Chemical burn injuries can be among the most painful burn injuries, and are also among the most difficult to treat, as the harmful chemicals that cause the burn injury can seep into the human body through the skin and cause serious internal injuries in addition to exterior burn injuries. While the serious harm caused by a chemical burn injury can sometimes be apparent immediately, sometimes the effects of a chemical burn do not manifest themselves for days after an accident occurs. Chemical burns can affect the skin and eyes, but can also have secondary effects on the proper functioning of muscles and bodily organs if they are particularly serious and are not properly diagnosed and treated immediately.
The burn injury attorneys at Jesse Minc Personal Injury Law have won millions of dollars in compensation for chemical burn injury victims across New York City and the Bronx, and are standing by to discuss your burn injury claims today if you call us at (718) 354-8000 for a free consultation regarding your burn injury accident case. Whether you have suffered a chemical burn injury on the job, in a construction accident, or in any other type of accident anywhere in the Bronx or elsewhere in New York City, our accident lawyers have the resources, experience and legal knowledge necessary to give you the best possible chance of obtaining a recovery if you have suffered a serious burn injury.
How Are Chemical Burn Injuries Different From Other Types of Burn Injuries?
Serious burn injuries often result in permanent damage to the skin. Depending on whether the burn is a first degree, second degree, third degree or even a fourth degree burn injury, the damage done by the burn injury can penetrate into the deep layers of the skin, and can also affect bone, muscle and other soft tissues beneath even the deepest layers of skin. Chemical burns are caused when caustic chemicals (such as sodium hydroxide, petroleum products, and other concentrated substances) make contact with the skin and cause damage to bodily tissues. Serious chemical burns can result in disfiguring scarring, pain and suffering, and may require surgery such as skin grafting and other treatment that is similar to the medical treatment required when a burn injury is caused by contact with fire or by an explosion. Chemical burns, much like other types of burn injuries, can also result in loss of vision if the chemicals make contact with a burn accident victim’s eyes
What distinguishes chemical burn injuries from other types of burn injuries is that damage to an accident victim’s internal organs and bodily systems can also result when the dangerous chemical that causes the burn injury seeps into the victim’s body (whether through their skin, through mucus membranes such as inside of the nose, through the eyes, or through the digestive system if chemicals are swallowed). Often, when a chemical burn injury victim first obtains medical treatment at an emergency room, the doctors will treat the chemical burns that are visible on his or her body, but may fail to diagnose that dangerous chemicals have seeped into the accident victim’s body in time to prevent serious internal organ damage. In serious cases, the exposure to harmful chemicals that results from a chemical burn accident can cause permanent damage to the injured person’s internal organs, which can result in a lifetime of disability, or even death, if not properly treated on an immediate basis.
Chemical Burns Frequently Occur in Serious Construction Accidents
Serious chemical burn injuries often occur in Bronx construction accidents, as workers are often required to work with dangerous chemicals on job sites but are not provided the proper safety equipment necessary to protect them from serious risks of chemical burn injuries. Pursuant to Section 241(6) of the New York Labor Law, as well as Rule 23 of the Industrial Code, owners and general contractors on Bronx construction sites are required to ensure that construction workers are provided with the proper safety equipment necessary to avoid serious chemical burn injuries. When those in charge of Bronx construction job sites are negligent and fail to provide the proper safety equipment to workers, the injured workers can bring a personal injury lawsuit against the owner and general contractor on the job site and obtain compensation for their chemical burn injuries, including compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages and medical costs, in addition to the benefits that may be available under the Workers’ Compensation insurance system.
Imagine a case in which a Bronx construction worker is hired to replace key components of a large HVAC system within a commercial building. In connection with this job, he has to spray sodium hydroxide concentrate onto the cooling coils of the HVAC system with a power washer to remove dirt and debris from the coils so that the new components of the HVAC system will function properly once they are installed. While the worker is hooking up the tank of sodium hydroxide to the power washer, another worker accidentally turns on the water supply to the power washer, causing water to back up into the tank of sodium hydroxide and spray the sodium hydroxide all over the worker, causing him to suffer serious chemical burn injuries to his eyes, face and legs, as well as internal organ damage due to the sodium hydroxide seeping into the injured worker’s body through his skin. Imagine further that the injured worker had not been provided with eye protection (e.g., goggles), a face shield or a chemical protective suit for protection against chemical burn injuries while performing his work, despite having asked that these items be provided to him while performing his work.
In this case, the injured worker would be able to bring a personal injury lawsuit against the owner and general contractor on the job site pursuant to Labor Law Section 241(6). In this case, our skilled Bronx construction accident lawyers would bring claims on his behalf alleging violations of Rules 23-1.8(a), and 23-1.8(c)(4), which would thus raise Labor Law Section 241(6) liability for the owner and general contractor of the job site. Pursuant to Rule 23-1.8(a), Bronx construction workers are required to be provided with proper eye protection to prevent chemical burn injuries to their eyes when they are working with dangerous chemicals. Pursuant to Rule 23-1.8(c)(4), Bronx construction workers must be provided with appropriate protective apparel, as well as eye protection, when working with corrosive chemicals (such as sodium hydroxide).
Our Bronx construction injury lawyers would hire a expert construction safety engineer to tell the jury that this accident could have been prevented if the owner and general contractor had complied with the rules and provided eye protection, a face shield and a chemical protective suit. We would also hire burn injury medical experts to give medical opinions regarding how the contact between the dangerous chemicals and the worker’s skin was the cause of his chemical burn injuries, and would hire an economist to demonstrate the full value of all of the injured worker’s lost wages incurred due to this tragic construction accident.
Contact Our Bronx Burn Injury Lawyers Today For a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one have suffered chemical burn injuries in any circumstance, contact the burn injury lawyers at Jesse Minc Personal Injury Law today at (718) 354-8000. We offer free consultations to anyone who has been injured, and will not charge a penny in fees or expenses unless we win your case. Our lawyers only accept a limited number of cases each year to ensure that our clients receive the proper amount of care and attention necessary to make sure that every detail of their case is properly analyzed, and that the proper resources are allocated to their case to maximize their chances of success. Our lawyers are true trial lawyers, and do not accept a case with the sole intention of settling it cheaply, but prepare each case properly so that it can stand up at trial and on appeal. If we take your chemical burn injury lawsuit, you can rest assured that you have zealous and aggressive accident attorneys in your corner who will fight for you and your family to the bitter end