UPDATED 2/17/23 – Scalds are the most common type of burn injury to affect children. Each year, 5,000 children are treated for scald burn injuries from hot tap water. Because children have thinner and more sensitive skin than adults, they are at the highest risk for scald burns. It only takes a few seconds for scalding hot water to cause severe third-degree burns. These types of burns are so severe that they can cause life-long injuries and even death.
The Pritzker Hageman Burn Injury Legal Team represents families whose children were scalded at schools, hotels, restaurants, stores, apartments, and elsewhere. Attorney Eric Hageman, who leads our burn injury legal team, says “These tragic scald injuries can be prevented. Our job is to find out what happened and hold those responsible accountable.”
Can I Sue If My Child Was Scalded?
Scalding Safety During Burn Awareness Week
Each year, during the first full week of February, the American Burn Association sponsors National Burn Awareness Week to share burn safety resources. This year’s theme, “Hot Liquids Burn Like Fire!”, highlights the risk of scald burns from hot liquids. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends taking the following actions to help reduce the number of scald injuries:
- Teach children that hot food and liquids can burn.
- Cook on back burners and turn pot handles away from the edge of the stove.
- Place hot liquids and food in the center of a table or on the back of a counter.
- Implement a “kid-free zone” in areas at least 3 feet around the stove.
- Open microwaved food slowly and away from your face.
- Never hold a child while cooking, drinking, or carrying hot food or liquids.
- Never use a microwave to heat a bottle.
- Let microwaved food cool before eating.
- Always supervise a child in or near a bathtub or sink.
- Test the water with your hand or a thermometer before bathing a child.
- Install anti-scald safety devices on tub faucets and shower heads.
About the Pritzker Hageman Burn Injury Legal Team
Pritzker Hageman is one of the few law firms in the country with experience representing burn survivors and their families. Our legal team helps burn injury clients get the justice and compensation they deserve. We have collected hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients, including some of the largest burn recoveries in American history. If your child was scalded, it is important to talk to an experienced burn injury lawyer as soon as possible because laws called “statutes of limitations” can limit the amount of time you have to file a claim.
If you would like to talk to Pritzker Hageman’s team of burn injury lawyers about what to expect from the legal process, please call 1-888-377-8900, text 612-261-0856, or fill out the form below.