Joining family or friends for a cookout may feel safe, but accidents with gas or charcoal barbecue grills happen thousands of times a year. From 2017 to 2021, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) documented an average of 22,155 visits to hospital emergency rooms every year due to grill injuries. If this happens to you, a burn injury attorney in Las Vegas can explain your legal options. You may need this advice because people hurt by explosions, fires, and contact with hot surfaces sometimes suffer serious pain and financial hardship.

Types of Grill Injuries

As you would expect, burns represent the majority of grilling accident injuries. Burn injuries vary in severity. Physicians will rate them as first, second, or third-degree burns.

The medical community labels a first-degree burn as superficial. The heat damage only compromised the outer layer of skin. You can expect a full recovery. However, the injury remains painful and could produce medical bills and lost income that you could discuss with an injury lawyer in Las Vegas.

Things become more serious when the heat damage penetrates beneath the top layer of skin. Pain increases, and the skin blisters. Recovery takes longer, and scarring becomes possible. The skin damage also subjects you to a risk of infection and could limit your mobility depending on the extent and location of the second-degree burns. Personal injury lawyers in Las Vegas are much more likely to hear from people who experienced this level of suffering after a grill accident.

The need to consult injury attorneys becomes more urgent for people with third-degree burns after a barbecue fire or explosion. Third-degree burns destroy the skin and damage tissue beneath the skin. Pain could be extreme or minimal if the heat destroys nerves. Potentially permanent disability or disfigurement becomes more likely. These consequences could reduce your quality of life and inhibit future earnings. A burn injury attorney in Las Vegas can help you understand the long-term costs of your grill accident.

Aside from burns, blunt trauma and lacerations can occur when a gas grill explodes and sends shrapnel and other objects flying at high speeds. Although rare compared to the millions of successful barbecues every year, this scenario happened locally a few years ago when a gas grill explosion injured four people at a Las Vegas apartment complex.

Safety Tips to Prevent Grill Fires and Injuries

Everyone needs to observe basic safety practices for gas and charcoal grills. These tips could help you avoid an accident that needs the attention of an injury lawyer in Las Vegas.

Keep Children and Pets Away

Make it clear to everyone around you that children and animals must stay at least 3 feet from the grill. Very young children could easily touch hot surfaces and get burned. Even older children who know not to touch a hot grill can get careless as they play and run around. They could fall against a hot grill or knock it over.

Position Grill Away From Flammable Materials

On top of injuries, property damage is another threat when things go wrong with a grill. NFPA researchers found that an average of over 9,000 home fires happen every year due to grilling accidents.

Put your grill in a spot where nothing flammable is next to it or above it, like a porch roof, pergola, or tree branches. Dry palm tree fronds hanging down the trunk could easily catch fire and spread the flames to a building.

Test for Gas Leaks

A gas leak from the canister or its hose presents a very dangerous situation. With a gas grill, your first step is to inspect the tank and hose. Sniff for the odor of gas. If you smell gas, close the tank’s valve and do not use the grill.

You can also inspect the hose and its connections for leaks with dish soap suds. Mix up some suds and spread the bubbles over the hose and connections. If you see new bubbling, then gas is escaping the system.

Open Gas Grill Before Lighting

Before lighting a gas grill, you need to open the lid. Then you can turn on the gas supply and push the ignition button. If you do not open the lid, gas could build up under the lid and explode when you ignite the grill.

Personal injury attorneys in Las Vegas, Nevada, see firsthand the pain and distress that gas explosions cause people. We urge you to observe proper procedures when lighting gas grills.

Never Apply Lighter Fluid to Hot Coals

People who grill with charcoal can get frustrated lighting the coals. You must resist the urge to spray lighter fluid on partially lit coals. You could cause a large flare-up that burns your body or catches something nearby on fire.

Use Long-Handled Utensils

Barbecue utensils, like flippers and tongs, have extra-long handles to keep your hands and forearms out of the cooking area. The heat coming off the grill is intense. Using normal-length utensils, places your hands right over the heat. A flare-up from dripping grease could occur at any time and scorch your hand or wrist.

Have a Fire Extinguisher

Even if you take precautions, you are working with an open flame when grilling. If a fire breaks out, you need a fire extinguisher close at hand. Your swift reaction to a fire can prevent burn injuries.

When personal injury lawyers in Las Vegas pursue damages for injury victims, they look for evidence of negligence. Having a fire extinguisher ready in case of emergency helps you look like a responsible person.

Dispose of Coals in Metal Container

Even after the food is eaten and people have gone home, a fire could break out from improper disposal of charcoal. Coals and ash stay hot for hours. If you dump them in the garbage, it could ignite a fire in the trash.

To dispose of coals and ash safely, let them cool completely inside the grill. Then scoop the leftover coals into a metal bucket or pan.

Meet With a Burn Injury Attorney in Las Vegas

After a fire or explosion, you may need representation from an injury lawyer in Las Vegas who understands NFPA forensic standards for fire scenes. You can find a burn injury attorney in Las Vegas with this specific skill at Moss Berg. Our injury lawyers have access to specialists who can provide testimony relevant to your personal injury insurance claim or lawsuit.

Let us evaluate your burn injury case to determine if sources of compensation are available. Contact our office today to schedule a free consultation.