"Cheese"

Now and then, after an accident, some smart character will blame "road conditions" as a cause.

True, sometimes a rogue pothole, or other problem may be to blame.

Usually though, it is the last excuse of an inattentive, or speeding driver.

You don't want to try it on our patch.

I usually take photo's of the road around an accident scene, mostly because I too, am interested in the cause.

Obviously it is also a good idea to have some record.

We also check the road for oil/diesel spills etc, as a matter of routine.

So when some insurance company suddenly tries to lay the blame for a truck accident a year or more ago,on our road.
(as has just happened)

They get a set of A4 glossy incriminating pics, skid marks and all, showing what happens when you drive into a corner at a lunatic speed.

I just wish I could see their faces when the photos are produced ...

Of course it pays to know what you are doing ....

Forensics

A day of investigation and surveying the scene of yesterdays accident.

The Police Serious Crash Unit gather evidence, take measurements and photographs, and do skid tests.

The car will also be examined closely.

If you are a Kiwi, there is an interesting TV programme on how they work.

We usually find out the reasons for a local crash at the inevitable next one ...

A Morning After.

Last Night, this was a scene of flashing lights and tragedy.
In daylight, this is now just an unremarkable bit of road.
Just a few paint marks where the Police Serious Crash Unit have highlighted marks showing scuff & skid marks, and seal features.

On the back of my truck are about eight rubbish bags, containing shards of plastic and the shrapnel that is left after a crash. A fair bit of what was a nice BMW.

The Crash Unit are thorough. Every inch of the scene is photographed, and surveyed. It is treated like a crime scene, and so the road is closed.
This obviously frustrates motorists, who usually don't understand what is going on. Crucial evidence may be obliterated by passing traffic, and there is their own safety to consider.
We cop the flak here. We are the ones stopping traffic and detouring them.
It is always complicated by the fact that nobody can give a precise estimate of how long the delay will be, every accident is different.
The crash unit also has to arrive at the scene and that means a long but high speed dash from (in this case) Hamilton.
Most people are philosophical about the delay. There is always the odd arsehole.
I used to be quite polite and grit my teeth when they railed on about how important their trip is.
Not anymore.
None of us want to be there.
I give them heaps.

"A Three Pipe Problem, I Think Watson"

If I had done a bit more geometry & algebra homework as a spotty kid. I might have made an accident investigator. It is an area that fascinates me. Aircraft accident investigation would be the ultimate. Working out the whys and whats from a tangled heap of wreckage is a real detective story.
The diagram above is the beginning of the process in finding out how far a vehicle travelled after becoming airborne on a rise, or a crest in the road.
Next comes a complicated equation.


These days of course computers can do most of the work, but I have seen it done almost on the back of an envelope.
Rest Area 300m

Another Grim Imponderable

We often provide traffic control for the Police serious crash unit. After a fatal crash the road is surveyed, a skid test done, photo's taken, any evidential marks on the road are measured and plotted. The results can then be fed into a computor and simulations done. This can usually discover the "How", something happened, but often the "Why" is inexplicable.
On the road we believe that fatigue and consequent inattention is the biggest killer, but in this case the accident site was only a bit over an hour from New Plymouth. It is not in a cell phone coverage area, so a mobile phone wasn't the culprit. I had passed the site ten minutes before, there was very little traffic, it was a great day for a drive.

"A car crash which took the life of a New Plymouth woman 10 days ago has now claimed the life of her daughter.
Dianne Ruth Morgan (46) was killed instantly in the crash on State Highway 3, just south of the Mangaotaki Gorge near Piopio, about 12.50pm on Saturday, February 12.
Her daughter Kenna Je-oan (7) was taken to Waikato Hospital with major head injuries.
Mrs Morgan had been driving north around a sweeping right-hand bend when her vehicle veered into the opposing lane and into a south-bound Land-Rover towing a horse float with a horse on board, Senior Constable Kevin Hearfield, of Otorohanga, said yesterday.
The male driver in the Land-Rover was not injured.
Mr Hearfield said it would probably remain a mystery as to why Mrs Morgan's car crossed the centre line.
The weather was good and the driving conditions excellent. There was no suggestion of speed, alcohol, drugs or mechanical faults.
The serious crash unit had drawn a blank. "Unfortunately, there are no independent witnesses and no evidence we could find on the road that would indicate what happened."
(Taranaki Daily News)