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Show UJfiaEi AKT Giroyp Will Study Ayfi Accidemifi Causes OGDEN - In the short space of seventy-nine years the automobile, with the help of a person behind the wheel, has succeeded in killing nearly twice as many Americans as all the U.S wars combined, said Captain Val A. Palmer of the Utah Highway High-way Patrol, in an address here Monday. SPEAKING BEFORE a press conference which marked the kick-off of a trial program, The Accident Reconstruction Team (ART), Captain Palmer reemphasized the importance of "determining, from whatever what-ever information is available, availa-ble, how an accident occurs." "Since more money is lost to traffic accidents than all of the violent crimes combined (robbery, rape, burglary, murder, etc.), it's imperative artHytlie cause's,""" the" captain explained. "Using the Accident Reconstruction Team, we can find out how the accident happened, and what could have been done, by whom, to avoid the collision." SOME CONCLUSIONS that can be reached by the ART team include speed of vehicles, positioning on the roadway, angles of departures, depar-tures, and evasive actions taken by the drivers. A reconstruction could reach the point of placing vehicles on a graph or diagram in positions at each tenth of a second (or other desired intervals) before, during, and after a collision. "ACCIDENT reconstruction reconstruc-tion would not be necessary in all traffic accidents," Captain Palmer said, "but would be very useful in cases where witnesses cannot satisfactorily satisfac-torily explain what happened, or when explanations do not match the physical evidence." The evidence gathered would be beneficial to both criminal and civil courts, he added. The ART team would be used in accidents involving loss of life or extreme property damage such as the bus rollover near Brigham City or the fatal accident wherein eight persons lost their lives in Delta earlier --thra-year. . CAPTAIN PALMER, who is Commander of Zone I which includes Davis, Weber, Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties, coun-ties, said that one trooper from each of these four divisions will make up the first ART team. Trooper Robert N. Dahle of Logan, representing Cache and Rich counties, is the leader of the team, under the direction of Captain Palmer. Trooper Dahle received his training in Accident Reconstruction Recons-truction from the Minnesota State Police Academy under the guidance of M.J. Lofgren. Mr. Lofgren was voted nationally na-tionally this year's Policeman of the Year because of his contributions to the field of Accident Reconstruction. TROOPERS James E. Lindsey of Brigham City, Dale D. Neal of Ogden, and Bruce S. Marshall of Clear-field.will Clear-field.will round out the team.- After two weeks of intensive training in such courses as weight shift, fall speed, conservation con-servation of linear momentum, momen-tum, perspective grid photography, pho-tography, and quadratic equations, the four troopers will return to their divisions where they will be available for consultation and assistance assis-tance in reconstructing accidents ac-cidents in their areas. The four would also be available throughout the state as a ' team on a need basis, the Captain said. CAPTAIN PALMER explained that all troopers are trained accident investiga tors, but added, "Costs prohibit us from making them all specialists in the field of reconstruction." This trial program of the Accident Reconstruction Team (ART), when proven effective, will spread to other Zones throughout the state. -The program shxiM he an ' important benefit to the citizens ci-tizens of Utah. |
