There are millions of road users traveling in the United States at any one time. The majority of these people reach their destinations without incident. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for everyone.
Millions of people are injured in road traffic collisions every year, and many of these injuries are serious. One type of injury that can occur in a crash is burns. How do burn injuries occur in car crashes?
Fuel tanks
While there has been a rise in electric vehicles in recent years, the majority of cars are still powered by gasoline. During a crash, it’s not uncommon for the fuel tank or other fuel components to be damaged and leak. Once gasoline becomes exposed to the environment, it doesn’t take much for it to ignite. For example, a spark emitted from scraping metals could ignite a fire which soon consumes the vehicle and those inside. Severe burn injuries are often caused this way.
Chemical burns
Fires are not the only potential causes of burn injuries during vehicular collisions. All modern vehicles are fitted with airbags, which have been shown to prevent severe injuries and fatalities. However, there is a counterpoint. Airbags can cause thermal, friction and chemical burns. If an airbag is penetrated, the driver and other occupants may be exposed to dangerous chemicals. The force of a collision and friction created when coming into contact with an airbag can also raise the temperature of the skin significantly, resulting in thermal burns.
Burn injuries can vary in their severity but they are often serious and even life-changing after a road traffic collision. If your accident was caused by someone else, you may be able to hold them to account. Seeking as much information as possible will give you a better idea of how personal injury law works.