(Photo credit: Courtesy of Angel Faces)
Motor vehicle accidents are very traumatic experiences for everyone involved. There’s a risk those involved emerge with either minor or major injuries or the possibility of brain, spinal cord or burn injuries.
Recovering from a burn injury is a very long process. It may require multiple surgeries and while you may be healthy enough to be discharged from a hospital, it’s adjusting to the fact that you may be permanently scarred and disfigured in some areas of your body. Thankfully, there are organizations such as St. John’s Burn Rehabilitation Centre and California-based Angel Faces that support Ontarians during the tumultuous journey.
Thanks to the latest innovations in healthcare, there are survivors from incidents where they’ve suffered burn injures of 80 per cent of their skin. Unfortunately, their scars can have a huge impact on their social lives, which is why support groups are necessary to help a person recover.
Angel Faces is the only non-profit organization that helps young girls and women with burn or trauma injuries achieve their optimum potential in life and develop meaningful relationships for themselves, their families, and their communities. This is done at an annual retreat in the United States as well as on-going support that enhances their self-esteem and social skills, while at the same time addressing their emotional and psychological healing process. The organization was started by Lesia Cartelli, who was burned in a natural gas explosion when she was nine. At the retreats, volunteers, including licensed psychologists, nurses and fire captains, help girls set goals towards their future and offer them strength, courage and wisdom to help their recovery. Participants are either referred by burn/trauma centres or they can apply online, where there are also scholarships and sponsorships available.
Sunnybrook’s St. John’s Burn Rehabilitation Centre is the only dedicated rehab facility in Ontario. Patients are referred to the program by hospitals and physicians across the province and staff work towards helping each patient be independent and recover on personalized timelines. There’s a wide variety of staff who help a patient including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, speech-language pathologists, pharmacists, physicians, dietitians, social workers, psychologists and spiritual care workers. There’s even a specialized Back on Track program for those who suffered burns during a workplace or car accident.
While burn injuries may be a result of motor vehicle accidents, unfortunately workplace accidents are also a common reason too. Between 2001 and 2002, there were more than 3,400 burn hospitalizations, which accounted for 1.7 per cent of the total hospitalizations, according to the National Trauma Registry. Those between the ages of 35 to 44 were most affected by burn injuries and patients spend an average of 12.2 days in a hospital recovering.
Accident benefits are available to anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been dealing with all accident related issues throughout Ontario for over 45 years. We know how to get you the compensation that you deserve and get your life back in order after being in a car accident. Call us at 416-920-4242, set up a free consultation, and come speak with us.
Greg Neinstein
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