Missouri Injury Lawyer Blog

An explosion at a chemical plant left a worker seriously burned and rocked nearby homes, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported April 14. The explosion took place late on Easter Sunday, when an overnight shift worker mixed two chemicals at the SantoLubes plant in St. Charles, northwest of the city. SantoLubes makes lubricants and insecticides, and the chemical mixing was supposed to be a routine step in that process. The owner of the plant speculated that contamination in the equipment may have caused the explosion.

The victim, a 38-year employee of the company, is expected to live and was listed in satisfactory condition at a nearby hospital. However, the article said, he suffered burns over 30% of his body. That number may not mean much to folks who have never worked with burn victims, but as a Missouri burn injury lawyer, I know how serious a burn that large can be. On an adult, burns over more than 25% of the body are considered severe. In addition to the pain, which can be considerable, such large burns can be a serious threat to the patient’s life, inviting infections and dehydration. Later, scars can develop that are not only disfiguring but sometimes disabling.

Not much information was available on the cause of the explosion when the Post-Dispatch story ran. But accidents at work are one of the most common causes of serious burns. Workers can be burned on the job by contact with hot surfaces like a griddle or a hot-water heater; electrocution and electrical burns; explosions; steam or hot water; contact with chemicals; or ordinary fire. All employers in the United States must comply with federal occupational safety laws intended to prevent these accidents, but many workplaces fall short, due to lax management or intentional cost-cutting. If a worker is seriously injured on the job in a way that full compliance could have prevented, the employer may be legally liable for a Missouri burn injury lawsuit.

At the Lowe Law Firm, our St. Louis serious burn attorneys help occupational burn victims recover the financial compensation they need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical costs; keep their families financially secure while they cannot work; and compensate them for their pain, suffering and possible lifetime of disfiguring or disabling scars. If you or someone you love was seriously burned because of someone else’s carelessness and you would like to learn more, we would like to help. To schedule a free, confidential consultation about a possible St. Louis severe burn lawsuit, please contact us online or call us at 1-877-678-3400, or, in St. Louis, at (314) 678-3400.

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Posted In: Burn Injuries

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A woman has died of injuries sustained in a house fire caused by faulty electrical wiring, the News-Sun of Camdenton, Mo. reported Feb. 10. Violet Marie Simpson, 86, suffered burns and smoke inhalation during the fire in the early morning hours of Dec. 28. She and another person in the house managed to escape and go to a neighbor’s house to call the fire department at about 3:45 a.m., but not before Simpson sustained serious burn injuries and smoke inhalation injuries. She was hospitalized for more than a month before she passed away.

Unfortunately, electrical wiring problems are a consistent and widespread cause of house fires like this one. According to the Red Cross, problems with electrical wiring of homes and appliances are the leading cause of house fires, ahead of cigarette accidents, cooking accidents and children playing with matches. In many cases, the faulty wiring is the fault of a company that did substandard electrical work or made and sold a defectively wired consumer product. When that’s the case, that company is legally responsible for any injuries or deaths that result.

That legal responsibility could be especially important in cases like this one, where the victims must be hospitalized for long periods. That’s a common problem with burn injuries that affect a large amount of the victim’s skin (around 30% for adults with second-degree burns). Without our skin, we lose our first barrier against infections and our bodies’ ability to regulate temperature, hydration and other functions that are basic to good health. Victims of severe burns frequently must visit special wards to get the care they need, and may need surgery or dermatology care for years afterward. In addition to being painful and traumatic, unfortunately, this is also very expensive.

If a manufacturer, home builder or other party is found legally liable for the victims’ injuries in a Missouri burn injuries lawsuit, those victims can collect compensation for their costs and injuries. That includes the cost of past and future medical care for their burns, as well as compensation for any permanent disability or loss of a loved one; pain and suffering; and other financial costs, like the loss of property in the home. The Lowe Law Firm handles this type of case for clients throughout Missouri and southern Illinois. Our experienced Missouri burn injury attorneys even offer free case evaluations, so there’s no risk in speaking to us about your case.

If you’ve lost someone or been severely burned in a fire caused by someone else’s carelessness and you’d like to learn more, you can contact the Lowe Law Firm online or call us toll-free at 1-877-678-3400 today.

Posted by Carey, Danis & Lowe | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Burn Injuries

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