Fatal Collision Investigations
Tragically, people are seriously injured or lose their lives due to collisions each year in Ottawa.
The Fatal Collision Investigation Unit attends and investigates motor vehicle collisions resulting in death or life-threatening injuries. We may also be tasked with providing outdoor crime scene scale diagrams to other investigative units.
These investigations are extremely complex and include scene reconstruction, which is the practical application of accepted collision reconstruction principles in surveying these scenes and utilizing the data to produce scale diagrams and conduct technical analysis in creating reconstruction reports. Our investigators have specialized training and the expertise necessary to examine and analyze this physical evidence and provide expert testimony in court.
Specialized expertise includes but is not limited to:
- Measuring tire marks and coefficients of friction to calculate the speed of involved vehicles
- Downloading the Event Data Recorder information that monitors the airbag system
- Time/distance/velocity calculations
- Using momentum formulas to determine vehicle velocities and angles
- Fall and vault calculations
- Pedestrian throw distances to determine vehicle velocity
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