Auto Accidents and Burns

Laura Mackie

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Burn injuries are second only to motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. There are, however, instances where victims suffer injury and/or death as a result of a fire that was part of an automobile accident. The fact is, fires occur in about three out of every one thousand automobile collisions. Each year thousands of people sustain disfiguring or fatal burn injuries in post-collision fires. Many of these can be attributed to dangerous and defective fuel system designs. Injured parties and/or their families are often able to recoup their losses by filing a personal injury lawsuit against the automobile manufacturer because of the defect.

Although certainly not the only loss suffered by the victim of a burn, the financial aspect of treatment can be overwhelming. Burns associated with motor vehicles account for as much as 10% of all burn admissions to hospitals and are one of the most expensive catastrophic injuries to treat. For example, initial hospitalization costs and physician's fees alone can cost as much as $200,000. For extensive burns, there are additional significant costs. These costs include charges for repeat admissions incurred for reconstruction and for rehabilitation.