In Hawaii, an extradition hearing will take place today that will decide if Eric Jones will be transferred back to Utah and face child abuse charges. Mr. Jones, 35 year-old, was arrested in the Liliha area. News stories report that allegedly Mr. Jones is responsible for the third degree burns his son sustained in 2006.
Burn injuries are the second most common cause of death in children. Thousands of children are hospitalized every year with burn injuries. Approximately 3,000 children die a year from burn injuries. The survivors suffer varying degrees of permanent physical disfigurement and psychological trauma. Burns are widely regarded as one of the most painful and complex injuries that a victim may endure. Survival and recovery from burn injuries is often very difficult and lengthy with serious complications along the way. In fact, statistics show that children under four years old are two times more likely to sustain a burn injury than older children and therefore their death rate from burn injuries is higher. The skin of younger children is thinner and therefore an injury from burns can cause a greater degree of injury. Keep in mind that a young child’s skin burns at a lower temperature and a greater depth than that of an older child or an adult’s skin. Also, younger victims are less likely to survive due to the inability of their young bodies to endure the significant physical stress of injury and healing. The higher burn injury rate in young children can be attributed to the higher likelihood of sustaining injury from non-accidental burns in an abusive domestic setting. Also the developmental level of the child within a hazardous environmental setting is more likely to result in burn injury.
Healthcare providers screen for child abuse and non-accidental injury when pediatric burn injury victims are initially encountered in the clinical setting. Though a burn injury may be thought to be non-intentional, burn injuries are often preventable.
In general burn injuries are classified as flame contact injuries, flash injuries from combustible agents, thermal injuries, scalding injuries, chemical injuries or electrical burn injuries. Scalding burns from hot liquid are the most common cause of burn injury in younger children, while contact with flames resulting in burn injuries are more common in older children.
