NCJ Number
205768
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 28,30,33
Date Published
May 2004
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the features of the software called "Crash Zone" in depicting a traffic crash scene and then explains the use of PowerPoint in presenting the crash sequence to a jury.
Abstract
The recently introduced Version 7.2 of the Crash Zone, a crash-scene diagramming program from The CAD Zone, can import data taken from the crash scene with a police department's Total Station directly into a nearly complete diagram. This program can also import data directly from other measuring systems, including various data collectors and PhotoModeler's photogrammetry. The Crash Zone can convert 2D diagrams to 3D with the click of a button, offering a realistic view of the crash scene's details. The 3D viewer can be moved anywhere in the scene, and a "snapshot" can be taken of the scene to use later. Many investigators are incorporating these "snapshots" into a PowerPoint presentation in the courtroom. PowerPoint can be used to present a series of "snapshots," with each taken after moving the involved vehicles in the 2D diagram along the path they followed. This is a stop-action style of animation that shows the sequence of crash events. This article guides the accident investigator through the steps required to create an animated crash scene for courtroom presentation. Investigators familiar with The Crash Zone program and Microsoft's PowerPoint should be able to learn this process.