Chapter 11 - Traffic Crash Inv - Lesson 1

Question 1

Traffic crash

Answer 1

a collision involving one or more vehicles causing property damage, personal injury, serious bodily injury, or death

Question 2

Step 1: Approach the traffic crash scene safely.

Answer 2

drive immediately and safely to the scene. Follow sound driving principles and use lights and sirens following your agency policies and statutory requirements.

Question 3

STEP 2: ASSESS THE SCENE OF THE CRASH

Answer 3

quick assessment to decide if you need to request additional assistance. As you approach, analyze the scene from a distance to identify the extent of the traffic crash, the number of involved vehicles, and the risk for fire or hazardous materials.

Question 4

First harmful event

Answer 4

the first event during a traffic crash that caused injury or property damage. The first harmful event determines the time, place, and type of crash.

Question 5

STEP 3: SECURE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT AT THE CRASH SCENE

Answer 5

Decide where to park your patrol vehicle, what reflective clothing to wear, and which warning devices to use to divert traffic and protect the scene.

Question 6

Position Your Vehicle…

Answer 6

Position your vehicle to protect the scene, prevent additional crashes, and redirect the flow of traffic

Question 7

Final rest

Answer 7

the point when all movement resulting from the crash comes to a halt

Question 8

Possible injury

Answer 8

A possible injury is reported by the individual or is indicated by their behavior, but no wound or injury is readily evident.

Question 9

Non-incapacitating injury

Answer 9

a non-disabling injury, such as a laceration, scrape, or bruise

Question 10

Incapacitating injury

Answer 10

a serious bodily injury other than fatal resulting in one or more of the following:
* severe laceration resulting in exposure of underlying tissues / muscles / organs or significant loss
of blood
* broken or distorted extremity (arm or leg)
* crush injuries
* suspected skull, chest, or abdominal injury other than bruises or minor lacerations
* significant burns (second- and third-degree
burns over 10% or more of the body)
* unconsciousness when taken from the crash scene
* paralysis

Question 11

Serious bodily injury

Answer 11

is “an injury to a person, including the driver, which consists of a physical condition that creates a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ.”

Question 12

Fatal injury

Answer 12

an injury resulting in an individual’s death within a 30-day period after the traffic crash accident

Question 13

Non-traffic fatal injury

Answer 13

a fatality that is unrelated to the traffic crash accident, such as a heart attack, natural causes, suicide, or homicide

Question 14

STEP 5: GATHER TRAFFIC CRASH INFORMATION

Answer 14

Obtain Driver’s Information
Interview People on the Scene

Question 15

PHASES OF A TRAFFIC CRASH

Answer 15

• pre-collision
• at-collision
• post-collision

Question 16

Pre-collision phase

Answer 16

begins when the driver becomes aware of a danger or hazard

Question 17

Reaction time

Answer 17

the length of time between the point of perception and the beginning of the evasive action.

Question 18

Evasive action

Answer 18

any action the driver takes to alter the speed or direction of a vehicle or to avoid danger or hazard, such as applying the brakes, turning the steering wheel, or moving the vehicle out of the way.

Question 19

The point of no escape

Answer 19

the point in time when the crash is inevitable, regardless of the evasive action taken.

Question 20

The at-collision phase

Answer 20

begins with the time of the initial impact or contact.

Question 21

The post-collision phase

Answer 21

begins when the vehicles, property, or people separate, either naturally or from post-crash intervention by a person.

Question 22

Area of collision (AOC)

Answer 22

the location of the first harmful event, or the first damage-producing
event in the traffic crash. The AOC indicates the area where the collision occurred, assists you in determining the direction a vehicle was traveling, and the probable location of the debris field

Question 23

Pre-existing damage

Answer 23

any damage existing on a vehicle before the crash. It is usually identifiable as damage that does not fit the pattern of the crash and appears rusted, dirty, or weathered.

Question 24

Contact damage is any damage that did not exist on a vehicle before the crash

Answer 24

• scrape marks or striations on the body of the vehicle
• material rub-off, such as paint from the other vehicle (called paint transfer), rubber, or tree bark
• fiber transfer, such as from a person’s clothing
• hair or blood
• punctures to or imprints on a bumper, guardrail, or other fixed object

Question 25

Gouge

Answer 25

a cut into the surface of the road where some part of the vehicle removed the road surface material.

Question 26

Surface mark

Answer 26

any mark created by a vehicle’s tire at a crash scene

Question 27

Furrow mark

Answer 27

a type of trench dug by locked tires moving across a soft surface such as gravel, sand, grass, or dirt.

Question 28

Photographs of a traffic crash scene:

Answer 28

• record the scene’s physical condition
• supplement other documentation
• aid in drawing conclusions about the crash
• can assist a traffic homicide investigator in reconstructing the crash

Question 29

Instruments to measure evidence include, but are not limited to:

Answer 29

• rolling measuring wheels
• fiberglass and steel measuring tapes of various lengths
• laser measuring devices

Question 30

Field sketch

Answer 30

a rough drawing of the scene

Question 31

The officer is also responsible for submitting the report within…

Answer 31

10 days if it meets the criteria outlined in chapter 316, F.S

Question 32

Contributing traffic violation

Answer 32

This violation is a direct cause or contribution to the traffic crash itself, such as a vehicle running a red light and striking another vehicle.

Question 33

Non-contributing traffic violation

Answer 33

This violation has no direct bearing on the cause of the traffic crash; you discover it during the investigation

Question 34

Non-traffic violation

Answer 34

This violation is a criminal offense discovered during the traffic crash investigation.

Question 35

HSMV 90011S

Answer 35

functions as a Driver Report of Traffic Crash (Self Report) or a Driver Exchange of Information

Question 36

HSMV 90010S

Answer 36

Florida Traffic Crash Report, which functions as a Long Form, a Short Form, or an Update Form

Question 37

Crash privilege

Answer 37

lets them provide information about the crash to law enforcement without worrying that it will be used against them in a criminal case

Question 38

Changing hats

Answer 38

When you tell the driver that your investigation is changing from a civil to a criminal one, their crash privilege ends

Question 39

Encroachment

Answer 39

occurs when vehicles, property, or people begin to enter the same space at the same time and make contact, and where the first injury or damage may occur

Question 40

Maximum engagement

Answer 40

the point at which the vehicles, property, or people crush together to the greatest extent.

Question 41

A scrape

Answer 41

Scrapes occur between the AOC and the point of the vehicle’s final rest.

Question 42

Runoff

Answer 42

a pool or trail of fluids escaping from a vehicle because of impact

Question 43

Intermittent skid marks

Answer 43

a series of heavy skid marks with long gaps of more than 15 feet between them, caused by a driver who rapidly applies and releases the brakes, to stop the vehicle

Question 44

Skip skid marks

Answer 44

a series of skid marks, usually short in length with irregular intervals between them. This pattern appears on the road when a vehicle has a sudden load shift from braking hard, causing the vehicle to bounce

Question 45

Offset skid marks

Answer 45

skid marks that indicate a sudden change in the direction of a tire due to collision forces

Question 46

A squeegee mark

Answer 46

a strip of dry pavement remaining after a vehicle skids on a wet road.

Question 47

A scuff or yaw mark

Answer 47

occurs when a vehicle loses tire traction from entering a curve too fast or from oversteering

Question 48

Acceleration scuff marks

Answer 48

from rapid acceleration from a stop, causing the tires to produce gradually fading dark tire marks.

Question 49

A tire print

Answer 49

a mark left by a tire rolling over a soft material such as sand or dirt, or rolling through a liquid on a hard surface, such as oil, which leaves an identifiable pattern matching the tread of the tire.