Woman Severely Burned During Fort Lauderdale Photo Shoot
A woman was severely burned after a car exploded during a photo shoot in a Fort Lauderdale junkyard last month, according to a report in Local 10.
The woman, Jenny Meiler, is a 48-year-old nutritionist from Boca Raton. She suffered burns on more than 75 percent of her body when she was trapped inside the junked car that ignited on June 9, the report states. The photographer at the shoot, Helmut Montoya also suffered serious burn injuries in the blaze.
The photographer put lit candles all over the car, which ultimately caught fire and exploded. The car had been covered in automotive fluid and other materials that can ignite fire, the report states. Police believe gas fumes actually ignited the blaze.
Meiler is in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
Burns Injuries in the United States
Last year, almost half a million people were treated for burn injuries, according to the American Burn Association. Some 40,000 of those individuals had to be hospitalized, and about 30,000 were treated at certified burn centers.
Of those nearly half a million burn injuries, the majority were caused by a fire or flames at 43%, the association reported. The next most common cause was scalding injuries at 34%. The remaining causes, direct contact injuries, electrical burns, chemical burns and other sources, all occurred in less than 10% each of all reported injuries.
Sadly, about 3,200 Americans died from fire and/or smoke inhalation last year.
Common Types of Burn Injuries
Some of the common types of burn injuries in the United States include:
- Flash: Propane, gasoline and natural gas explosions can all cause flash burns. This most often occurs in industrial and construction environments
- Flame: This is the most common type of burn injury. There are many causes of flame burns, including property fires, car accidents, gas station fires and more.
- Scalds: The second-most common type of burn injury, scald injuries occur when hot liquids come in contact with the skin. These liquids include hot or boiling water, steam, oil, grease and tar.
- Contact: Contact burn injuries occur when the skin comes in contact with a very hot material, like metal, plastic, glass and other materials.
- Chemical: Chemical burn injuries can be caused by caustic materials or liquids like acid.
- Electrical: Electrical burns occur when an individual comes in contact with an electrical current. These burns can cause injuries inside the body and out, including damage to internal organs.
Negligence in Burn Injuries
You may be able to file a personal injury claim following a burn injury if someone’s negligence led to the danger. In Florida, an individual can be found negligent under state law if they owed you a certain level of safety, which could mean you were visiting their property as a guest or that you were a customer in their store or a worker on their construction site. It also states that the individual must have been aware or it was reasonable that they should have been aware of the present danger to you and others in that environment.
In those cases, you may be eligible to file suit to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages and general pain and suffering as a result of your burn injury. If you’re in Fort Lauderdale and have been injured in a burn incident, contact the lawyers at Boone & Davis today.
