What if I was injured in an explosion in California?

A recent study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed a total of 71 deaths related to an explosion or fires in 2020. 

While not as high of a rate as other workplace fatalities like a slip and fall or a transportation accident, an explosion still accounts for a staggering amount of related deaths and injuries.  Furthermore, this study doesn’t take into account non-work related explosions.

Explosions can happen in many different ways – 

• Gas line leak
• Chemical blast at a power plant
• Exploding chemical parts
• Tank blow up
• Certain objects catching fire

The CDC lists common injuries that may result from an explosion – 

• Lung injury – smoke from an explosion can fill the victim’s lungs, creating breathing hazards.
• Abdominal injury – eruptions can damage or perforate one’s bowels and hurt other areas around the stomach. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, vomiting, and nausea.
• Ear injury – Some victims caught in an or near an explosion have reported loss of hearing, vertigo, or damage to the parts of the inner ear. 
• Eye injury – a victim’s eyes can be affected in many ways, ranging from blindness due to the release of dangerous chemicals, or injuries from flying debris.
• Loss of limbs – Some blasts are severe enough that victims lose limbs. The belief is that the explosion wind avulses the limb, possibly after the initial shock wave
• Concussions – a large blast might cause objects to fall or pieces of a large surface to break apart. Additionally, a worker could fall or trip due to the explosion and bang their head.
• Inhaling lethal or damaging toxins – similar to a lung injury, chemicals may be released after an explosion that can severely damage, or even kill, a worker.
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – PTSD can affect not only those physically injured, but those who witness the incident.  For example, if a worker saw their colleague suffer an injury or death, they may feel psychological effects.

Another frequent explosion injury is burns.  Burn lesions can be both excruciating and frightening, leaving a victim with visual reminders in the form of scars, as well as emotional trauma of the incident. 

Burns are broken into four degrees – 

First-degree –  Typically lower in severity, these burns affect only the outer layer of skin.

Second-degree – Damage both the epidermis as well as the dermis (aka the layer underneath).

Third-degree – Highly severe burns that wreck both the epidermis and dermis and can reach the subcutaneous tissue (aka the innermost layer of skin).

Fourth-degree – This is the most critical burn, stretching through both layers of the skin and tissue, usually reaching muscle, bone, or even nerve endings.

An injury caused by an explosion can be detrimental to the victim physically and emotionally.  Your pain may seem incurable. The bodily injuries can be hard to cope with, and your mental agony might be hard to bear. 

The explosion injury lawyers at C&B Law Group are here to help with your dilemma. We have years of experience practicing in the Los Angeles area.  From Burbank to Long Beach, or Venice to Pasadena, our goal is to help make your injury case as seamless as possible. 

Whether you were injured in a construction explosion at work, or you are suffering through the mental heartache of seeing a close colleague die in a work explosion, we can help you.  

Our team can build a powerful case to maximize your potential earnings, which hopefully will aid in your recovery. We’ve recovered millions for our satisfied clients, and we can hopefully do the same for you too. Our client testimonials showcase the hard work and responsibility we put into each case 

Your first consultation is free. Contact our Southern California injury lawyers today.