600-9 Crash Investigations Flashcards
If one or more of the following is also true, then the dispatcher shall send an officer to the scene to investigate and complete a Texas Department of Transportation Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (Form CR-3), hereinafter referred to as a Crash Report.
Someone was injured in the crash.
A driver involved in the crash is or appears to be intoxicated.
A driver involved in the crash does not have a driver license.
A driver involved in the crash is unable to provide proof of financial responsibility.
A vehicle involved in the crash is not mechanically able to be driven from the scene.
Federal, state, county, or City property and/or vehicles are involved.
A hit-and-run collision occurred.
A school bus (public or private) is involved.
The motor vehicle crash involved a bicyclist or pedestrian.
If no investigation is required and none of the aforementioned situations applies, the officer shall issue a
Texas Department of Transportation Driver’s Crash Report (Form CR-2), also known as a “blue form,” for the citizens to complete and submit per the form instructions.
A citizen merely demanding a Crash Report is
not a required reason for an officer to conduct an investigation.
If the circumstances allow a blue form to be issued at the scene, a blue form may also be issued at
the police station.
A VCD investigator shall be called to motor vehicle crashes involving any of the following:
A fatality
Failure to stop and render aid (FSRA) with serious bodily injury
Any law enforcement vehicle or any fim department vehicle
Catastrophic or life-threatening injury
If available, VCD or Traffic Enforcement Division personnel may be called for other crashes occurring on a freeway or service road
Officers shall investigate motor vehicle crashes that occur on private property only when
they result in serious bodily injury or death.
Private property includes
private residential property or the property of a garage or parking lot for which a charge is made for storing or parking a motor vehicle
For crashes occurring on “public” privatE~ property (e.g., shopping center parking lots, apartment parking lots), the only violation for which officers may issue a citation is
backing not in safety
The only charges that may be filed involving a crash on “public” private property are:
Failure to stop and give information (FSGI)
Failure to stop and render aid (FSRA)
Driving while intoxicated, intoxication assault, etc.
Unless circumstances allow for issuance of a Driver’s Crash Report (blue form), officers on the scene of a vehicle crash shall…
manage the scene, conduct an investigation, gather crash scene information, and complete a Crash Report as outlined in this General Order.
Vehicles involved in ______ crashes are to be removed from the freeway or roadway to crash investigation sites or other safe places that will not distract the attention of other drivers.
minor
At major or fatal crash scenes, officers not directly involved in the investigation shall
direct traffic around the scene
The ____is responsible for ensuring that police officers direct traffic at the appropriate locations in order to return traffic flow to normal as quickly as possible.
scene supervisor
Officers responding to a crash scene involving a fatality, potential fatality, or an FSRA with serious bodily injury shall
ensure VCD has been notified.
Whenever possible, officers shall photograph _____ or ______ involved in a crash.
City Equipment, City Property
Private photographers may take photographs of any crash or crime scene, unless….
doing so interferes with the on-scene investigation.
Unless otherwise instructed ________, officers shall ________ after obtaining all crash scene information necessary to complete a Crash Report.
by a VCD supervisor, clear crash scenes as quickly as possible
If officers respond to a crash scene that involves a fatality or potential fatality, they are to
protect the scene and the evidence at the scene until the arrival of VCD officers, who shall take control of the scene.
Officers shall complete Crash Reports….
only after crash scenes are cleared.
Officers shall contact the Truck Enforcement Unit under any of the following circumstances involving a commercial vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or greater
Fatality traffic crashes
Crashes involving road closures
All hazardous materials incidents
Major freeway incidents
Crashes involving any City vehicle
Crashes involving any law enforcement vehicle or any fire department vehicle
Lost or shifted loads and any other circumstances that create a danger to public safety
Officers shall ensure that the following information is exchanged between the parties involved in a crash
Name and address of drivers
Driver license information
Motor vehicle liability insurance information (not amounts of insurance coverage)
License plate number of the vehicles involved
Vehicle identification number (VIN) printed on the VIN plates of the vehicles involved
Crash victims who want a copy of the Crash Report should be advised to wait _____before coming to the Records Division to obtain a copy of the report for a small fee.
10 calendar days from the date of the crash
The only time a driver involved in a crash needs to submit a Driver’s Crash Report (blue form) is when
the crash is not investigated by a law enforcement officer and the damage is $1,000 or more.
If a driver claims to have proof of financial responsibility or produces an expired proof of financial responsibility card, officers must
attempt to verify the proof of financial responsibility by conducting a registration check through the TexasSure program using a mobile computing device (MCD) or the dispatcher, prior to noting this on the Crash Report and issuing the driver a citation.
While gathering information needed for the Crash Report, officers are required, if physically possible,….
to note the VINs by personally observing the VIN plate on each involved vehicle as opposed to obtaining the VINs from other sources.
Officers responding to fatal or possible fatal crash scenes shall…
make every effort to keep witnesses on the scene until a crash investigator arrives.
Officers should at a minimum obtain _________that need to leave the scene of the crash so that they can provide a statement to investigators at a later time.
name, address, and telephone numbers of all witnesses
If an officer determines that a crash involved only a driver who intentionally hit another vehicle, person, or property, this is not an FSGI or FSRA incident. The officer shall complete
an incident report for the appropriate offense instead of a Crash Report.
In conducting a crash investigation involving serious bodily injury or death, if an officer determines that the suspect who is at fault or caused the crash does not have ________ or ________the investigating officer shall ______.
a valid driver license or proof of financial responsibility; document these facts in an incident report.
After completing an investigation, the officer should issue the proper citation to the viola·· tor in a motor vehicle crash. Valid reasons for not issuing a citation are listed below:
Minor damage to the vehicles involved
Mechanical failure that occurred at the time of the crash (i.e., it was not pre·· existing)
No damage to the complainant’s vehicle
Violator could not be determined
Double violation committed (there were contributing minor violations by more than one involved driver)
Unable to place driver behind the wheel
Person has diplomatic immunity (see General Order 500-15, Contact With Representatives of Foreign Governments)
A greater charge was filed (e.g., driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence of drugs)
m. Extenuating circumstances, such as road hazards that caused the crash
_______ shall be used in most rear-end collisions with a moving vehicle and collisions with a parked automobile
Failure to control speed (accident)
_______shall be used in all other appropriate incidents
Following too closely (accident)
If a citation is not issued, one of the reasons listed above …
shall be entered in the narrative section of the Crash Report.
Citations issued as a result of crash investigations must contain…
the incident number and must be separated from other citations and delivered to the VCD.
All Crash Reports require a….
a narrative and diagram
At minimum a report should include
the location of the crash width of the street direction of travel of the vehicles point of impact length of skid marks (if any) factors causing the crash damage to vehicles disposition of vehicles involved other pertinent information involving the crash.
Additionally, officers shall document all _____and _____ statements and ________ on the HPD supplemental information page to the Crash Report.
all driver and witness statements and telephone numbers
Crash Reports submitted for processing that do not include the supplement page will _____________.
be returned to the officer for completion
Officers must complete the Crash Report _____ or ________ this requirement.
by the end of their shift or notify their supervisor to receive permission to deviate from
The supervisor of an investigating officer is responsible for checking the Crash Report for ____ and _____ using the CRASH system.
accuracy, completness
If errors are found, the supervisor shall …
note the error
reject the report in the system to send it back to the officer
AND
then personally notify the officer of the need for corrections.
Supervisors shall monitor their subordinates’ reports in the CRASH system and ensure that Crash Reports are ____, _____, and _____ in the CRASH system within _____ following the incident to allow the Records Division time for processing and transmittal.
reviewed, corrected, approved; within five calendar days
Texas Transportation Code requires Crash Reports to be sent to the Texas Department of Transportation within ________ the incident.
ten calendar days following
FSGI, FSRA, and fatality incidents require _____ and _______.
both a Crash Report and an incident report.
The concerned __________shall assign responding units to aircraft crashes that occur __________ to conduct an investigation and complete an incident report.
HPD Airport Division; within the confines of the City of Houston airport property
______ shall assign responding units to aircraft crashes that occur_______.
The VCD; within the city limits of Houston, but not on City owned airport property.
If a VCD unit is not available, _____ shall conduct the preliminary investigation and complete the original incident report.
a patrol officer
All crashes that occur on METRO controlled roadways shall be investigated by the _______. If no METRO police officer is available, _______ may investigate the crash.
the METRO Police Department; a Houston police officer
When a crash involves ________ , officers shall contact the NTSB at their 24-hour telephone number, 202-314-6290.
five or more fatalities
Any officer investigating an incident described below shall notify the Command Center, which shall then contact the Vehicular AssaulUTraffic Safety Team in the DA’s Office.
Any vehicular incident, accidental or intentional, that results in serious bodily injury to a child less than 15 years of age.
OR
Any vehicular incident, accidental or intentional, involving a fatality or homicide (excluding incidents in which the only potential suspect is deceased).
When an officer is told about or on-views a specific traffic engineering deficiency or hazard, the officer shall
complete an HPD Traffic Hazard Report form available on the department’s Intranet Portal.
The completed form shall be forwarded as indicated on the form to the VCD for processing.
