Use of Tanning Beds Leads to Personal Injury like Burns and Loss of Consciousness
“It’s important for people to understand both the long-term and the short-term risks of indoor tanning,” said Gery P. Guy Jr. of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. “For example, burns increase the risk of skin cancer later in life, while eye injuries from intense UV exposure may lead to cataracts and eye melanoma…People trying to get tan to look good need to understand that they might get a burn rather than a tan, and that tanned skin is also damaged skin.”
Researchers identified 405 cases of nonfatal personal injury involving tanning beds that led to emergency room visits between 2003 and 2012. They estimated that 3,234 visits to the hospital every year involve personal injury caused by tanning beds.
The study found that 80% of patients who had a tanning bed personal injury were female, and 80% of those were white. Most came from tanning salons, rather than a tanning bed in their own homes. The majority of those patients were released from the emergency room without having to go to the hospital.
The study did find, fortunately, that tanning bed personal injury across the country is decreasing, most likely because tans are not as popular as they once were. In 2003, 6,000 people suffered personal injury because of a tanning bed; that number decreased to around 2,000 in 2012.
“Ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin cancer, and a severe burn clearly indicates damage to the skin and increases the risk of skin cancer later in life,” Guy said. “A few case reports described tanners fainting in tanning booths, leading to head injuries and broken bones.”
The CDC reports that as many as 170,000 cases of melanoma are caused by indoor tanning and tanning beds.
Personal Injury Claims in South Carolina
A personal injury plaintiff may be entitled to an award of the costs for future medical care for permanent injuries. Typically, this must be proven with expert testimony. Most states allow additional recovery when an injury interferes with a plaintiff’s ability to lead a normal life. With an elderly client, this could mean the ability to play with one’s grandchildren, to walk and exercise as one did prior to an injury, to communicate meaningfully with others, or to engage in pastimes one previously enjoyed.
Although one might not think that mental anguish is something that will be addressed or compensated in a civil action, this is not so. Monetary damages may be awarded for a nursing home resident’s (or his or her survivor’s) pain, suffering, disfigurement, and impaired enjoyment of life. Damages awarded for the pain someone suffers can be for both physical and mental pain.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help With Personal Injury Claims
Although many of the people we represent in these cases are from right here in South Carolina, our lawyers routinely take clients from throughout the Southeastern U.S. and, in certain types of product liability or pharmaceutical cases, from across the country as well. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed through no fault of your own, contact the South Carolina personal injury attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. today for a free consultation today. 803.252.4800