Sometimes the accident vehicle tells the story: A forensic case study

Mukesh Sharma, State Forensic Science Laboratroy, Jaipur- 302 016, Rajasthan

Daryl Clemens, Editor, Crime & Clues, http://www.crimeandclues.com

Abstract

Accident cases arise from the violation of statutes that typically require the driver of an automobile involved in an accident to stop, identify himself and his vehicle and render aid to persons injured in the accident. These statutes, when violated due to various reasons, may give rise to both criminal and civil litigation. Through this present crime scene study, the authors have tried to explain the importance of the spot examination and preservation of the scene of crime. In India, police accident reports are often the main source of data for accident investigations. In this case, it was reported by police that a dead body was found lying on the middle seat of a Mihindra Bolero vehicle. The people of the village and family members were concerned that their relative may have been murdered. Through the investigation of the forensic mobile crime scene team, the case was solved at the spot in Rajasthan, India. Without these discoveries, the case might still remain open as a suspicious death.

Introduction

In India, police accident reports are often the main source of data for accident investigations. These reports usually contain information on traffic conditions, vehicle performance, road environment, driver characteristics, casualty demographics, and injury severity level. When comparing police reports with hospital records, the degree of the under-reporting of road casualties has been found to be quite significant. Casualty demographics, time of injury, hospital admission, mode of transport, vehicle class, and car occupancy are all contributory factors to the reporting rate in police accident records. Fatal accidents are normally assumed to be reported in full. However, the degree of under-reporting is greater for less seriously injured casualties. The quality of police accident reports has also been examined in relation to the accuracy of accident attributes, vehicle performance, driver characteristics, and accident causes. Police data on the number of casualties involved and the time and location of accidents have been found to be unreliable in Rajasthan, India [1]. The statistics of death and injuries due to accident of last years in Rajastha are plotted in Fig. 1. From Fig. 1, it is clearly seen that the growth rate of death is about 12% and injured is about 10%, which is very high. Local four wheelers injuries are due to falls and a preliminary study on this found that older people are disproportionately represented in non-collision bus injuries in Rajasthan, India [1]. When these falls occur, the design of the interior substantially affects injury risk. Standing passengers are the most injured. The age and gender of passengers injured is strongly related to their travel frequency, with children/teenagers and passengers over 60 years old being over represented.

Through this paper, one very interesting case study is being communicated for the awareness of the forensic science community. The vehicle can hold the clues to solving cases related to accident analysis. A general methodology for examining an accident vehicle and road accidents for the crime scene investigator is also summarized through a flow chart shown in Fig. 2. Investigation of cause of death is very important and needs special attention and training. Protection of the crime scene is very important to the proper investigation of the crime. Observe persons, vehicle, events, potential evidence and environmental conditions. Safety and well being of officers and other individuals should be the first priority [2-5]. Identify and control any dangerous situations or persons.

Case History:

In this case, our forensic mobile team visited the Police station Khatu Shaymaji (most religious temple of Lord Krishna, Rajasthan, India), it was reported that on 30-04-07 a dead body of a man aged 27 years was found on the middle seat of a Mahindra Bolero vehicle lying in a field about 50 feet away from the road near the village Sanwalpura as an FIR 60/07.

Forensic Finding:

The Vehicle: A silver grey colored Mahindra Bolero Turbo DI vehicle bearing registration number RJ 05 UA 0116 was located at the Police Station Khatu Shyamji and was examined. Fresh scratches and dents were detected on the front left side bonnet of the vehicle. Front headlight was broken (Photograph 1). Wind screen was found missing and some windows were also broken. Dent & scratches were also found on the front right side top corner of he vehicle. Rear side left tyre was burst (Photograph 2).
Other/Foreign smears: No foreign smear/paint was observed at the location of the scratched and dented portion of the vehicle, which can be seen in Photograph 1.
Dead Body: The body was lying at the middle seat of the vehicle having a badly injured head. The front lateral part of the head was badly damaged (Photograph 3). Other parts of the body did not have any serious injuries.
Blood spots and the window of the right (passenger side) rear door: It was observed that the maximum pool of blood and blood splashes were detected at the middle window (Photographs 4a to 4e) and on the ceiling and roof of the rear right side portion of the vehicle.
Inside the vehicle: Maximum blood was detected in the middle (second row) of seats.
At the spot: There was a "Nallah" of width 9 feet and dept of about 3-4 feet between the road and the field. Broken windscreen glass and pieces of tyre guard were also detected at the spot (Photograph 5).
Skid Marks: The skid marks are shown in Photograph 6.
Bystanders: The people gathered at the scene believed that the deceased was the driver of the vehicle. After being shown the results of the forensic examinations, they changed their minds.

After some discussion among the investigating team, it was suggested that the vehicle was traveling at speed and due to the bursting of the right rear tire, the vehicle became imbalanced causing it to leave the roadway.

Result and discussion:

Thorough examination of the dents and scratches on the vehicle revealed no evidence that it had collided with another vehicle.
The possibility of the vehicle becoming imbalanced due to a sharp turn and the failure of the right rear tyre can not be ruled out.
No evidence of murder was observed.
The length of the cut on the victims head is approximately equal to the length of the dent on the upper portion of the right rear window, indicating that the head struck the window frame.

The direction of the blood splashes on the ceiling and the location of hairs from the eyebrows of the deceased on the right rear window indicate that the deceased was seated in the middle row of seats. The results of the forensic examination changed the views of the Investigating Officer as well as the family of the victim and the news media.

In an accident, the driver is obligated to identify him or herself to police immediately. If this does not happen, police can identify the suspect through physical evidence found at the scene of the crime. Evidence such as statements by witnesses, the license plate number of the suspect vehicle, the color of the suspect vehicle, a description of the vehicle's occupants and a precise description of the accident may help the investigation. Chrome stripping, headlight flanges, license plate frames, hood parts, side mirror mounting parts and rubber mudguards may all leave pieces behind, that can place the suspect at the scene of the crime. Skid marks are very important physical evidence [6-7]. They can suggest how fast the suspect was driving and whether or not an attempt was made to stop. The longer the skid marks, the faster the vehicle was traveling. Absence of skid marks suggests that no attempt was made to stop the vehicle [8].

Conclusion:

It is essential that these crimes be solved in order to serve the victims and their families with justice. Moreover, there should be zeal to solve the crime. Dedicated scene investigators who are provided with the appropriate resources and training will ensure that justice is served at the crime scene.

References:

Booklet issued monthly recorded crime (Crime Branch), Rajasthan, India June 2009.
Kiely, Terrence F., Forensic Evidence: Science and the Criminal Law, CRC Press, 2001.
Adams, Thomas F. and Krutsinger, Jeffery, Crime Scene Investigation, Prentice Hall, 2000.
Badger, Joseph E., "How Credible are Eyewitnesses?" http://www.harristechnical.com/articles/witness.pdf
Domke, Ellen and Klepitsch, Jim. "Hit-Run: A Crash Course: 120-a-Day in Chicago: Problem in Suburbs. Chicago Sun Times 28 March 1993.
Vallejo, CA and Redsicker, D. Crime Scene Investigation and Physical Evidence Manual. 2001.
Bevel, T and Gardner, R. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis. CRC Press, 1997.
Fox, Richard H. and Cunningham, Carl L. Crime scene Search and Physical Evidence Handbook. USDOJ, 1973.