Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Burn Injuries and Child Abuse
Although general awareness of the magnitude of child abuse is on the rise, deliberate injury by burning is one form of child abuse that remains difficult to recognize. According to National SAFE Kids Campaign, the leading cause of accidental injury at home is burns. Burn injuries make up about 10 percent of all child abuse cases, and about 10 percent of hospital admissions of children to burn units are the result of child abuse. Consider these facts:
Burns and fires are the fifth most common cause of accidental death in children and adults, and account for an estimated 4,000 adult and child deaths per year.
- Nearly 75 percent of all scalding burns in children are preventable.
- More than 600 children die every year in fires, or from other burn injuries.
- Toddlers and children are more often burned by a scalding or flames.
- The majority of children ages 4 and under, who are hospitalized for burn-related injuries, suffer from scalds burns (65 percent) or contact burns (20 percent).
- Hot tap water burns cause more deaths and hospitalizations than burns from any other hot liquids.
The most defenseless children are the most likely to be burned intentionally. Most of the victims are unable to speak for themselves. In comparison with accidentally burned children, abused children are significantly younger and have longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates. The child burn victim is almost always under the age of 10, with the majority under the age of 2.
Children may be burned for a wide variety of reasons. Immersion burns may occur during toilet training, with the perpetrator immersing the child in scalding water for cleaning or punishment. Hands may be immersed in pots of water for playing near the stove.
Massachusetts child burn injuries by abuse or the negligence of others requires careful attention in the preparation and presentation of the case. Such a case is both emotionally charged and technically sophisticated. Thomas M. Kiley understands the complex nature of medical evidence and knows how to present these medical issues to a jury.
If a child close to you has suffered a burn injury, contact our Boston child injury attorneys today so that we can assist in recovering both financial compensation and justice, allowing the child to move on with his or her life as best they can.
