New Mexico Administrative Code › Title 7 - HEALTH › Chapter 3 - STATE MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR'S OFFICE › Part 2 - POLICIES OF THE OFFICE OF THE MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR › Section 7.3.2.18 - DISASTER

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 13, July 16, 2024
A. Citations and
				Regulations:
(1)
										24-11-5
				NMSA 1978: When any person comes to a sudden, violent or untimely death or is
				found dead and the cause of death is unknown, anyone who becomes aware of the
				death shall report it immediately to law enforcement authorities or the office
				of the state or district medical investigator. The public official so notified,
				shall in turn notify either, or both, the appropriate law enforcement
				authorities or the office of the state or district medical investigator. The
				state or district medical investigator, or a deputy medical investigator under
				his direction, shall, without delay, view and take legal custody of the
				body.
(2) Document - department of
				transportation, federal aviation administration, "Aircraft Accident and
				Incident Notification, Investigation, and Reporting", JULY, 1976, document
				#8020.11. In carrying out its duties under this title, the board is authorized
				to examine and test to the extent necessary any civil aircraft, aircraft
				engine, propeller, appliance, or property aboard an aircraft involved in an
				accident in air commerce. In the case of any fatal accident, the board is
				authorized to examine the remains of any deceased person aboard the aircraft at
				the time of the accident, who dies as a result of the accident, end to conduct
				autopsies or such other tests thereof as may be necessary to the investigation
				of the accident: Provided, that to the extent consistent with the needs of the
				accident investigation, provisions of local laws protecting religious beliefs
				with respect to autopsies shall be observed.
(3) Obtaining autopsy. A strong attempt
				should be made to obtain an autopsy on the crew and members in every fatal
				general aviation accident. It is also desirable to obtain complete skeletal
				x-rays in certain accidents. Even in extreme cases of incineration, blood and
				tissue can often be obtained for studies. The heart in such cases is often
				intact and will be found to contain blood suitable for carbon monoxide,
				cyanide, ethyl alcohol, and other studies. In "survivable" accidents, a general
				x-ray survey of the body is desired. Simple fractures are often missed on
				autopsy. Many fatal accidents in general aviation fall in the survivable
				category.
(a) Pre-crash planning. Embalming
				invalidates most toxicological studies. Obtaining the early cooperation and
				understanding of the local coroner/medical examiner results in smoother
				operation in this area of the investigation.
(b) When the AME is the first federal
				representative at the scene, he should request that local authorities guard the
				wreckage.
(c) The coroner/medical
				examiner should be contacted to arrange for autopsy/toxicology studies. The
				state or local police may be of help in this communication. Good communication
				is the key to a well-conducted investigation and the local law enforcement
				agency, e.g., state police, is an effective place for the AME to keep in
				contact concerning the whereabouts of the coroner/medical examiner.
(i) If the AME does not personally know the
				coroner or mortician, he should introduce himself as the authorized AME of the
				federal aviation administration. This will establish the proper rapport. The
				coroner can be of great assistance to the investigation but sometimes is not
				fully oriented to the aviation medical aspects.
(ii) After autopsy permission has been
				secured, it is then determined whether it will be done by a local pathologist
				or by an FAA consultant pathologist.
(4) Federal Aviation Act of 1958, Title 7,
				Aircraft Accidents. Procedures.
(5)
				National Transportation Safety Board, Public Notice PN-1. Scope of
				authority.