Articles Posted in Scars

Experts Utilized in Catastrophic Injury Cases — Severe Burn Injuries

Just as every catastrophic injury is unique and every victim is unique, so are the teams of medical and legal experts needed to handle the catastrophic injury victim’s care and their personal injury claim.

Classification of Burn Injuries

Burn injuries to the skin and flesh can be caused by several things, including chemicals, heat, friction, electricity, and radiation. There are different classification systems that describe the severity of a burn, with the most familiar one describing the “degree” of the burn. This includes:

Think your cat’s love nips are harmless? Think again. According to Mercury News, cat bites can be more serious than you might have expected.

Feline bites can become more prone to infections from the bacteria found in cats know as Pasteurella multocida. This bacteria can mix with the bacteria found in human skin named Staphylococcus and streptococcus and sometimes can even become deadly. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital reported that close to 50 percent of all feline bites become infected

A report released that dog bite claims are on the rise across the states by 5.5 percent since last year and California is ranked the highest according to the Insurance Information Institute. California had the most claims last year at 1,919.

The study reported that in 2013, insurance companies in California paid out over $64 million in claims involving dog bites. California law holds dog owners 100% liable when their dog bites someone.

dog keloid

Keloid Scarring and Dog Bite Claims

Typically, after a dog bite, initial treatment will be directed to treating the patient for possible infection, providing tetanus shots to prevent illness, and stitching open wounds. If severe bleeding has occurred or the severity of the injury demands it, surgery may be performed immediately.

Most dog bite attack victims suffer from lifelong psychological injury, including emotional trauma, Post Traumatic Stress and a fear of dogs. Even after a dog bite victim’s physical injuries have healed, emotional scarring can last a very long time. Each time a victim takes a walk through a park, walks down a sidewalk, strolls the beach or visits a dog owner’s home, the trauma from a dog bite can return.

Depression, shock and anxiety often plague a dog bite victim’s normal life effecting their well being, relationships, school and work. Children are particularly prone to developing post traumatic stress after a dog bite. Some of the symptoms of post traumatic stress include distressing memories of the event including flashbacks and dreams, avoidance, changes in mood such as feeling hopeless, and changes in their emotional reactions such as feeling irritable, angry or easily startled. Difficulty concentrating and trouble sleeping also tend to be problematic for a victim of a dog bite. More information about post traumatic stress can be found at the Mayo Clinic.

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As reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, most people who are bitten by a dog require medical attention. Whether you were bitten at a park, in your neighborhood or while at someone’s home, it is critical that you know your rights.  Under California law, the owner of the dog is responsible for the damages to the victim who was bitten by a dog. Unfortunately, most dog bite victims are a family member, friend or a neighbor. Dog bite victims often worry about how they will be compensated because they don’t want their friend or family member to have to pay out of their pocket. There is no reason to worry. In California, if you were attacked or bitten by a dog, there are several possibilities of who will pay for your damages:

Homeowners Insurance:

One of the joys of motorcycle riding is the feeling of having little to nothing between the rider and the open road. It is a freeing feeling, good for the human psyche. Unfortunately, the reality of there being nothing between the rider and the open road,  in a literal sense, can be the very thing that causes great physical pain and suffering during a motorcycle accident.

A study performed in Auckland region of New Zealand from February 1993 to February 1996 was done to estimate the risk of crash when conspicuity measures were put into place. This study included taking into consideration such variables such as the use of color protective clothing.

One of the First issues a personal injury lawyer in California looks at in a dogbite case, is the amount of insurance available.

The responsibility for the dogbite may be very clear, but without adequate insurance there usually isn’t a good chance for recovery.

Whenever there is a defect in the skin or a non-vital section of skin, such as from burns or other damage resulting in scars, it needs to be replaced with a partial or full thickness skin grafting. Skin generally covers the entire body and protects underlying tissues from damage and infection. It also provides thermoregulation via skin temperature changes and radiation of heat through the skin. Restoring a normal skin border is the purpose behind skin grafting.

Skin grafting was performed two millennia ago in India but wasn’t popular in western medicine until almost two hundred years ago. Grafting was found to speed healing and reduce fluid loss from major wounds and burns. Grafting makes wounds look better and reduces scar contraction. Wounds that extend to bone must be grafted because bone does not cover itself with tissue or skin.

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