If a person is seriously injured as part of an arson incident, how should it be counted?

When a person is seriously injured in an arson incident, the situation is typically categorized as an aggravated assault. This classification is based on the understanding that arson involves the deliberate act of setting a fire, which can lead to serious harm or injury to individuals who are either directly involved or affected by the fire. Aggravated assault is defined as an attack with intent to cause serious injury, and in this case, the injuries sustained as a result of the arson would meet that threshold.

Counting the incident as aggravated assault acknowledges the severity of the injury while also recognizing the intent and potential threat that arson presents to public safety. Other classifications like homicide or attempted murder would apply if the injuries resulted in death or were intended to cause death, respectively, but those situations are not in play if the individual survives. Vandalism mainly refers to damage to property and would not adequately capture the human injury aspect of the incident. Therefore, categorizing the incident under aggravated assault aligns with the nature of the crime and its implications for the victim.