A report recently published by the United States Fire Administration in collaboration with the National Safe Kids Campaign shows that residential fires can be particularly deadly for children. An analysis of that same data also shows that hot liquid burns claim an alarming number of kids’ lives each year. By knowing when and where these incidents occur, it may help others from suffering the same fate.
Data contained in that same report shows that as many as 500 kids 14-years-old or younger may die in home fires each year across the country. While you may think that the flames are the deadliest, they’re not. They only cause the injuries or deaths of an approximate 30 percent of victims. Most of those who die in fires do so because they inhale the toxic gases produced by them.
Children age 4 and under are most vulnerable to are contact or scald burns. They account for a respective 20 and 65 percent of all injuries of this type among this age group. Given this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that scald burns caused by tap water account for more hospitalizations and deaths than any other warm liquid does.
Kids up to 2-years-old are vulnerable to suffering scald burns from hot, spilled liquids or foods.
Most of the home fires that affect kids age 9 or under are started for careless reasons such as adults falling asleep with cigarettes near fabric, pots being left on the stove or space heaters being left unattended. They’re also caused by kids being left unattended to play with matches and lighters.
Thermal burns that children under the age of 14 most often suffer from are caused by space heaters, irons, fireworks, curling irons or stoves.
Fires that seriously injure or kill kids frequently happen in bedrooms or living areas. A larger number of home fires happens in the winter when more families are using space heaters. Many fires leave kids injured or dead because they responded too slowly to them.
Medical providers who work at a location like Augusta’s Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital undergo specialized training to learn how to provide you with the best care possible. Recovery is often a long and painful process, though. If your loved one’s condition was caused by someone else’s negligence, then an attorney can help you get compensation for your suffering.