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6 months ago
A Case Study of a Road Traffic Accident Investigation
Collision investigators are often instructed in unusual cases.
The collision took place in a busy London street, and involved a left hand drive, rigid large goods vehicle and a pedestrian crossing the road at a zebra crossing from the driver’s right hand side (i.e. across the cab given the driver’s seat position). Unusually, the pedestrian was struck on the left front corner of the vehicle, meaning she had crossed the majority of the carriageway before the fatal impact.
In order to get the investigation underway the expert decided to take the following course by investigating: time taken for the woman (a pensioner) to cross to the point of impact, her conspicuity, given that a slower moving object in the peripheral vision is much less obvious, time taken to slow the vehicle at its weight at the time of collision from various speeds, the sight lines from the vehicle across the cab given the driver’s weight (this kind of vehicle has an adjustable, air ride seat which sinks when the driver’s weight is applied), any other vehicle defect that may have resulted in it performing below its normal standard, whether the driver was within his tacograph limits, as tiredness is a major factor in the erosion of awareness, and a thorough read of the Police Collision Investigator’s report to establish whether they had considered all the factors.
In this case the investigator actually had to travel to the place where the vehicle was located, which in this case was France.
His examination of the vehicle concluded that the the driver would have had a better view of the point of impact the further he was from it. Given that microscope analysis of the tacograph identified a speed of not in excess of 23mph, and that the consultant had been able to calculate deceleration rates under braking, he was able to piece together what was in view from the point where the pedestrian stepped from the pavement to her impact with the vehicle. All of this information was then pieced together in the form of a report, plan, photo album and DVD video footage with the intention of attempting to explain the nuances of a highly technical investigation to a jury.
The outcome for the driver was that in this instance he had made a mistake with the terrible consequence that an elderly woman had been killed. The exact cause of the driver's lack of awareness will be known only to him. From the legal point of view, they were able to advise that he was unlikely to be able to construct a reasonable defence and the insurance company were advised accordingly.
This case study reveals several interesting realities of the traffic accident investigation industry.
At the very least it shows how complicated a job it is, as well as how varied it can be. In our day to day lives we do not concern ourselves with the mechanics of how these kind of investigations work behind the scenes, yet upon examination it proves to be fascinating.
The collision took place in a busy London street, and involved a left hand drive, rigid large goods vehicle and a pedestrian crossing the road at a zebra crossing from the driver’s right hand side (i.e. across the cab given the driver’s seat position). Unusually, the pedestrian was struck on the left front corner of the vehicle, meaning she had crossed the majority of the carriageway before the fatal impact.
In order to get the investigation underway the expert decided to take the following course by investigating: time taken for the woman (a pensioner) to cross to the point of impact, her conspicuity, given that a slower moving object in the peripheral vision is much less obvious, time taken to slow the vehicle at its weight at the time of collision from various speeds, the sight lines from the vehicle across the cab given the driver’s weight (this kind of vehicle has an adjustable, air ride seat which sinks when the driver’s weight is applied), any other vehicle defect that may have resulted in it performing below its normal standard, whether the driver was within his tacograph limits, as tiredness is a major factor in the erosion of awareness, and a thorough read of the Police Collision Investigator’s report to establish whether they had considered all the factors.
In this case the investigator actually had to travel to the place where the vehicle was located, which in this case was France.
His examination of the vehicle concluded that the the driver would have had a better view of the point of impact the further he was from it. Given that microscope analysis of the tacograph identified a speed of not in excess of 23mph, and that the consultant had been able to calculate deceleration rates under braking, he was able to piece together what was in view from the point where the pedestrian stepped from the pavement to her impact with the vehicle. All of this information was then pieced together in the form of a report, plan, photo album and DVD video footage with the intention of attempting to explain the nuances of a highly technical investigation to a jury.
The outcome for the driver was that in this instance he had made a mistake with the terrible consequence that an elderly woman had been killed. The exact cause of the driver's lack of awareness will be known only to him. From the legal point of view, they were able to advise that he was unlikely to be able to construct a reasonable defence and the insurance company were advised accordingly.
This case study reveals several interesting realities of the traffic accident investigation industry.
At the very least it shows how complicated a job it is, as well as how varied it can be. In our day to day lives we do not concern ourselves with the mechanics of how these kind of investigations work behind the scenes, yet upon examination it proves to be fascinating.