Home » Law and Legal Articles » Florida Troopers Receive Enhanced Fatal-Accident Investigation Training
Florida Troopers Receive Enhanced Fatal-Accident Investigation Training
According to the DHSMV Annual Performance Report (FY 2010 to 2011), in each of the past two fiscal years the FHP investigated over 200,000 highway accidents and about 60 percent of all fatal highway accidents. So clearly the troopers already possess significant crash-investigation skills and experience that the new training program will further enhance.
December 24, 2011 /Law and Legal PR News/ -- Florida Troopers Receive Enhanced Fatal-Accident Investigation Training
Julie L. Jones, the executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, recently announced her goal to train all members of the Florida Highway Patrol to investigate single-vehicle fatal accidents. This training has already begun for new troopers at the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy in Tallahassee and special training will be arranged for the rest of the force.
According to the DHSMV Annual Performance Report (FY 2010 to 2011), in each of the past two fiscal years the FHP investigated over 200,000 highway accidents and about 60 percent of all fatal highway accidents. So clearly the troopers already possess significant crash-investigation skills and experience that the new training program will further enhance.
With this training, whenever a trooper responds to a single-car fatal crash, after providing any necessary medical or other emergency services, he or she can begin the "at-scene" investigation phase immediately. Otherwise the officer must secure the scene and await the arrival of a properly trained investigator.
Not only will this capability increase departmental efficiency and likely save money in labor costs, an investigation that begins sooner has the potential to secure fresher evidence and document temporary evidence that could deteriorate or disappear. For example, rain may erase tire skid marks from soft ground. Also, if darkness is imminent, the responding officer can begin the investigation during daylight.
Immediately after being in an accident, the vehicle may still be hot or have its electrical system operational, allowing the investigating officer to make potentially important observations that could help determine the cause of the crash.
One attribute of a single-vehicle car accident scene is the potential for a criminal to stage the crash as a cover up for previous violence against the driver. The sooner law enforcement realizes this may be the case, the sooner the investigation can widen into a search for the perpetrator.
The higher the quality of the initial, at-scene investigation, the more accurate later an accident reconstruction attempt is likely to be. Anyone who loses a loved one in a single-car accident -- or in any motor-vehicle accident -- should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible to learn about potential legal remedies and undertake his or her own investigation or reconstruction.
Article provided by Nance, Cacciatore, Hamilton, Barger, Nance, Cacciatore V
isit us at www.nancelaw.com
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