Accident Investigation

The Accident Investigation Unit (AIU) responds to, and investigates, hit-and-run, serious injury, and all fatal motor vehicle accidents. Investigations necessitate meticulous concentration, coupled with high-yielding efficiency.

Most scenes are located on roadways that cause untimely back-ups for motorists. Depending on the circumstances, AIU members may require portions of roadways to be closed for extended periods in order to identify and document each and every piece of evidence. Once roads are open, the pureness of the scene is lost forever; there are few second chances.

AIU members focus on the presence of physical evidence. They identify, collect, and analyze tire marks, pavement scarring, vehicle damage, and debris patterns to gain clues to a puzzle. Careful examination is given to those items found at and leading up to scenes. The training for AIU members consists of four weeks of hands on field training and classroom lectures. Our ongoing training keeps us up-to-date with the latest techniques and advancements in the field.

Using this training and tools, AIU members quickly and efficiently “forensically map” and document scenes as they existed when emergency personnel first arrived. The key to continued success is the interpretation of scene evidence, vehicle autopsies, injury patterns, speed calculations, crash data retrieval results, toxicology results, and interviews. The cause(s) of collisions are then compared to New York State laws and decisions are made to criminally prosecute cases that violate those laws.