Burns are among the most severe consequences of a car accident. When two vehicles collide, it can cause fuel tanks to rupture and ignite, electrical systems to spark and catch fire, and metal to scrape against metal, creating friction hot enough to sear skin. Engine fluids like superheated oil, coolant, and transmission fluid can spray across passengers and even airbags, designed to save lives, can burn occupants when they deploy too forcefully.

The human body can’t withstand these temperatures, which can destroy skin, damage tissue, and kill nerves. This is why so many victims spend months in hospital burn units, undergoing multiple surgeries and skin grafts. Scars mark them permanently, and the psychological impact runs just as deep as the physical wounds.

Michigan law allows burn victims to seek compensation when another driver’s negligence causes their injuries. You can recover damages for medical costs, lost income, pain, suffering, and disfigurement. However, insurance companies often look for reasons to deny or minimize claims, even when their policyholder caused the accident. This guide covers burn injury classifications, treatment options, and the legal actions that protect your right to fair compensation.

Types of Burn Injuries in Car Accidents

Doctors classify burns by how deeply they penetrate the skin. This degree of severity determines treatment, recovery time, and potential complications. 

First-Degree Burns

First-degree burns affect only the outer skin layer, called the epidermis. The skin turns red and feels painful to touch, but doesn’t blister. Swelling may also occur, and the burned area usually feels warm. While first-degree burns aren’t life-threatening, they still cause discomfort and may signal exposure to more serious dangers during the crash.

In car accidents, first-degree burns normally result from brief contact with hot surfaces. For example:

• A steering wheel heated by flames
• Scalding steam from a radiator
• Flash burns from airbag deployment

With proper care, most first-degree burns heal within a week without scarring. Treatment involves cool water, pain relievers, and moisturizing creams.

Second-Degree Burns

Second-degree burns penetrate beyond the epidermis into the dermis, the skin’s second layer. These burns create blisters filled with clear fluid, and the skin appears red, swollen, and extremely painful. Depending on dermis damage, second-degree burns are classified as superficial or deep:

• Superficial second-degree burns affect only the upper dermis. They’re intensely painful because nerve endings remain intact. The skin may look wet or shiny. Healing takes two to three weeks, and scarring is minimal with proper care.
• Deep second-degree burns reach the lower dermis, where sweat glands and hair follicles live. These burns may appear white or yellow. Paradoxically, they hurt less than superficial burns because nerve damage reduces sensation. Healing requires three to eight weeks and usually leaves scars.

Car accident victims get second-degree burns from prolonged contact with flames, scalding liquids, or hot metal. Hot steering wheels and seatbelt buckles, as well as exploding batteries, all cause these injuries.

Third-Degree Burns

Third-degree burns destroy the entire skin thickness to reach fat tissue below the dermis. The burned area, which looks white, black, brown, or charred, feels leathery or waxy. Victims often report no pain in the burned area because nerves are destroyed, though surrounding tissue with intact nerves can experience agonizing pain

These burns won’t heal on their own because the body can’t regenerate skin across such extensive damage. Treatment requires surgical removal of dead tissue and skin grafts from other body parts. Recovery takes months, and scarring is permanent and severe.

Third-degree burns occur under a wide range of circumstances that include:

• Car fires trapping the occupants inside. When vehicles flip and catch fire, or when doors jam during a fuel-fed blaze, victims sustain these catastrophic injuries. 
• Electrical burns from damaged high-voltage systems in electric or hybrid vehicles.

Fourth-Degree Burns

Fourth-degree burns extend past skin and fat into muscle, tendon, and bone, making them the most severe burns possible. The burned tissue appears blackened and charred, and victims feel no pain in the affected area because all nerves are dead.

These burns, which happen when the victim is exposed to intense heat for a prolonged period of time, require amputation in many cases. It’s an extreme measure, but often the only one: when muscle and bone are destroyed, they can’t regenerate, and infection risk is extreme. Even with aggressive treatment, fourth-degree burns carry high mortality rates.

Common Causes of Burns in Car Accidents

Different car accident scenarios create different burn risks. They also determine who may be liable for your injuries, lost wages, and other damages.

Vehicle Fires

Car fires are more common than most people realize. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), US fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 215,096 vehicle fires from 2018–2022. These fires start from multiple sources:

• Fuel System: Fuel system damage is the most obvious culprit. When a collision ruptures the fuel tank or breaks fuel lines, gasoline spills onto hot engine components, and a single spark ignites vapors instantly. Modern cars carry 10 to 25 gallons of gasoline: enough fuel to create an inferno that engulfs the vehicle in minutes.
• Electrical System: Electrical system failures also trigger fires. Cars contain miles of wiring that carry current to lights, sensors, computers, and entertainment systems. A collision can sever wires, creating shorts that spark, while battery damage releases flammable gases. In hybrid and electric vehicles, lithium-ion battery packs can catch fire after impact, and these fires burn hotter and longer than gasoline fires.
• Engine Fires: Engine fires start when oil lines break and spray lubricant onto exhaust manifolds heated to 1,200 degrees. Transmission fluid leaks create similar hazards. Catalytic converters, which reduce emissions by burning excess fuel, reach temperatures that ignite any flammable material touching them.

Hot Fluids and Surfaces

Cars contain different liquids heated well above the boiling point during normal operation. When crashes rupture hoses and reservoirs, these fluids spray across occupants. They include:

• Coolant: Coolant circulates through engines at 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. A broken radiator hose sends this scalding liquid through the cabin, especially in front-end collisions. Engine oil, which operates at similar temperatures, causes deep burns on contact.
• Hydraulic Brake Fluid: Hydraulic brake fluid, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid all reach temperatures high enough to burn skin. When these systems fail violently during a crash, the result can cause severe burns.
• Hot Surfaces: Hot surfaces inside the vehicle also cause burns. Dashboard components heated by engine fires, melted plastic dripping from the ceiling, and metal parts that conduct heat from flames all create burn hazards. Even seatbelt buckles can become hot enough to brand skin.

Airbag Burns

Airbags save lives, but they can also cause injuries. These safety devices deploy at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour, and the chemical reaction that inflates them (typically guanidine nitrate burning) generates significant heat.

Most airbag burns are first-degree friction burns on the face, neck, chest, and arms. However, some victims suffer chemical burns from the powder residue released during deployment. This powder, meant to lubricate the bag, can irritate and burn skin, particularly around the eyes and respiratory system. While these burns rarely need hospitalization, they’re painful enough to be temporarily impairing. They’re also evidence that the collision was severe enough to trigger deployment, which helps establish the force of the impact.

Electrical Burns

Modern vehicles are computers on wheels, powered by complex electrical systems. When accidents damage these systems, electrical arcing can cause burns. These burns are particularly dangerous because they disrupt the heart’s rhythm: victims may need cardiac monitoring even when the burns appear minor.

Standard 12-volt car batteries pose limited burn risk, but hybrid and electric vehicles operate on 400 to 800 volts. Contact with damaged high-voltage cables causes deep electrical burns that destroy tissue from the inside out. These injuries don’t always show severe external damage initially, but internal destruction can be extensive.

Chemical Burns

Cars contain several different chemicals that cause burns on contact. For example, battery acid, windshield washer fluid, and brake fluid can all damage skin. Airbag propellant residue contains caustic chemicals, while fires release toxic fumes that burn airways and lungs when inhaled.

Chemical burns require different treatment from thermal burns. Water, for example, may spread certain chemicals rather than dilute them. Medical providers need to know what chemical caused the burn to treat it correctly.

Treatment for Burn Injuries

Burn treatment depends on injury severity, location, and percentage of body surface area affected. As we explained earlier, minor burns heal with basic first aid, while severe burns require medical intervention that can last months or years. 

Immediate Care at the Accident Scene

The first minutes after a burn injury are critical. Quick action can mean the difference between a minor injury and permanent disfigurement.

• Thermal Burns: If clothing is on fire, stop, drop, and roll. Once flames are out, cool the burn with running water for 10 to 20 minutes, but don’t use ice, which can cause additional tissue damage. Remove jewelry, watches, and tight clothing before swelling starts, though you should never pull off fabric that’s stuck to burns.
• Chemical Burns: Brush off any dry chemicals before flushing with water, keeping in mind that some chemicals react with water. Battery acid burns need continuous water flushing for at least 20 minutes. Resist the temptation to neutralize chemicals with other substances: this can create heat and worsen the injury.
• Electrical Burns: The entry and exit wounds may look small, but internal damage along the current’s path can be severe. Victims need immediate medical evaluation, including cardiac monitoring.
• General Wound Care: Cover burns loosely with a clean, dry cloth or sterile gauze. Avoid applying butter, oils, ointments, or home remedies that can trap heat and increase infection risk. Leave blisters intact because they protect underlying tissue from bacteria.

Proper first aid sets the stage for successful treatment and can prevent complications that arise from improper initial care.

Emergency Room Treatment

Burn victims arriving at emergency rooms receive a rapid assessment. Medical staff evaluate burn depth, extent, and location while checking for inhalation injuries.

• Surface Area Calculation: Doctors use the “rule of nines” to calculate burned body surface area. For adults, the head represents 9% of the total body surface, each arm 9%, the chest and abdomen 18%, the back 18%, each leg 18%, and the groin 1%. Burns covering more than 10% of the body in adults or 5% in children require hospitalization.
• Pain Management: Pain control starts immediately because burns are excruciating. Adequate pain management reduces shock and allows doctors to clean and examine wounds.
• Fluid Replacement: Damaged skin can’t prevent fluid loss, causing burn victims to become dehydrated quickly. IV fluids prevent shock and organ failure, with the Parkland formula calculating fluid needs based on body weight and burn percentage.
• Wound Debridement: Cleaning removes debris and dead tissue through a procedure called debridement. This prevents infection, which is the leading cause of death in burn patients. Doctors then apply antibiotic ointments and dress wounds with specialized bandages that promote healing while preventing bacterial growth.

Emergency room treatment stabilizes patients and determines whether they need transfer to specialized burn centers for continued care.

Burn Unit Care

Severe burns need treatment in specialized burn units. These facilities have equipment and staff trained for difficult burn management, though not every hospital has one. Patients may need transfer to reach appropriate care.

• Infection Control: Burn units maintain strict protocols. Visitors wear gowns, gloves, and masks, while staff monitor wounds daily for signs of infection. Patients receive IV antibiotics, and the room temperature stays high because burn victims can’t regulate body temperature normally.
• Nutritional Support: Burn injuries dramatically increase metabolism. Patients may need twice their normal caloric intake to heal, and many require feeding tubes because eating enough food becomes impossible.
• Physical Therapy: Therapy starts early, even while wounds are still healing. Burns cause contractures (scar tissue that tightens and restricts movement), so therapists work to maintain the range of motion in affected joints. This therapy is painful but helps prevent permanent disability.
• Occupational Therapy: Therapists help patients relearn daily tasks, paying special attention to burns on hands because finger function is critical for independence. Custom splints hold fingers in functional positions during healing..

Surgical Interventions

Third and fourth-degree burns need surgery because the body can’t heal these wounds without medical intervention. Multiple procedures are usually necessary as doctors work to restore both function and appearance to the burned areas.

• Escharotomy: This emergency procedure treats circumferential burns that wrap around limbs or the torso. These injuries create rigid, inelastic tissue that acts like a tourniquet: as underlying tissue swells, circulation gets cut off. Surgeons make incisions through the burned tissue to relieve pressure and restore blood flow.
• Debridement: Surgeons remove dead tissue by excising burned skin down to healthy layers. This creates a clean wound bed for grafting, though multiple debridement surgeries may be necessary as doctors determine the full extent of tissue death.
• Skin Grafting: Split-thickness grafts take the top layers of skin from donor sites (typically the thighs or back), which surgeons stretch and attach to the burn wound. Full-thickness grafts, which include all skin layers, are used for smaller burns in visible areas where cosmetic results are important.
• Alternative Skin Sources: When burns cover too much of the body to provide adequate donor skin, surgeons use alternatives. Cadaver skin serves as a temporary covering, while artificial skin products made from collagen and synthetic materials help wounds heal. Cultured skin, grown in labs from the patient’s own cells, can provide permanent coverage but takes weeks to produce.
• Reconstructive Surgery: This happens months or years after the initial injury. Surgeons release contractures, revise scars, and restore function, which means burn victims may undergo dozens of surgeries over their lifetime.

Surgical treatment represents a long-term commitment, with procedures continuing for years as patients work toward maximum recovery.

Long-Term Recovery

Physical healing is just part of recovery: burn victims also face psychological challenges that rival the physical ones. Recovery there extends far beyond hospital discharge.

• Scar Management: Pressure garments (tight-fitting clothing worn 23 hours daily) minimize scar thickness. These garments are uncomfortable, especially during summer heat, but they reduce the raised, ropey scars called hypertrophic scarring.
• Persistent Symptoms: Itching torments burn victims during healing. The sensation can be unbearable and persist for years, though moisturizers help. Many patients need prescription medications for relief. Sun sensitivity also increases in healed burn areas because new skin lacks normal pigmentation and burns easily, so sunscreen becomes mandatory for life.
• Mental Health Support: Burn victims commonly develop post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Support groups connect survivors for mutual support, while mental health counseling addresses body image issues, social anxiety, and trauma.
• Pediatric Considerations: Growing bodies can turn healed burns into new problems because scar tissue doesn’t grow with the child, creating tightness and restricting movement. Multiple revision surgeries become necessary as children mature.

Legal Rights and Compensation for Burn Injuries

When another driver’s negligence causes your burn injuries, Michigan law provides avenues for compensation. They include:

• No-Fault Insurance Benefits: Michigan operates under a no-fault insurance system, which means your own insurance company pays certain benefits regardless of who caused the accident. These benefits apply to all car accident injuries, including burns.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Your auto insurance covers medical expenses related to the burn injuries. This includes hospital stays, surgeries, skin grafts, medications, rehabilitation, and follow-up care. PIP benefits also cover three years of attendant care if you need help with daily activities while recovering. For accidents occurring after July 2020, the amount of PIP coverage depends on the option you selected when purchasing your policy.
• Work Loss Benefits: If burns prevent you from working, your insurance pays 85% of your gross income up to a maximum amount set by law. These benefits continue for up to three years from the accident date.
• Replacement Services: Insurance covers expenses for household tasks you can’t perform during recovery: lawn care, housecleaning, childcare, and similar services.
• Survivor’s Benefits: If burn injuries prove fatal, your insurance provides death benefits to surviving family members, including funeral expenses up to $5,000 and continuation of certain economic benefits.

Beyond no-fault benefits, you can file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver for damages that insurance doesn’t cover. These claims require proving that the other driver’s negligence caused the accident and your injuries.

• Pain and Suffering: Burn injuries cause extreme physical pain during treatment and recovery. The severity of your burns, duration of pain, and impact on daily life all factor into pain and suffering calculations.
• Permanent Scarring and Disfigurement: Burns leave visible scars. These permanent marks affect self-esteem, social relationships, and employment opportunities. Michigan law, therefore, allows victims to seek compensation for disfigurement.
• Emotional Distress: The psychological trauma of burn injuries (post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, and body image issues) warrants compensation. Many burn victims need years of therapy to address mental health impacts.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life: When burns prevent you from participating in activities you once enjoyed, such as sports, hobbies, and social gatherings, you can seek damages for this diminished quality of life.

Schedule a Free Consultation With a Michigan Car Accident Lawyer

Burn injuries are among the most painful and life-altering consequences of car accidents. Treatment extends far beyond initial hospitalization: burn victims face years of surgeries, skin grafts, physical therapy, and scar management, while children encounter new complications as their bodies develop. The financial toll of medical bills, lost income, and ongoing care can devastate families already struggling with the emotional trauma of these injuries.

At LegalGenius, we’ve been representing burn injury victims since 1999. If you or a loved one suffered burn injuries in a car accident, reach out today for a free consultation. Let us review your case, explain your options, and start building the compensation claim you need. To speak with a Michigan car accident lawyer, call 1-800-209-4000 or fill out our Ask the Genius™ form today.

Attorney Jeffrey Perlman

Attorney Jeffrey Perlamn is the managing partner at LegalGenius, PLLC. He has helped Metro Detroit accident victims recover the compensation they deserve for over 35 years. He believes everyone should have access to justice and the legal system, which is why Attorney Perlman spends his time outside of the courtroom writing informational blogs on the LegalGenius website that are accessible to all.