Burn Injuries from Florida Truck Accidents

Why Truck Crashes Cause Burn Injuries

A tractor carries saddle fuel tanks holding a substantial volume of diesel — often well over a hundred gallons each — mounted on the sides of the frame where a side impact can rupture them. That is before the cargo is considered.

Florida’s freight mix compounds it. Fuel tankers distribute from port petroleum terminals across the state. Chemical and hazardous material loads move on the same interstates as everyone else. And in a rollover, a tank that was protected becomes exposed and the contents are released across the roadway.

Burn injuries also occur without fire: contact with hot surfaces, scalding from ruptured cooling systems, chemical burns from spilled cargo, and friction burns from restraints and road contact.

Severity, Treatment, and Why It Takes Years

Burns are classified by depth, and the classification drives everything that follows:

• First-degree — the outer layer only; painful, but healing without scarring.
• Second-degree (partial thickness) — into the dermis; blistering, significant pain, and potential scarring.
• Third-degree (full thickness) — through the dermis, destroying nerve endings, which is why deep burns can be less painful initially. Requires grafting.
• Fourth-degree — into muscle, tendon, or bone, frequently leading to amputation.

Treatment for serious burns is prolonged and iterative: debridement of dead tissue, skin grafting, and often multiple reconstructive procedures over years. Infection is a persistent risk because the skin barrier is gone. Contracture — scar tissue tightening across a joint and restricting movement — frequently requires further surgery. Pressure garments and therapy continue long after the wound closes.

The psychological dimension is not secondary. Visible scarring, altered appearance, and the memory of the event itself produce documented psychological injury, which Florida law recognises as compensable harm.

Published By

Shiner Law Group, P.A.

Founded by David I. Shiner, Esq. · AV Preeminent® rated · Florida Bar member since 2002

Shiner Law Group was founded by David I. Shiner, Esq., a Nova Southeastern University law graduate, a member of The Florida Bar since 2002, and AV Preeminent® rated by Martindale-Hubbell. The firm represents injured people across Florida from offices in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Wellington, and Belle Glade, and handles truck accident cases on contingency: free consultations, and no fee unless there is a recovery.

The firm works to keep this information current and consistent. Spotted something wrong? Email joseph@shinerlawgroup.com and we will fix it. About this site →

Scarring and Disfigurement Under Florida Law

Burn cases have an unusual feature under Florida’s no-fault scheme. Fla. Stat. § 627.737 permits recovery of non-economic damages where there is permanent injury, death, or significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement.

That last category stands on its own. A burn survivor with permanent visible scarring may meet the threshold on that basis, independently of whether any other permanent impairment is established. Documenting the scarring properly therefore matters as much as documenting function:

• Photograph at every stage — initial injury, during treatment, after each procedure, and at intervals as scars mature. Scars change substantially over the first two years.
• Record the location and whether the scarring is visible in ordinary clothing.
• Document functional restriction from contracture separately from appearance.
• Include psychological treatment in the record.
• Obtain a prognosis on future reconstructive procedures and expected final appearance.

Other Florida rules apply as elsewhere: PIP under Fla. Stat. § 627.736 with the 14-day treatment deadline — exhausted almost immediately in a serious burn — comparative negligence under § 768.81, and the two-year limitations period for claims arising after March 24, 2023 (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(5)(a)).

Who Is Responsible for a Truck Fire

Burn cases often involve parties beyond those in an ordinary crash, because the fire has its own causes:

Hazardous materials carriers are subject to higher federal minimum insurance than the $750,000 applying to general freight, which can matter substantially given the cost of burn care. See Who Is Liable.

What to Do After a Burn Injury

1. Get medical care immediately — Florida’s PIP statute (Fla. Stat. § 627.736) requires initial treatment within 14 days to access your $10,000 in benefits. Serious burn care exhausts PIP almost immediately.
2. Photograph the injuries at every stage, and continue as scars mature over the following two years.
3. Note any placards on the truck or trailer, which identify a hazardous load and the parties responsible for it.
4. Preserve the vehicles — fire origin and cause analysis depends on physical evidence that is otherwise scrapped.
5. Get advice quickly, since fire investigation and vehicle preservation are both time-critical.
6. Include psychological care in your treatment, and ensure it enters the record.
7. Do not settle before the reconstructive course is understood.
8. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer before speaking with an attorney.

See What to Do After a Truck Accident for the full sequence.

Burn Injury FAQ