University of Vermont Medical Center Burn Program
Burlington, Vermont

About the UVM Medical Center Burn Program

The University of Vermont Medical Center Burn Program in Burlington is Vermont's only ABA-verified burn treatment facility, operated by UVM Health Network — Vermont's academic medical center and sole Level I Trauma Center. The burn program provides comprehensive care for burn patients throughout Vermont, as well as patients transferred from northern New York, New Hampshire's far north, and Quebec. As the sole specialized burn facility serving a largely rural state with significant agricultural, manufacturing, and logging industries, UVM's burn program handles the full range of serious burn injuries produced by Vermont's distinctive working economy.

Vermont's industrial economy, while smaller than neighboring states, includes significant manufacturing in the Chittenden County Burlington corridor, granite quarrying, maple syrup and agricultural processing, construction, and a notable wood products and lumber sector. The state's rugged, rural character also means that burns from remote agricultural accidents, logging fires, and farm equipment failures often require long-distance transport to Burlington for specialized care.

Vermont Burn Hazards

• Manufacturing — Burlington-Chittenden County corridor: Vermont's manufacturing sector includes precision parts, electronics, specialty food production, and defense-related manufacturing in Chittenden County. Chemical processes, electrical systems, and hot manufacturing equipment create burn risk for workers in this sector.
• Granite and stone quarrying: Vermont's granite industry — centered in Barre, the "Granite Capital of the World" — involves explosive blasting, cutting equipment, and chemical stone treatment that create burn risk for quarry workers.
• Agriculture and food processing: Vermont's dairy, maple, and specialty agricultural operations involve high-temperature equipment, caustic CIP cleaning chemicals in dairy operations, and open-flame maple syrup evaporation systems that create burn risk for farm workers and processing personnel.
• Logging and wood products: Vermont's active logging and sawmill industry involves high-temperature equipment, fuel systems, and electrical equipment that create burn risk for loggers, mill workers, and equipment operators.
• Construction: Vermont's active construction market generates electrical burns, welding injuries, and propane/gas incidents throughout the state. Vermont's 3-year statute of limitations applies to these claims.

Your Legal Rights After Treatment at UVM Medical Center

Vermont workers' compensation provides the exclusive remedy against your direct employer for workplace burn injuries. Vermont law preserves your right to file third-party claims against contractors, equipment manufacturers, chemical suppliers, and property owners whose negligence caused your burn. Vermont follows a modified comparative fault system — you can recover as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50%. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims is 3 years under 12 V.S.A. § 512. Claims against Vermont state entities or municipalities have specific procedural requirements. Contact a Vermont burn injury attorney immediately.