Sunrise & Sunset Times
Was the driver blinded by the setting sun?

During a recent fatal collision investigation one of the areas under consideration was the possibility the driver may have been blinded by the glare of the setting sun. The fact the collision took place on hilly terrain without any witnesses complicated the issue a little. The first task was to determine sunset time. In my police days we carried charts with this information, however, I wanted a more specific answer for a unique geographic location.

An internet search landed me on the National Research Council’s Sunrise/Sunset Calculator. It gives you the option of searching by a city or in the advanced search pinpointing a location based on latitude and longitude. I was able to get these latter two pieces of information by going to Google Earth and clicking in the exact stretch of road and reading off the latitude and longitude.

I use Google Earth frequently to find my way to remote sites, and for investigations as it provides a great aerial view. For a few dollars a year you can subscribe to a version with even more clarity.

Sunrise/Sunset Calculator
Google Earth

The Presence of a Third Person in the Interview Room

I find that during workplace accident investigations having two interviewers, or one interviewer and an observer has a number of advantages. A second person can support the rapport building process, focus on taking notes, and identify any issues the lead interviewer may have missed. Witnesses appear quite comfortable with this style of interviewing. Here's an article from John E. Reid and Associates that discusses some of the pros and cons of that second person.

Ideally, an interview of a suspect, victim or witness should be conducted in a private setting. The most important element of privacy is communicating one on one with the person being interviewed. Common sense and experience clearly indicate that the presence of a third party during an interview or interrogation inhibits the truth-telling process, i.e., it is easier to relate sensitive information to one person than two people.

However, out of necessity or sometimes practicality, a third person may be present during the interview. In some instances, the third person may be a fellow investigator or in private industry cases an employee may request that a union representative or another employee be present during an interview. For the sake of simplicity, this third person will be referred to as an "observer."

To view complete article. . .