By Kevin Martel

Regina collision reconstructionist: investigations take time

Sep 20, 2014 | 9:17 AM

paNOW Staff 

After it took Regina police nearly five months to complete its investigation into a deadly crash on Lewvan and Saskatchewan Drive, some people might be asking why it took so long.

Earlier this week police released more information about the April 22 crash that killed an 18-year-old woman. On Tuesday, charges were laid against 21-year-old Brandon Marcotte of Estevan who police say was driving the vehicle the two were in. Charges include impaired driving causing death.

Investigations like this don't work like cases depicted on TV shows; cases can't be solved in an hour.

“A thorough job does take time,” said Constable Nolan Bespalko. As a collision reconstructionist, Bespalko explained how investigators have all kinds of work to do with any crash, some of which is very meticulous. That often takes longer than just a few hours and is sometimes misunderstood by the public; Bespalko himself said he’s been asked before what the holdup has been.

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“People sometimes get this impression because it’s taking time it’s not urgent,” he said. “They have to understand, yes it is urgent. It is urgent for us to do this but we have to make sure that we do it right. ”

Bespalko said the first thing he does when investigating any major accident is to try and find out what he can about the victims, including who they are, how old they are, and where they were in a vehicle. After that it’s trying to find witnesses who can provide a statement.

The crash scene itself is also combed over carefully for evidence. Things like tire tracks and vehicle damage can indicate the direction traveled explained Bespalko. Police can even tell whether headlights were working at the time of a crash.

One of the issues that can tie up an investigation is when outside agencies other than police are involved. For example, Bespalko said if a victim is taken to hospital police might need to get consent to obtain health records. If a medical test needs to be done – like a toxicology test – police have to wait for that to be completed. Some can be finished relatively quickly, others not so much.

Police could also need to obtain a warrant which is a lot more detailed than simply just asking a judge for one. He said all the proper documentation needs to be in order.

If police don’t do their due-diligence and rush through their investigation there could be consequences.

“If we fail to collect some small piece of evidence that for some reason was overlooked, then that potentially could put a court case down the road in jeopardy,” he said.

“I think the public really trusts and expects us to ensure that we do the most thorough job possible. ”

While that may be the case, he still has a reminder for people.

“Please be patient. There’s a lot of work that goes into this. In the end I don’t want to make a mistake. ”

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