Kentucky Burns and Road Rash Injury Attorneys

Road rash and burns are very common in motorcycle accidents. They happen, at times, in car and truck accident cases, too.

What is road rash?

Road rash is an abrasion caused when your skin comes in direct contact with the asphalt at high speed. At very high speeds, there is a build up of both heat and friction, which can cause your skin to flay and burn. Road debris such as rocks and glass can get stuck in the skin as well.

These more serious cases can lead to nerve damage, damage to muscles, and damage to tendons. When the rash goes all the way to the bone, you could be left permanently disfigured.

While mild road rash heals on its own and leaves no scar, severe forms leave hypertrophic scarring that can be quite disfiguring. This type of road rash must typically be treated with skin graft surgery.

What causes burns in a car accident?

Cars catch on fire sometimes. It’s a horrific situation, leading to burned flesh for the people trapped in and around the car.

There are less dramatic sources of burns as well. Hazardous chemicals can leak from a vehicle, leading to chemical burns. The airbag itself deploys chemicals that can burn the skin. There are a number of electrical components in a car, and this can lead to an accident victim being brought into direct contact with the current.

However it happens, first, second, and third degree burns are a common consequence of car accidents.

How much does it cost to treat road rash?

Initial emergency room costs could run as high as $3,000. Skin graft surgery can cost as much as $18,000. Cosmetic surgery to treat scarring on the face or hands costs about $9,000 per procedure.

You may also need follow-up doctor’s visits, and any complications like an infection can drive the costs even higher.

How much does it cost to treat burns?

Burn treatments can be some of the most expensive treatments you’ll ever receive.

• Severe burn treatments with no complications can cost up to $1,617,345.
• Scarring or disfigurement, occurring in 66% of cases, add $28,000 to $35,000 to the base cost.
• Fragile skin breakdown, occurring in 55% of cases, adds $38,000 to $107,000 to treatment costs.
• Infections such as sepsis occur in 35% of cases, and add $58,000 to $120,000 to treatment costs.
• Skin graft failures, occurring in in 32% of of cases, adds $37,000 to $110,000 to treatment costs.

A burn injury is far more likely to create complications than any other injury type. Burns can be exceptionally traumatic and rely a great deal of inpatient, intensive care. The psychological costs can be deep as well, as can the impact on the client’s life, career, and social prospects.

Fortunately, we can help you recover these costs so that you don’t have to pay them out-of-pocket. We can help you make the most both of your own insurance policy and of the proceeds of your law suit.