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| Cars
As Weapons |
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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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| 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 taken 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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