HOT WATER CAN BURN A BABY IN 1 SECOND!
- By Gregg S.
Harrison, Attorney at Law, PLLC
I felt compelled
to write this month about a case I worked on and settled this past year in
hopes that you can prevent a disaster in your home.
In 2005, I received
a call from a distraught parent, who’s baby girl, (18 months old) was badly
burned in a hotel bathtub from scalding water. Without going into too much detail, the adorable baby girl
was under the faucet of a bathtub and her older brother (3) accidently turned
the cold knob off. The water came
out so hot it burned the skin off the little girl’s legs and feet. The mother called 911 and life flight
took the little baby girl to the hospital. She stayed in intensive care for over two weeks and
eventually received over 7 surgeries.
Her life will never be the same.
As it turns out,
the hotel where the little girl was staying, had a hot water heater set well
above the industry standard. The
tests my law firm conducted showed temperatures reaching above 190
degrees! As you know, boiling is at
212 degrees! After two years of
litigation, a confidential settlement was reached.
I tell you this
story so that you can make sure the hot water heater in your home is set
at a safe temperature. A lot of
you have infants and children in your home and I know every parent wants to
protect their children from harm. Here are some helpful tips:
·
Check the
temperature setting on your hot water heater regularly and never set it above
the standard and recommended temperature settings. Hot water should really never reach above 110 degrees with
children in the home.
·
When you are away
from home, check to see how hot the water seems to get before allowing children
to bathe. If you feel it is too
hot, do not allow your children to bath without your supervision.
·
Always remain with
your infant when bathing. Never
leave a baby unattended in any bath.
·
Remember to keep pots
of boiling water to the back burners so that children can’t reach them.
·
Teach older siblings
about hot water safety.
REMEMBER: A baby’s skin can receive a 2nd or 3rd
degree burn in approximately 1-3 SECONDS with water at 140 degrees. The same formula applies to senior
citizen’s skin.
Gregg
Harrison is an Attorney with offices in Cypress, Houston, and Corpus Christi. Gregg has negotiated settlements and
obtained verdicts from $1,000 to over $1,500,000. You can reach Mr. Harrison anytime for legal issues or
questions at 832-797-7600 or via Email:
gharrisonlaw@yahoo.com. Consultations
are always free of charge whether in person or on the phone. Visit www.greggharrison.com for past articles
and detailed past result charts.
Copyright Gregg Harrison PLLC. All rights reserved