Inside the Reconstruction of a Vehicle vs. Pedestrian Collision REGION (WGGB)- At the scene of an accident, there are usually more questions than answers. Every piece of evidence is critical and it takes an expert to find solutions. The Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) provides cutting edge training to the criminal justice community. They teach skills all around the world, but recent training was with officers right here in Western Massachusetts. For this class, the group gathered at Westover Metropolitan Airport. A fraction of a second – that’s the amount of time it takes from the moment of impact until a pedestrian is sprawled out on the pavement. There may be a witness or two, but it’s likely they’ve missed the details of the crash. Only in special training will the Reconstructive Unit learn how to piece the accident scene back together. “Officials will measure where the victim was standing and the point of impact to the center of the mass of the body,” explains IPTM adjunct faculty member Christopher Sanchez. This is done through physics and a series of different equations, but most importantly the gathered evidence. At the center of advanced training, there is an articulate dummy, dressed in everyday street clothing, about five feet tall. Different colors are painted on the dummy to make it easier for officials to distinguish where the dummy first comes in contact with the car and the ground. For the test procedure, a car would accelerate, hitting a dummy which would than continue to wrap around the vehicle. Officials would investigate the test scene and take notes regarding the observations. Skid marks are also something to be noticed, as all details are analyzed. This test is analyzed numerous times, with different variables, including changing the original dummy position and increasing vehicle speed. Different trials will allow officials to see how the body reacts to various positions of impact. These training trials allow officers to understand an accident in a new way. “Watching the slow motion of the dummy as it gets struck, it makes sense. Things I’ve seen in the past make more sense now,” says Mark Trapani from the Pittsfield Police Department. In addition, it’s also important for all witnesses on scene to leave all evidence in place for the reconstructive unit to move in. The Institute of Police Technology and Management provides over 400 courses yearly to approximately 10,000 law enforcement professionals.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 04:12:12 +0000
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