More than 1 million people suffer burn injuries that require medical treatment in the United States each year, with an estimated 4,500 people dying and many others suffering extremely painful and often permanently disabling injuries.

Most often, severe burns – by fire, smoke, scalding, chemicals – are caused by human error, accidents that largely injure those at fault. But many burn injuries and deaths are caused by negligence or the carelessness of others.

Among these causes are: faulty wiring or plumbing, auto accidents, unsafe workplaces, poorly maintained smoke alarms or residence lacking the devices, and defective products, including flammable fabrics.

Someone died in a fire roughly every two hours in 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with residential fires resulting in about four out of five deaths and causing nearly $7 billion in damage.

According to the American Burn Association, burn victims make some 700,000 visits to hospital emergency rooms each year, with 45,000 of those patients requiring hospitalization. Those admitted suffered burns to an average 14 percent of their bodies.

In many cases, the injuries could have been avoided – by a landlord installing and maintaining mandated smoke alarms, by an employer providing a safe work environment, by a manufacturer fixing or recalling an unsafe product. (In 2006 alone, fire hazards were reported among a range of products such as heated seats in autos, candles, cooking devices and silk blouses.

Most at risk for fatal burn injuries are children younger than five and the elderly, those least able to escape fires and less able to physically withstand serious injuries. Many children suffer severe burns and death in mishaps involving scalding water, some occurring while they are bathing.

The CDC has noted that deaths from fires and burns is the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States and the third-leading cause of fatal injuries in the home.

If you or a loved one suffered a severe burn injury or death as a result of the negligence of another person, an employer, or a defective product, you may be entitled to compensation.  For a free legal consultation, contact Kane Legal today.