Brookfield Accident Investigation Team (B.A.I.T.)
The Brookfield Police Department has a volunteer team of officers, led by Detective Sergeant Michael O'Brien, who specialize in the detailed investigation of serious motor vehicle crashes. Through their investigations they are able to fully reconstruct the events of these accidents. Such investigations are no small task and carry an enormous burden to be thorough and accurate, as nearly all accidents deemed serious enough to warrant this kind of detailed investigation are destined to wind up in criminal court, civil court, or both.
The team is on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They respond to all motor vehicle crashes in which there is a loss of life, or where the injuries are so severe that a person may later expire from those injuries.
The responsibilities of the team are threefold. First they must respond to the scene of the crash to collect evidence and interview witnesses. Measurements of the roadway and any marks upon it are recorded, as are measurements of the vehicles and objects involved. Head lamps and tail lamps are examined, crush damage to vehicles is profiled, vehicles are inspected and analyzed, the slope and drag factor of the roadway are measured and recorded, and the entire scene is photographed and videotaped. Processing a scene in such a detailed manner can take anywhere from two to six hours.
The second task the team has is to prepare a detailed report of exactly what occurred in the crash. This often includes a scale diagram of the accident scene and surrounding area. All pertinent information must be carefully documented in the report, and will include the movements of each vehicle and pedestrian before the crash, during the crash, and immediately following the crash. Time-distance analyses of all involved traffic units must be completed, along with a number of “what if” scenarios, such as: “What if Vehicle #1 had been traveling at the speed limit of 30 MPH instead of 54 MPH? Would the crash still have occurred?”
The preparation of reports often includes the filing of search warrants and arrest warrants at the Superior Court in Danbury. Search warrants are often necessary to obtain medical information, results of toxicology testing, and other investigative data.
Arrest warrants are applied for in cases where a driver’s recklessness, negligence, or intoxication caused or contributed to the crash.
The final task for which the team must prepare is testifying in court. Whether the case is in criminal or civil court, the officers must be able to not only reconstruct the events of the accident, but must be ready to mathematically prove their conclusions and demonstrate exactly how those conclusions were reached.