Fatal rescue burns—A case report

Abstract

An unprofessional rescuer of a burn victim is one who tries to save the victim, in spite of good knowledge of consequences of putting out fire without any safety precautions. Literature on burns sustained while attempting to save victims of thermal burns is limited [1]. A question regarding the classification of the manner of burns sustained by a rescuer while attempting to rescue a fire victim has also been raised [2]. Menezes et al. introduced the term ‘‘rescue burns’’ for such thermal injuries as an option to allow easy tracking and identification of such cases [3]. They opined that the difference between rescue burns, accidental burns, and suicidal burns can have profound ramifications to the family of the injured or deceased rescuer, the insurance company concerned in the case, as well as the judiciary [3]. In India, dowry is a tradition and bride burning a social problem. Hence, cases of thermal burns in newly married women is an investigative challenge and identification of a rescuer can have serious medico-legal implications. Most of the theories put forth on the pattern and distribution of rescue burns are based on non-fatal burns sustained by rescuers. We report a case of fatal rescue burns with a review of the various theories proposed.