In December of 2012, ESPN anchor Hannah Storm was in the process of getting dinner ready. Like many people do, Storm was barbecuing her dinner on the backyard grill. As she cooked, she noticed that the grill had gone out. Storm attempted to relight the grill, but unfortunately disaster struck. Instead of relighting, a powerful gas explosion occurred, blowing the doors right off the grill. Storm’s shirt caught on fire and she suffered first and second degree burns on her head, neck and chest. Storm also lost some of her hair as well as her eyebrows in the explosion. Yahoo Sports had pictures of her burn injuries, released by ABC.

Storm was, fortunately, able to get the medical assistance that she needed and was back at work and on television to host the New Year’s Rose Parade. Still, her serious injuries have brought the dangers of gas grills to public attention. Gas grills are just one of the many common causes of burn injuries that send people to the ER each year and that have a life-changing impact. Our Buffalo burn injury attorneys want to make sure that everyone is aware of some of the burn injury risks and that they take responsible steps to protect themselves.

Burn Injury Dangers

As Hannah Storms’ recent accident shows, there are many household objects that you use on a regular basis that create the risk of causing a burn injury. In fact, every day, people encounter many situations at home, at work or on the road that could result in a fire or burns. Some statistics can illustrate just how many burn risks there are:

• The National Fire Protection Association attributed 6,900 house fires to gas grills between 2005 and 2009.
• The U.S. Fire Administration data reported 258,000 vehicle fires on highways from 2004 to 2006.
• The Electrical Safety Foundation International indicates that around 100,000 people scald themselves so severely each year that they must visit the emergency room.

Gas grills, auto accidents and scalding injuries are some of the most common causes of burn injuries. There are, of course, other causes of burn injuries as well. For example, people may suffer chemical or electrical burns. While it may seem like these types of burns would happen mostly in industrial settings, WebMD makes clear that a number of household cleaners and other products could potentially cause chemical burns to people in their own homes.

Unfortunately, this means that any of these types of burns, from gas grills to scalding injuries, can happen anywhere. They happen at work, where the  Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that three percent of all of the 4,609 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in 2011 were caused by burns.  They can also happen in apartments where the National Fire Protection Association reports that there were 95,500 structural fires in 2011 causing 415 deaths. Finally, they can happen at home where an estimated 8,600 home and outdoor fires prompted homeowners to seek help from the fire department from 2006 to 2010.

Knowing about the dangers of burns, whether from gas grills or from any other cause, is important so you can try to stay safe and avoid becoming one of the thousands each year who are hurt by fire. The makers of products, from gas grills to dangerous chemicals, also need to warn people of the risks and do everything possible to keep people safe or else they could be faced with a lawsuit.

If you’ve been injured in Buffalo or the surrounding area, contact the Law Offices of James Morris today for a free consultation to discuss your rights. Call 800-477-9044.