Sometimes the Accident Vehicle Tells the Story

8/13/2019 Sometimes the Accident Vehicle Tells the Story

1/7

search com_search

Sometimes the accident vehicle tells the story: A forensic

case study

Introduction

In India, police accident reports are often the main source of data for accident investigations.

These reports usually contain information on traffic conditions, vehicle performance, road

environment, driver characteristics, casualty demographics, and injury severity level. When

comparing police reports with hospital records, the degree of the under-reporting of road

casualties has been found to be quite significant. Casualty demographics, time of injury,

hospital admission, mode of transport, vehicle class, and car occupancy are all contributory

factors to the reporting rate in police accident records. Fatal accidents are normally assumed

to be reported in full. However, the degree of under-reporting is greater for less seriouslyinjured casualties. The quality of police accident reports has also been examined in relation

to the accuracy of accident attributes, vehicle performance, driver characteristics, and

accident causes. Police data on the number of casualties involved and the time and location

of accidents have been found to be unreliable in Rajasthan, India [1]. The statistics of death

and injuries due to accident of last years in Rajastha are plotted in Fig. 1. From Fig. 1, it is

clearly seen that the growth rate of death is about 12% and injured is about 10%, which is

very high. Local four wheelers injuries are due to falls and a preliminary study on this found

that older people are disproportionately represented in non-collision bus injuries in Rajasthan,

India [1]. When these falls occur, the design of the interior substantially affects injury risk.

Standing passengers are the most injured. The age and gender of passengers injured is

strongly related to their travel frequency, with children/teenagers and passengers over 60years old being over represented.

Through this paper, one very interesting case study is being communicated for the awareness

of the forensic science community. The vehicle can hold the clues to solving cases related to

accident analysis. A general methodology for examining an accident vehicle and road

accidents for the crime scene investigator is also summarized through a flow chart shown in

Fig. 2. Investigation of cause of death is very important and needs special attention and

training. Protection of the crime scene is very important to the proper investigation of the

crime. Observe persons, vehicle, events, potential evidence and environmental conditions.

Safety and well being of officers and other individuals should be the first priority [2-5].

Identify and control any dangerous situations or persons.

Case History:

In this case, our forensic mobile team visited the Police station Khatu Shaymaji (most

religious temple of Lord Krishna, Rajasthan, India), it was reported that on 30-04-07 a dead

body of a man aged 27 years was found on the middle seat of a Mahindra Bolero vehicle

lying in a field about 50 feet away from the road near the village Sanwalpura as an FIR

60/07.

Forensic Finding:
http://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/crime-scene-investigation/40-crime-scene-processing/140-sometimes-the-accident-vehicle-tells-the-story-a-forensic-case-studyhttp://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/crime-scene-investigation/40-crime-scene-processing/140-sometimes-the-accident-vehicle-tells-the-story-a-forensic-case-studyhttp://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/crime-scene-investigation/40-crime-scene-processing/140-sometimes-the-accident-vehicle-tells-the-story-a-forensic-case-studyhttp://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/crime-scene-investigation/40-crime-scene-processing/140-sometimes-the-accident-vehicle-tells-the-story-a-forensic-case-studyhttp://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/crime-scene-investigation/40-crime-scene-processing/140-sometimes-the-accident-vehicle-tells-the-story-a-forensic-case-study


2/7

1. The Vehicle: A silver grey colored Mahindra Bolero Turbo DI vehicle bearingregistration number RJ 05 UA 0116 was located at the Police Station Khatu Shyamji

and was examined. Fresh scratches and dents were detected on the front left side

bonnet of the vehicle. Front headlight was broken (Photograph 1). Wind screen was

found missing and some windows were also broken. Dent & scratches were also

found on the front right side top corner of he vehicle. Rear side left tyre was burst(Photograph 2).

2. Other/Foreign smears: No foreign smear/paint was observed at the location of thescratched and dented portion of the vehicle, which can be seen in Photograph 1.

3. Dead Body: The body was lying at the middle seat of the vehicle having a badlyinjured head. The front lateral part of the head was badly damaged (Photograph 3).

Other parts of the body did not have any serious injuries.

4. Blood spots and the window of the right (passenger side) rear door: It was observedthat the maximum pool of blood and blood splashes were detected at the middle

window (Photographs 4a to 4e) and on the ceiling and roof of the rear right side

portion of the vehicle.

5. Inside the vehicle: Maximum blood was detected in the middle (second row) of seats.6. At the spot: There was a "Nallah" of width 9 feet and dept of about 3-4 feet between

the road and the field. Broken windscreen glass and pieces of tyre guard were also

detected at the spot (Photograph 5).

7. Skid Marks: The skid marks are shown in Photograph 6.8. Bystanders: The people gathered at the scene believed that the deceased was the

driver of the vehicle. After being shown the results of the forensic examinations, they

changed their minds.

After some discussion among the investigating team, it was suggested that the vehicle was

traveling at speed and due to the bursting of the right rear tire, the vehicle became imbalanced

causing it to leave the roadway.

Result and discussion:

1. Thorough examination of the dents and scratches on the vehicle revealed no evidencethat it had collided with another vehicle.

2. The possibility of the vehicle becoming imbalanced due to a sharp turn and the failureof the right rear tyre can not be ruled out.

3. No evidence of murder was observed.4. The length of the cut on the victims head is approximately equal to the length of the

dent on the upper portion of the right rear window, indicating that the head struck thewindow frame.

The direction of the blood splashes on the ceiling and the location of hairs from the eyebrows

of the deceased on the right rear window indicate that the deceased was seated in the middle

row of seats. The results of the forensic examination changed the views of the Investigating

Officer as well as the family of the victim and the news media.

In an accident, the driver is obligated to identify him or herself to police immediately. If this

does not happen, police can identify the suspect through physical evidence found at the scene

of the crime. Evidence such as statements by witnesses, the license plate number of the

suspect vehicle, the color of the suspect vehicle, a description of the vehicle's occupants and a

precise description of the accident may help the investigation. Chrome stripping, headlight


3/7

flanges, license plate frames, hood parts, side mirror mounting parts and rubber mudguards

may all leave pieces behind, that can place the suspect at the scene of the crime. Skid marks

are very important physical evidence [6-7]. They can suggest how fast the suspect was

driving and whether or not an attempt was made to stop. The longer the skid marks, the

faster the vehicle was traveling. Absence of skid marks suggests that no attempt was made to

stop the vehicle [8].

Conclusion:

It is essential that these crimes be solved in order to serve the victims and their families with

justice. Moreover, there should be zeal to solve the crime. Dedicated scene investigators

who are provided with the appropriate resources and training will ensure that justice is served

at the crime scene.


4/7

Photograph 1: Close view of the dent and damaged head light

Photograph 1: Close view of the dent and damaged head light


5/7

Photograph 2: Close view rear right side burst tyre

Photograph 3: Close view of the head of the deceased


6/7

Photograph 5: Broken wind screen glass and other vehicle part found in the Nallah


7/7

Photograph 6: Close view of the straight dragging marks detected on the road as directed by

the arrows

Photograph 6: Close view of the straight dragging marks detected on the road as

directed by the arrows

Documents

Sometimes the Accident Vehicle Tells the Story