VIRGINIA STATE POLICE Motor Vehicle Crash Investigation Familiarization Presented by First Sergeant G. Scott VanLear
[email protected] 540-885-2142 Crash or Accident? NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCIDENT 2910 traffic laws* 517 criminal laws* Additionally there are Administrative Laws (Construction, Alcohol, and Status Offenses) * Source – Code of Virginia If you wreck you have violated one of these, thus you crashed! Motor Vehicle Crash Investigation Objectives To determine the violation of law. Obtain the necessary evidence to SUCCESSFULLY PROSECUTE the violator. Obtain the necessary information to file the required reports. Source - Virginia State Police Manual Motor Vehicle Crashes Extent of Investigation Non-Reportable vs. Reportable Crashes Reportable = $1,500 property damage and/or injury Criminal, Traffic, and/or Administrative Fatal Hit and Run Assaults Police Pursuits Source – Code of Virginia and Virginia State Police Manual Motor Vehicle Crashes Extent of Investigation Severity/Circumstances of the Crash Determines Extent of the Investigation Non-Reportable: Exchange of Information Only (unless an obvious serious violation of law such as DUI/DUID) Reportable: Motor Vehicle Crash Investigation Hit and Run: Criminal and Crash Investigation Fatality or Possible Fatality: Extremely Detailed Criminal and Crash Investigation Police/EMS: the above + Administrative Investigation Source – Code of Virginia and Virginia State Police Manual Criminal Investigation A Hit and Run is a CRIME by law Requires Criminal Investigation and a Motor Vehicle Crash Investigation May be a MISDEMEANOR or FELONY Attended Property, Personal Injury, Property Damage Misdemeanor investigation is less involved than a Felony Scene Examination and Interviews are detailed, therefore more time consuming, since the preservation and recovery of evidence is detailed and documented correlating to the seriousness of the offense.