On February 19th, 2008, a busy working woman with the initials J.B. was delivering hydrochloric acid to a Frac Tech facility in Aledo, Texas. As she was moving the acid, a fitting hose came loose, spraying her with hydrochloric acid. In a panic, J.B. rushed to safety showers, but they both weren't available to her. One of the showers was out of order, and the other was locked. She suffered intense burns on her face, abdomen, and arms from the incident, and sued the Frac Tech facility because they did not have safety showers ready for an emergency like this. She won $450,000 from the settlement. While the compensation may be helpful, it is not enough to replace the pain and suffering that J.B. has suffered since her chemical burn occurred.
In another instance, a mother and child sustained third degree burns all over their bodies when a propane tank exploded inside of their rented home. The mother and child received a whopping $11 million in response to the explosion, but will always have the scars that the searing propane has laid on them. Chemical burns are painful and permanently scarring. They can occur anywhere, from a work place, to a home, to a school, where students work with highly dangerous chemicals in science labs. Many times, the burns are the result of an accident or an assault by another person.
According to Web MD, there are many different substances that can cause chemical burns. For one, bleach can severely harm people if it is not used right. Concrete mix, drain and toilet bowl cleaners, metal cleaners, and pool chlorinators are just a few of the many common household objects that can create chemical burns. Normally items with a dangerous burn potential are labeled so as to warn consumers. Most of these burns occur on the face, eyes, arms or legs. In intense burns, the victim may suffer deep tissue damages. These damages normally depend on the site of contact, the duration of the exposure, how the chemical works and whether or not the skin is intact.
If you have redness, irritation, or burning at the site of contact with a chemical, you may be suffering a burn. Also, if you have pain or numbness at the site, or the formation of blisters and black, dead skin, then you may have a chemical burn. When you have a severe chemical burn, it can create low blood pressure, faintness, weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, an intense migraine headache, muscle twitching, a seizure, or cardiac arrest. Death can occur from a chemical burn, especially in intense burn situations.
One common place where chemical burns can occur is in the science labs at local schools. Many times students will abuse the chemicals that they are working with and end up with bromine or acid burns. Small burns can normally be remedied if you flush the area for 15 minutes with tap water and then wrap the burned area loosely. When a student is burned with hydrofluoric acid, white phosphorus, or phenol, you will want to call a doctor and have the burn tended to immediately. Chemical labs should be outfitted with safety showers or eye washes just in case of a chemical splash. When a student splashes chemicals into his or her eyes, they should be rinsed out immediately. If they are not rinsed out right away, the child may sustain blindness.
In severe burn cases where the situation could have been prevented, you have every right to press charges. Contact a personal injury lawyer to help you compile your evidence. You will want doctor's reports and all of the details of what happened so that you can present an effective case. Once you have your case ready to go, you can seek compensation for your pain and suffering, and possibly get your medical bills and lost wages paid for.