Tap water that is too hot accounts for about 25% of all scald burns nationwide, according to a recent study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. According to a news report on UPI.com, a water heater set to 120 degrees Fahrenheit can release water from the tap hot enough to cause a second-degree burn in about nine minutes. When turned up to 130 degrees, that injury may occur as quickly as in 25 seconds. At 140 degrees, it only takes three seconds.
What the Study Shows
Researchers involved with the study are recommending a potential solution to help prevent these serious burn injuries. They say mandating thermostatic mixing valves that add cold water to tap water before it comes out of the faucet may make a difference. Scald burns are especially common injuries to see in an emergency department, with young children most likely being the victims, researchers say, adding that these types of injuries usually occur because water heaters are turned up too high.
The study’s authors used data from two U.S. databases for the years 2016 to 2018, which gave the research team more than 52,000 emergency department visits, 7,270 hospital admissions, and 110 hospital deaths that were attributed to scald burns. About 45% of the patients were aged 18 to 64 in one dataset and 60% of patients in the other dataset were in that age group. Children are also often victims of these types of injuries.
Risk of Serious Complications
The study also showed that the average expense for each initial emergency visit was $572 while the cost of a hospital stay was more than $28,000, adding up to $78.8 million in the United States annually, before calculating the cost of rehabilitation, medication and other costs such as infection treatment.
Scald burns are painful and may hurt for several weeks. While a majority of scald burns tend to be second-degree burns, such incidents can result in third-degree burns or full-thickness burns that destroy the entire top layer of the skin. Such burn injuries often require skin grafting. Even with such surgery, these injuries may result in permanent scarring and disfigurement. They are also extremely painful, take time to heal, and are costly to treat.
Premises Liability Claim
It is the responsibility of property owners and/or managing agents to ensure that water pipes on the premises are properly inspected, repaired, and maintained at all times. Property owners and/or property managers may be held liable for burn injuries caused by hot water, steam, or scalding as well as for slip-and-fall accidents caused by leaking pipes or other dangerous conditions, which should have been repaired in a timely manner. Worn or broken parts must be repaired or replaced promptly. Property owners and managers have a duty to ensure that their property is safe for all tenants, visitors, and guests.
Victims of hot water burn injuries can file what is known as a premises liability claim against the property owner and/or manager. Injured victims can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income, and benefits, hospitalization, cost of rehabilitation, surgery, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain, and suffering, etc. Families of deceased victims in such cases can file a wrongful death claim seeking compensation as well.
Contacting an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one has suffered burn injuries or slip-and-fall injuries as a result of dangerous conditions, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. Our law firm obtained $2,250,000 for a child who was burned by hot bath water and $600,000 in another similar case. We also secured $750,000 for a woman who suffered second and third-degree burn injuries and scarring after she was scalded by hot shower water in her apartment.
For over 51 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of assisting injured victims. One of our clients — a hot water burn victim — secured $750,000 in damages from the property owner and manager. Our firm also obtained a $985,000 settlement out of a $1 million policy for two people who suffered smoke inhalation injuries because the homeowner did not have smoke detectors installed and the $15,000 that was left on the insurance policy was for a person that we did not represent. Another of our clients recovered $2,500,000 due to a faulty space heater. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict of $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict of $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
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Source: https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2023/03/08/tap-water-hot-scalding-burns/5161678283952/