Scott Suzuki-Jones, Investigator
I went to college with the intention of becoming a history professor. In 1991 through a mutual friend, I was introduced to Ian Mattoch. In the course of our conversation, he offered me a position with his firm and the rest, as they say, is history.

Historical research and legal investigation is essentially the same thing. Both require identifying, collecting, and preserving physical evidence, documentation and witness testimony. The job of a good investigator, like a good historian, is to reconstruct a complicated event so it can be explained rationally and accurately and the truth made known.

Good Investigation Making A Difference
A classic example was a freeway accident on Oahu several years ago. A large truck, two pick-ups, and as many as ten passenger vehicles were involved in a chain-collision. One person was killed, another was catastrophically injured, and several other people were seriously hurt.

The police investigation concluded that pick-up #1 had pulled out in front of the large truck, which was traveling in the middle lane. The two vehicles collided, the large truck went out of control, and it collided with or caused collisions between most of the remaining vehicles. Everyone assumed the accident was the sole responsibility of the driver of pick-up #1.

In investigating the accident, however, we were able to determine that before the accident even began the large truck and the other pickup#2 had been involved in a road-rage incident, and that the large truck had been chasing pick-up #2 down the freeway at velocities well over the speed limit. When pick-up #1 eventually pulled out in front of the large truck and was hit, the large truck was going so fast that it took over twice the distance to stop than normal had it been traveling the speed limit. The large truck was going so fast, the driver could not keep his truck under control after colliding with pick-up #1 and then he also collided with and caused collisions between several other vehicles, including the one in which our client was a passenger and who, tragically, was catastrophically injured.

Supportive Evidence
A big part of my job and the job of other firm investigators is to generate supporting evidence. This includes matters as straight forward as obtaining tape recorded witness statements, signed affidavits, vehicle damage photos, and surveillance videos. Other more complicated tasks include producing scale-diagrams of accident scenes that show how accidents actually occur. Such a project can involve hours, even days of taking measurements, mathematical computations, and intricate drafting so that a finished diagram clearly and accurately depicts what really happened and becomes a convincing piece of evidence in out-of-court negotiations, mediations and arbitrations as well as in trial.

I thrive on making a difference in a difficult case. The client is the underdog. Frequently, that person’s life has been terribly disrupted, ruined and even ended. While I know my work cannot restore life, limb or well-being, a good investigation can result in a successful legal outcome for a client’s case. I am proud of that.