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Cars as weapons are less common for murder than for
road accidents, but do occur from time to time. Whether
the driver was drunk, on drugs or simply a reckless
and homicidal driver, cars can become weapons just as
fearful as loaded guns. |
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Select one of the topics below to
read more:
--> Recorded
at the scene
--> The
driver
--> Computer
reconstruction
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| Recorded
at the Scene |
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| *Cars
as weapons can create an illusion of an
accident. Photo courtesy of www.freefoto.com. |
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Forensic
scientists play a vital role when it comes to
collecting and analysing evidence to reconstruct
exactly what happened. Investigators look for
evidence to verify how fast the car was going,
in what direction the car was moving, and whether
the driver tried to brake. Evidence missed during
the investigation is lost forever, because if
the incident occurred on a busy highway, investigators
are under intense pressure to complete the investigation
and allow traffic to flow again. Sketches of the
road, detailing of the measurements and recording
of the locations of skid-marks must be done. Photos
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from an angle can be used in certain computer
software to reveal the distance of the marks left
on the road. The type of car and its mass are
logged for further reconstruction of the crash. |
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| The
Driver |
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| Identifying
who was driving the car is sometimes a difficult
task, as passengers can be thrown from their seats
and a surviving driver may attempt to switch the
blame to a passenger that died. These claims are
analysed in the laboratory, where with the help
of medical examiners, the truth as to who was
driving can be found out. During a crash, the
airbag is expelled and traces of evidence such
as hair, make-up, skin and blood are left behind.
Airbags tend to cause distinct facial injuries.
The pedals in the car and the driver's shoes mark
each other and if the occupants of the car were
wearing seatbelts, bruising on the shoulder can
reveal which side of the car an occupant was sitting
on. |
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| Computer
Reconstruction |
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| Reconstruction of the
crash involves a complex computer program, for example,
PC-Crash, which recreates the crash scene. The program
works backwards with the data it receives, so the operator
enters information such as the vehicles resting position,
the mass of the vehicle, the type of vehicle, the radius
and the length of the tyre-marks found on the road.
The program is then able to use the calculations to
estimate the speed and direction of all the vehicles
involved before the final impact. This reconstructed
animation can be used as evidence in a court of law. |
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