The Road Traffic Accident Investigator
A collision investigator can find his job throws him into all kinds of situations and take him to various locations.
The collision took place in a busy street in London, 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 woman was struck on the left front corner of the truck, meaning she had crossed the majority of the carriageway before the fatal impact.
The expert’s opinion was that there was a requirement to investigate the following factors: time taken for the lady (a pensioner) to cross to the point of impact, the conspicuity of the pedestrian, 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 might have resulted in it performing below its normal standard, whether the driver was within his tacograph limits, as fatigue is a major factor in the loss of awareness, and a thorough review 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 vehicle examination 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 no more than 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. In order to explain the complexities of road traffic accident investigation to a jury, the various elements were pieced together in the form of a report, plan, photo album and DVD video footage.
The outcome for the driver was that in this instance he had made a mistake with the terrible consequence that an old lady had been killed. What had caused the driver to be unaware of the presence of the pedestrian only he will know. 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 what a varied and complex role 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 a fascinating world.
The collision took place in a busy street in London, 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 woman was struck on the left front corner of the truck, meaning she had crossed the majority of the carriageway before the fatal impact.
The expert’s opinion was that there was a requirement to investigate the following factors: time taken for the lady (a pensioner) to cross to the point of impact, the conspicuity of the pedestrian, 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 might have resulted in it performing below its normal standard, whether the driver was within his tacograph limits, as fatigue is a major factor in the loss of awareness, and a thorough review 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 vehicle examination 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 no more than 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. In order to explain the complexities of road traffic accident investigation to a jury, the various elements were pieced together in the form of a report, plan, photo album and DVD video footage.
The outcome for the driver was that in this instance he had made a mistake with the terrible consequence that an old lady had been killed. What had caused the driver to be unaware of the presence of the pedestrian only he will know. 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 what a varied and complex role 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 a fascinating world.