Crash investigators do this for a living?

-

TrailBeast

AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
22,479
Reaction score
12,012
Location
Arizona
Our Daughter was in a serious accident last weekend and totaled her Dodge Avenger.
She was life flighted to the critical care unit in Phoenix and was on a ventilator for the first two days because they didn't think she was going to survive, but she is home now and doing ok considering she can hardly move and has multiple related injuries.
Her right side tires got off the edge of the freshly layed 3 inch thick black asphalt and it pulled her into the drainage ditch that the car couldn't climb back out of and at the next upcoming driveway she hit the end of a buried culvert and flipped the car literally tearing the front end off except for the motor and wheels.
This happened about 10pm Sunday night, and the new asphalt they layed just recently is on a sweeping corner with a 3 inch drop off edge (black) with no markings whatsoever, and on an unlit street.

Now here's the WTF? part of it.
The investigator said "she wasn't wearing her seat belt and was ejected from the passengers side window."

Well I got to the scene right after the crash because it was right down the street from our house.
I was looking at the car when they told me what they think happened.
I told the officer that she ALWAYS wears her seat belt, and that if she was ejected out the passengers side window, why was the window all the way up and not broken?

His response was that one of the other officers (or some random passer by) must have rolled it up after the accident. (obviously this is a stupid theory having zero witnesses or any info pointing to this)
Now I'm thinking this guy has NO clue about what he is doing and writing as a report.
I said that would be pretty hard to do considering the battery is just in front of the drivers side wheel and all that part of the car was ripped off.
That's when he started getting an attitude like I was interfering with his investigation.

Personally I would think the report should say "Due to a ridge on the edge of an unlit and completely unmarked or lined street the car tires dropped off the edge of the asphalt and pulled the car out of control into the drainage ditch where it could not be recovered and impacted a driveway culvert."
Obviously I realize why it won't say this, but everything points to this being the case.
Even the tire tracks off the edge and in the ditch indicate this.
Unfortunately our Daughter doesn't remember any of it, so there is no point in taking it any farther.

In the end it really doesn't matter what the sequence of events were, as the car is totaled and our Daughter was damn near dead, but what the hell this investigator was thinking and wrote in his report, and how he could come to his conclusion is ridiculous.
 
Wow, what a terrible accident - glad to hear your daughter survived and is beginning to mend! Hopefully, it won't be a long healing process.
 
Would it hurt to get a really good lawyer and at least have a free consultation?? I can't imagine how happy you are about your daughter surviving.
 
Great to hear that she is doing well. It must have been very difficult to arrive on such a scene.

No one rolls a window up at the scene of an accident, it's not logical in the moment, and any officer that would do that is tampering with evidence I would imagine.

My sister was in a horrible crash once, seat belt left marks/bruses, even with air bags going off.

Thanksgiving eve I went to bed at 2 am, working on house all night. 3 am wife wakes me, 2 guys are trying to break in, enraged and going from door to door, long story short, one drives away, other stays, cops show up and want to immediately take him and go. Not concerned about potential damage, won't tell me his name, not interested in locating the car that just left, etc.
Filed a foil request, got the run-a-round, report never filed, no arrest, finally got a copy. Two military guys had the wrong house, drunk, mad, cold, report states they took him home and helped him into his house. Didn't mention if they tucked him in.
If a friend and I did that at his house we would at a minimum be in the clink over night, and probably multiple charges.

Point being, sometimes conclusions are made and actions are taken based on who you are and who you know.
 
Sounds like the city/county knew they were liable and were covering their tracks as bast they could
 
Just in case you do plan to take it to court I would go back and take as many pics as possible before the City/County go back fix the road so that the problem disappears. Especially pics approaching the accident so that it's obvious that your daughter couldn't/wouldn't have known the danger. Hope she comes back 100 percent!!!
 
Sorry to hear about the accident, glad to hear she's doing better.
Sad to hear about how the authorities are handling it.
I would be at the lawyer's office asap to sue the people or district involved.
She may seem like she's healing up well now, but down the road a few years, she might have complications from her injuries.
Keep in mind, that it wasn't her fault, and someone is liable............
 
Just in case you do plan to take it to court I would go back and take as many pics as possible before the City/County go back fix the road so that the problem disappears. Especially pics approaching the accident so that it's obvious that your daughter couldn't/wouldn't have known the danger. Hope she comes back 100 percent!!!
What great advice here!
 
Get film. Did I say "get film". Get lawyer. Get body shots of your daughter also.
Glad she is going to recover.
 
Beast,
So sorry to hear of your daughter's misfortune, and offering prayers for her full recovery.
I would definitely document as much as possible regarding the scene and conditions. Get a bulldog lawyer ASAP. You can bet that the county will not go down without a fight.
 
Our Daughter was in a serious accident last weekend and totaled her Dodge Avenger.
She was life flighted to the critical care unit in Phoenix and was on a ventilator for the first two days because they didn't think she was going to survive, but she is home now and doing ok considering she can hardly move and has multiple related injuries.
Her right side tires got off the edge of the freshly layed 3 inch thick black asphalt and it pulled her into the drainage ditch that the car couldn't climb back out of and at the next upcoming driveway she hit the end of a buried culvert and flipped the car literally tearing the front end off except for the motor and wheels.
This happened about 10pm Sunday night, and the new asphalt they layed just recently is on a sweeping corner with a 3 inch drop off edge (black) with no markings whatsoever, and on an unlit street.

Now here's the WTF? part of it.
The investigator said "she wasn't wearing her seat belt and was ejected from the passengers side window."

Well I got to the scene right after the crash because it was right down the street from our house.
I was looking at the car when they told me what they think happened.
I told the officer that she ALWAYS wears her seat belt, and that if she was ejected out the passengers side window, why was the window all the way up and not broken?

His response was that one of the other officers (or some random passer by) must have rolled it up after the accident. (obviously this is a stupid theory having zero witnesses or any info pointing to this)
Now I'm thinking this guy has NO clue about what he is doing and writing as a report.
I said that would be pretty hard to do considering the battery is just in front of the drivers side wheel and all that part of the car was ripped off.
That's when he started getting an attitude like I was interfering with his investigation.

Personally I would think the report should say "Due to a ridge on the edge of an unlit and completely unmarked or lined street the car tires dropped off the edge of the asphalt and pulled the car out of control into the drainage ditch where it could not be recovered and impacted a driveway culvert."
Obviously I realize why it won't say this, but everything points to this being the case.
Even the tire tracks off the edge and in the ditch indicate this.
Unfortunately our Daughter doesn't remember any of it, so there is no point in taking it any farther.

In the end it really doesn't matter what the sequence of events were, as the car is totaled and our Daughter was damn near dead, but what the hell this investigator was thinking and wrote in his report, and how he could come to his conclusion is ridiculous.

When my friend had his motorcycle accident the police officer said he was traveling at an estimated 110 mph. The accident happened roughly 50 yards after a hard turn and there is no way he got up to 110 in that span. Similar situation to yours where no one else was involved to the investigation didn’t matter much but it made me question how they got that information. One officer told me that the speedometer was at 110 on the bike. Does anyone know if the speedometer stays at the speed someone was traveling when the accident happened?
 
When my friend had his motorcycle accident the police officer said he was traveling at an estimated 110 mph. The accident happened roughly 50 yards after a hard turn and there is no way he got up to 110 in that span. Similar situation to yours where no one else was involved to the investigation didn’t matter much but it made me question how they got that information. One officer told me that the speedometer was at 110 on the bike. Does anyone know if the speedometer stays at the speed someone was traveling when the accident happened?
.
When the wheel left the ground it may have been free spinning at a hundred and ten when it crashed.
Never heard of any documentation on your speedometer saying what speed you were going in a crash after the crash.
 
Do not let your daughter make a statement to an investigator until she has talked to a lawyer first.
Did I say get film.
Do it as fast as you can because the scene is changing every minute.

Were there any Witnesses? If so get their names and phone numbers.
 
Yes, take photos ASAP. Get a lawyer and have him hire an accident reconstruction expert firm. (I work for such a firm and here is their website - DJS Associates | Car Accident Reconstruction and Expert Network) You’ll be suing the owner of the road and the firm doing the road reconstruction (your lawyer will know and/or find out who to include in the suit). They will offer a settlement commensurate with the strength of the reconstruction expert’s report.

Thank God that your daughter survived! Prayers sent.
 
Last edited:
.
When the wheel left the ground it may have been free spinning at a hundred and ten when it crashed.
Never heard of any documentation on your speedometer saying what speed you were going in a crash after the crash.

Bikes? Never heard of it.

I *have* captured wheel speed and engine rpm for warranty claims on OBDII software using factory scanners.

Nice to here you daughter is on the road to mending, Greg. Prayers for healing, both physically and psychologically. Accidents like that can help long term mental damage, too, not just physical complications.
 
Glad your daughter is on the mend.

Was the “Investigator” a government official or an insurance investigator?

The Insurance guys often act like they are government officials to cover their true purpose.

I always ask for ID. The government guys alway produce it without hesitation, the Insurance guys start tap dancing.
 
What is the most important here is the health of your daughter. Now, if your insurance company reads this conclusion by the investigator, they may wiggle out of the claim. Document evrything, get pictures of the road ASAP. Hope she makes a full recovery.
 
-
Back
Top