TTI’s Center for Alcohol and Drug Education Studies (CADES) recently engaged in an advanced crash investigation training program designed for prosecutors and investigative staff members. One-day training workshops introduced physics concepts and mathematical calculations to help participants understand how roadway friction relates to vehicle speeds. The objective is to move crash theory discussed in a classroom to direct applications in the field. TTI instructors helped participants to:

 

•   Describe why conducting a comprehensive crash investigation is important;

•   List crash investigation phases and what happens in each phase;

•   Discuss the planning process and critical pre-investigation decisions;

•   Use mathematical formulas to determine speeds of motor vehicles involved in a crash;

•   Recognize, record and measure physical evidence left at the scene of a motor vehicle crash;

•   Report accurate information for the statistical analysis of motor vehicle crashes; and

•   Organize the results of a post-crash investigation into a presentation and report.

 

Participants included prosecuting attorneys, investigators and felony level attorneys. Workshops were held in four different locations, including the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division (Houston), the TTI Headquarters Building on the RELLIS Campus (Bryan), and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division (Conroe). Not only did staff members attend from each district attorney’s office serving as host, but training participants also included staff members from the Brazos County District Attorney’s Office.

 

“It’s important for prosecutors to recognize crash scene evidence, so they can prosecute traffic-related crimes, such as intoxication manslaughter and assault,” says CADES Director Troy Walden. “Cases related to impaired driving that led to death or serious bodily injury, but that lack a foundational understanding of the evidence, can be dismissed or not have charges reduced. This limits the state’s ability to deter impaired driving and change driver behavior.”

 

In crash cases, roadway, person and vehicle evidence is often complex. That’s why it’s critical to have prosecutors who are experts in crash dynamics and evidence preservation and collection. These workshops provided Texas prosecutors and their investigative staff with cognitive foundations for reconstructing and critically analyzing fatal and serious injury crashes. Additionally, learning crash site protocol helps them build working relationships with law enforcement crash investigators.

 

“The same day I went to the Montgomery County training class, I was called out to work a fatal auto-pedestrian crash where alcohol was involved. Because of the training, I knew what to look for at the crash scene and how to help the law enforcement agency find and preserve crash evidence for trial,” notes Philip Harris, Montgomery County assistant district attorney. “The training I received made all the difference in being able to immediately work the crash site and apply what I’d learned.”