Heat-Related Injuries in New Jersey
New Jersey has recorded steadily increasing temperatures for the last several years. In 2023, New Jersey had its third-warmest annual temperature on record. Heat-related injuries and illnesses have become a growing problem, especially among workers. If you suffer heatstroke or another type of heat-related injury in certain circumstances, you may be eligible for financial compensation with the help of a personal injury lawyer in New Jersey.
Types of Heat-Related Injuries
Strenuous activity in hot environments, such as working in the sun or participating in school sports outdoors, can cause various types of heat-related injuries. Statistics in New Jersey show that in 2023, at least 103 patients were hospitalized due to heat-related illnesses.
Being exposed to extreme heat indoors or outdoors can cause the body to lose control of its temperature. The body can heat up rapidly and be unable to cool down (heatstroke). Heatstroke is a serious and potentially fatal illness that can cause seizures, an altered mental state, coma and death.
Even in less serious situations, the body can react adversely to an excessive loss of water and salt through sweating, causing heat exhaustion or rhabdomyolysis (rapid loss of muscle due to heat stress and physical exertion). Other possibilities include heat cramps, heat rash and heat syncope (fainting).
Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses in New Jersey
Injuries, illnesses and deaths related to the body overheating can be prevented by protecting individuals from extremely hot conditions. It is often the responsibility of others – such as employers, supervisors, sports coaches and schools – to prevent heat-related injuries in New Jersey.
Any location where workers, students or other individuals are exposed to hot environments for extended periods of time, especially while engaging in physical exertion, comes with a risk of heat-related illnesses. Those responsible for the health and safety of others in hot conditions should assess this risk and take proactive measures to prevent harm.
Workers in New Jersey, for example, should be given ample rest breaks in hot conditions. At the first signs of heat cramps or heat exhaustion, a worker should immediately be moved to a cooler location and given ice or cold, wet towels to cool down. Paramedics should be called to provide further medical assistance, as needed.
Legal Options After Suffering Heat-Related Injuries in New Jersey
If you suffered a heat-related injury in New Jersey or a loved one tragically died due to a fatal case of heatstroke, you have legal rights. It may be possible to bring a lawsuit in New Jersey for a preventable heat-related illness or wrongful death.
If another person or party owed the victim a responsibility to prevent harm – such as the duty all employers in New Jersey have to ensure the safety of workers – this can give grounds to file a legal claim. A personal injury case for heatstroke or other heat-related injuries could provide financial compensation to make up for the victim’s losses.
A successful settlement or judgment award can pay for a victim’s past and future medical costs, hospital bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, any permanent harm suffered, and pain and suffering. However, it is up to the victim to prove that someone else was negligent and that this caused the heat-related injury.
Protect Your Rights By Contacting a Heat-Related Injury Lawyer in New Jersey
It can be challenging to establish through evidence that another person or party could have prevented your heat-related injury in New Jersey but negligently failed to do so. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can make this legal process easier and more rewarding.
An attorney can investigate the situation to determine who can be held liable based on the circumstances, such as which party owed the victim a duty of care. Then, an attorney can search for all outlets for recovery for the victim, such as a workers’ compensation claim, workplace injury lawsuit, school injury case or wrongful death claim.
To discuss a potential case involving a heat-related injury with an attorney in New Jersey in more detail, contact the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C., for a free consultation.