Accident Investigation
Patrol Officer Responsibilities
Accident Call Initiated
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You should know…
Location
 Severity
 Whether traffic or highway is blocked
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Make a decision on route
Response to the Scene
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Determine if there is a true emergency
If yes, use lights AND siren
 If no, respond quickly but within all rules of the road
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Adhere to all statutes:
346.03
 346.04
 347.38
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Follow all department policies
Be Alert!
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Hit and run vehicles fleeing away from the
accident
Excessive speed
 Equipment malfunctions
 Damaged parts
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If possible, call out 28 and description but
continue to the accident if you are the primary
officer
Arrival at the Scene
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Protect the scene
Be close
Be alert for hazards
Spills
 Gases
 Wires
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Stay UPWIND AND UPHILL if there are
potential hazmat danger!!!!
First Assessment
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Look around
Request additional…
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Officers if
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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
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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
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Obtain description of vehicle
Use CYMBAL
 Get direction of travel and time of accident
 Description of driver and occupants if possible
 Don’t forget the license plate!!!
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Send out ATL
Preserve all evidence
Locate and Interview Accident
Participants
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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
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Tell each party that you will be talking with them
again to follow up
Specific Questions
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Remember to maintain constitutional issues
Determine:
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OWI?
Injured?
Tired?
Physically disabled?
Suicidal or other unusual behavior?
Also ask:
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Insurance information
Seat belt
Occupant identities
Interview Hints
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Interview separately
Do the interviews as soon as possible after the accident
Question them regarding
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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General vehicle crush
Debris on the roadway
Evidence continues
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Gouges on the roadway
Fluids
Traffic signs and devices
Lamp examination
Road conditions
OWI and drug use evidence
Specific Vehicle Evidence
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Contact damage
Induced damage (typically crumbling or broken
glass)
Vehicle equipment violations
Brakes
 Lights
 Tires
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Light switch position
Airbag deployment
Photograph the Scene
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Seriousness determines need for photos
Prior to vehicles being moved if possible
Photograph
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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
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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
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Measure all evidence locations and roadway
features including crosswalks, signs, ditches,
shoulders, etc…
Clear Up Accident Scene
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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!!!! Don’t investigate accidents where there
is a conflict of interest
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Complete Accident Report
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Note the criteria for reportable accidents
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$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???