Though it is not the most common thing in the world, flaming car accidents can and do happen every day. Many people can suffer first, second or even third-degree burns due to fires that break out in their vehicles.
Third-degree burns have the highest rate of lethality. It is important to know the signs of a third-degree burn and to seek immediate medical attention.
Understanding burn degree severity
Temple Health discusses the degrees of burn severity. On a scale, burns rank as first, second or third-degree depending on their severity. First-degree burns typically do not involve blisters and will have the lowest level of pain and damage. Second-degree burns can involve two layers of skin and may blister. It could scar, and second-degree burns on the face or covering wide areas of skin get classified as serious burns.
How third-degree burns differ
However, a third-degree burn of any size and at any location shares that classification. These burns involve all layers of the skin, along with the muscle and bone in some cases. Victims may not experience pain, but only because nerves in the burned area end up destroyed.
The wound tends to look charred or white, compared to the red and/or blistered look of the first two. Sometimes, it is possible to see underlying tissue or bone through the injury.
Victims need immediate medical attention due to the risk of going into shock. On top of that, the burn holds a high susceptibility to infection, which can complicate the healing process to potentially lethal degrees.