Accident

Investigation
Patrol Officer Responsibilities

Accident Call Initiated

You should know

Location
Severity
Whether traffic or highway is blocked

Make a decision on route

Response to the Scene

Determine if there is a true emergency

If yes, use lights AND siren
If no, respond quickly but within all rules
of the road

Adhere to all statutes:

346.03
346.04
347.38

Follow all department policies

Be Alert!

Hit and run vehicles fleeing away

from the accident
Excessive speed
Equipment malfunctions
Damaged parts

If possible, call out 28 and description

but continue to the accident if you are
the primary officer

Arrival at the Scene

Protect the scene

Be close
Be alert for hazards
Spills
Gases
Wires

Stay UPWIND AND UPHILL if there

are potential hazmat danger!!!!

First Assessment

Look around
Request additional

Officers if

There is more than one vehicle involved

Roads need to be closed and traffic re-routed

Fire if smoke, spills, or hazmat exists

Ambulance if people appear injured or killed
(one ambulance for every injured person)
Wreckers
Rescue

Care for the Injured

This is the primary responsibility of

the responding officer
Protecting the scene from secondary
crashes must be done first
Triage first, treat serious injuries
first
Turn over treatment to EMS with a
report

Determine if Hit and Run

Obtain description of vehicle

Use CYMBAL
Get direction of travel and time of
accident
Description of driver and occupants if
possible
Dont forget the license plate!!!

Send out ATL

Preserve all evidence

Locate and Interview

Accident Participants

Interview all drivers, pedestrians, or

other INVOLVED in the accident
Keep them separated
Ask each, What happened?
Get basic information from all (name,
DOB, etc..)
Keep an open mind

Tell each party that you will be

talking with them again to follow up

Specific Questions

Remember to maintain constitutional issues

Determine:

OWI?
Injured?
Tired?
Physically disabled?
Suicidal or other unusual behavior?

Also ask:

Insurance information
Seat belt
Occupant identities

Interview Hints

Interview separately
Do the interviews as soon as possible after
the accident
Question them regarding

Their trip plan

When they first perceived danger
What he or she was doing just before the accident
How fast were they going
What evasive action if any, they took
Condition of the vehicle

Look inside the vehicle later for evidence of

Inattentive Driving or OWI

Interview Witnesses

Ask each of them open-ended questions

What happened? or What did you see?
Where were you
What called your attention to the accident?
How fast were the vehicles going?
Did you see brake lights?
Did you hear braking noise?

Remember to get basic information for

follow-up interviews and for court as
most will be anxious to get going!

Check the Scene for

Physical Evidence

In some situations, the evidence may

be disappearing so you may have to
act quickly to preserve it
Skid marks
Straight skids
Shadow skids
Other skids

General vehicle crush

Debris on the roadway

Evidence continues

Gouges on the roadway

Fluids
Traffic signs and devices
Lamp examination
Road conditions
OWI and drug use evidence

Specific Vehicle Evidence

Contact damage
Induced damage (typically crumbling
or broken glass)
Vehicle equipment violations
Brakes
Lights
Tires

Light switch position

Airbag deployment

Photograph the Scene

Seriousness determines need for photos

Prior to vehicles being moved if possible
Photograph

Overall scene
Vehicle damage
Traffic signs and controls
Road gouges
Skid marks
Debris
Injured parties or bodies

Video record all serious or fatal accidents

Measure the Scene

Use the XY coordinate system

Complete a field sketch
Outline the roadway edges first
Add vehicles final resting points (if known)
Add skid marks
Add other evidence

Measure all evidence locations and

roadway features including crosswalks,
signs, ditches, shoulders, etc

Clear Up Accident Scene

Tow all vehicles

Clean up all glass and parts
Open road to traffic
Make arrangements to transport
parties left without vehicles

Take Appropriate
Enforcement Action
Arrest
Cite party most at fault for the violation
that most contributed to the crash
Almost all accidents should result in a
citation for the party that was at fault
Remember to consider all factors in the
investigation
NOTE!!!! Dont investigate accidents
where there is a conflict of interest

Complete Accident
Report

Note the criteria for reportable accidents

$1000 vehicles (including gov vehicles)

$1000 personal property
$200 government property
Injury
Fatality

Complete within 10 days

Include diagram
Possible contributing factors are some of
the most important fields

Questions???