Is it important to quickly investigate an accident, which results in a burn injury?
A. Absolutely. Given the seriousness of the injury, the accident should be investigated quickly and thoroughly. A thorough investigation should include an examination of the scene, the instrumentalities involved in the accident, interviews with witnesses and the collection of reports from investigating agencies. Further, if at all possible, the instrumentalities causing the accident should be maintained in their post accident condition, i.e., motor vehicles should not be repaired, malfunctioning machines should be maintained and not repaired, fire scenes should not be rebuilt until the cause of the fire and burn injury can be clearly established. The investigation will be important to establish fault on the guilty defendant; establish a lack of fault on the part of the plaintiff; and establish fault on other wrongdoers to fully compensate plaintiff.
