufacturers have a legal obligation
to uphold and may be held accountable.

Indianapolis Burn Injury Lawyers

Burns can lead to devastating, life-changing injuries and even death. They
place a physical, psychological, social, and financial burden on the victim
and often the victim’s family members. If your or one of your loved
one has suffered a burn injury or death due to a motor vehicle accident,
Wagner Reese can help.

Contact one of our
Indianapolis burn injury lawyers now and we will give you a free evaluation of your case and review
any compensation needs to which you are entitled. Complete the
online form today and one of our attorneys will respond promptly. You can also call
(888) 204-8440.