Flaming car crashes are not simply a thing that the minds of Hollywood decided to make up one day. They happen across the nation daily, injuring plenty of drivers along the way.
In specific, third-degree burns received from crash wounds can cause a major impact in a victim’s life. They can even threaten to kill a person before they ever get treatment.
Identifying third-degree burns
Temple Health discusses the scale of burn severity. Third-degree burns rank at the top of the list, above first and second-degree burns. No matter how physically large a third-degree burn may look, medically it will always get categorized as a severe wound.
A third-degree burn will not look red or blistered in most cases. Instead, it may look charred or white. Victims will often lack sensation in the area due to the damage to the nerves there, which can result in them not feeling any pain.
Shock and infection
Third-degree burns can potentially send a victim into shock. These areas also have a high susceptibility to infection, including serious infections like gangrene which can eventually lead to sepsis or septic shock. The latter has a fatality rate of 40 percent, and many victims of sepsis will succumb to it within three days of the first signs appearing.
Third-degree burns will leave permanent damage behind in most cases. This can include nerve damage, i.e. permanent loss of sensation to an area, as well as extensive scarring. A burn injury can truly alter a victim’s entire life in multiple ways right from the start.