Getting it Right in Accident Investigation and Reconstruction by George L
Getting it Right
in Accident Investigation and
Reconstruction
by George L. Ruotolo
Central to any crash investigation is the accuracy in
determining who was at fault and why the crash occurred. Too often, the first
officers on the scene are not crash reconstructionists and do not have the
proper training to identify those pieces of evidence necessary to reach a solid
conclusion.
In his article, Getting it Right in Accident
Investigation and Reconstruction, George Ruotolo outlines steps that provide
possible remedies for avoiding incorrect conclusions of any traffic crash. While
advocating specialized training for the investigators of traffic crashes, the
author also makes a compelling case against decisions to issue a citation at the
crash scene that may later prove to be detrimental in a court of law.
Early in the article, Mr. Ruotolo makes it clear that
quick, inaccurate conclusions only cause embarrassment to the departments and
undermine their expertise in the eyes of the public, to say nothing of the
morale of the officers whose reports of the crash undergo rigorous scrutiny.
Topics in this article address the following:
- Possible Remedies for Wrong Determinations
- Reminders to Scene Investigators (First Responding
Police Officer)
- Pitfalls for the Expert to Avoid
- The Reconstruction Process
- Summary
This article is a must for on-scene investigators,
reconstructionists, police administrators, private investigators and trial
attorneys.
George Ruotolo is retired from 21 years of service in New
York State law enforcement and police training. His experience in courtroom
testimony as an expert witness spans 12 years and he is now a private consultant
to law enforcement, the legal profession and insurance companies.
Specifications: 14 pages; 8½”x11”; saddle stitched; Publisher: IPTM (February 1994)