Scalding & Hot Liquid Burn Injury Claims
Scald burns — caused by contact with hot liquids, steam, and grease — are the most common type of burn injury in the United States and are particularly devastating for children and elderly individuals. The American Burn Association reports that scalds account for approximately 35% of all burn injuries requiring hospital admission. Hot water, coffee, soup, grease, steam, and other heated liquids can cause severe second- and third-degree burns in seconds at temperatures as low as 140°F.
At Roden Law, our scald burn attorneys represent victims throughout Georgia and South Carolina who suffer burn injuries from restaurant negligence, dangerously hot tap water in rental properties, workplace spills, and defective products that fail to adequately contain or regulate hot liquids.
Common Causes of Scalding Injuries
Scald burn claims arise from a variety of negligent conditions:
- Restaurant and food service burns: Dangerously hot beverages, soups, and grease served or handled without adequate safety precautions
- Excessively hot tap water: Landlords and property managers who set water heaters above 120°F, creating scalding risks especially for children and elderly tenants
- Workplace scalds: Industrial steam burns, cooking grease splashes, and hot water exposure in food processing and manufacturing
- Defective products: Coffee makers, kettles, pressure cookers, and instant pots with inadequate safety features
- Daycare and nursing home negligence: Children and elderly residents scalded due to inadequate supervision and unsafe water temperatures
- Steam pipe and radiator burns: Exposed heating elements in older buildings and apartments
Premises Liability & Landlord Obligations
Property owners and landlords have a duty under Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 51-3-1) and South Carolina premises liability law to maintain their properties in a reasonably safe condition. This includes ensuring water heater temperatures are set to safe levels (the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends 120°F), maintaining steam and radiator systems, and protecting tenants from known scalding hazards.
Landlords in both states can be held liable when they maintain water heaters at dangerously high temperatures, fail to install anti-scald devices in showers and bathtubs, leave exposed steam pipes or radiators accessible, or ignore tenant complaints about excessively hot water.
Scalding Injuries in Children & Elderly Adults
Children under 5 and adults over 65 are at dramatically higher risk for severe scald burns because their skin is thinner and burns at lower temperatures. Scalding injuries in children are among the most common forms of child burn injuries. When a child is scalded at a daycare, school, or rental property, the supervising institution or property owner may face liability for negligent supervision or unsafe premises. When elderly residents are scalded in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, the facility may face negligence claims for inadequate supervision and unsafe water temperatures.
Compensation for Scalding Injuries
Victims of scalding burns may recover compensation for burn unit hospitalization and treatment, skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, physical therapy and scar management, pain and suffering, permanent scarring and disfigurement, emotional distress and psychological trauma, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, and future medical expenses. Georgia allows recovery if less than 50% at fault (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33), and South Carolina allows recovery if less than 51% at fault. Contact Roden Law for a free consultation regarding your scalding burn injury.