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  • 8 hours ago
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00:00Every serious incident on the road requires forensic examination.
00:08We've got to start asking the question, why is this happening?
00:12Pedestrian's been struck in the cold off area of the steel carriageway.
00:15The car is filled to stop.
00:17And inside the cordons, dedicated officers take on this challenge.
00:22Clearly, I don't think this came out of the factory sounding like that.
00:26This person's lost their life for whatever reason. We're here trying to establish why.
00:34Only now can I realise that that is actually in the middle of my lane.
00:38Tracking down the evidence.
00:40This is really important, this is key.
00:42To get to the truce.
00:43Once we've got somebody, that's going to put him in the driver's seat.
00:47There's a death on the road, so we've got to be investigating properly and thoroughly.
00:51This is a proper head scratcher, this is.
00:54All in a day's work, for the crash detectives.
00:58Leave her with her at key
01:09Police Agency.
01:10Police Agency.
01:11Yeah, there appears at an accident on a 449 southbound.
01:14ни stepping slально there looks like that.
01:17Annples.
01:18Suck.
01:19Eh, might need emphas being.
01:21Is there a fire as well?
01:22Hey, have you got this thing, Russia?
01:24Is there anyone trapped inside the vehicle?
01:27Yes.
01:28I've just got a guy with an extinguisher.
01:31Just be careful.
01:33What's going on, please?
01:38Possibly 3 or 4 or 9.
01:43So we've found us towards people.
01:46Hi, guys.
01:47OK, so a crash happened about half an hour ago.
01:50Males crashed into the back of a HGV.
01:52He's unresponsive, still in the car.
01:54Car was on fire.
01:55A member of the public has stopped straight away.
01:57He managed to put the fire out with a small fire extinguisher.
01:59CPR on the way.
02:00CPR started straight away and managed to get an airway into him and straight off.
02:06I'll tell you what to get.
02:07Guys.
02:08I'll tell you what you can.
02:09Just start moving the traffic all the way up.
02:11Just get the cars in the car.
02:13Just start all the way up.
02:14Just get all the cars as far over as they possibly can for us.
02:17Can we please get social media out to say that the road is going to be closed for some time, please?
02:24That should do it then, I think.
02:41That'll blank it off then, won't it?
02:45Do you want to undo the screen?
02:46You all right?
02:47Yes.
02:48The driver of a black Vauxhall Astra has died after his car collided with a lorry.
02:58This person's lost their life for whatever reason, we're trying to establish why.
03:04So he's got to be investigated properly and thoroughly.
03:07For evidential reasons, the 49-year-old man's body remains at the scene.
03:13That's why we've got the screens here, to protect the chap's dignity.
03:17So, as soon as I'm done, then the body can be removed by the undertaker's there.
03:25As we can see the HGV in the distance, the driver is here.
03:33No injuries to him.
03:36The reason he's covered in white powder is the lorry driver when he came here thought the vehicle was going to catch fire.
03:50And the occupant is still in the vehicle and he's trying to extinguish the fire, doing the right thing.
04:01His heavy goods vehicle will still need close examination, as well as any evidence leading to it left on the road surface.
04:11We've got so many marks coming through here.
04:14Probably the mark I'm concerned with is this loaded tyre mark.
04:19See it here?
04:20I haven't been to the vehicle yet, but as a result of the collision, one of the rear tyres on the back of the Arctic is deflated.
04:27And then, because it deflates, it goes concave.
04:30And it's the outer, the shoulders of the tyre producing that loaded tyre mark.
04:38You can see that the way a tyre's made up of HGV is made up in layers and the rubber's bonded to the tyre.
04:45So, it's now starting to delaminate.
04:47Well, there we are.
04:49Quite clearly see, that's the wall of a tyre.
04:56But again, it comes all the way down through the mark, all this debris.
05:08You've got the bits of rubber flailing up inside.
05:10As a result of the collision, it's actually forced this metal body panel into the tyre.
05:21So, the deformation of that has caused it to push into the tyre and cause the issues there.
05:28And something less obvious is now raising questions.
05:32So, what's interesting here, we've got paint transfer.
05:36It's just the blue, I'm wondering where the blue's coming from.
05:42Like a metallic blue, but...
05:47It's looking black, that motorcar.
05:55So, this means the lorry driver's account of what's happened here becomes key.
06:01He's restricted to travelling at a maximum speed of 56 miles an hour.
06:08But the damage suggests more about the potential speeds involved.
06:15You know, it's all metal structure.
06:17It's all reinforced because it's at the rear of the trailer.
06:20For that damage to be caused, it's indicating to me now,
06:23the Voxelaster is travelling at a greater speed of 56 miles an hour,
06:26if this vehicle is doing 56.
06:30Visible damage has been caused in the crash.
06:34But there's also a hidden danger.
06:37The issue there is, these are very high-pressured, so...
06:41You know, that tyre could explode and...
06:43If that went off, I wouldn't want to be near that when it goes.
06:46While this scene is littered with debris,
06:57finding the point the vehicles collided,
07:01now becomes a priority.
07:02Quite a mark there, gouging.
07:08Got some rubber here.
07:10Plastic.
07:12Whatever this red is.
07:14And potentially this could be a point of impact.
07:17So it could be the front near side wheel.
07:19The suspension's compressed, forcing it to the ground.
07:21The tyre's deflated, whether damaged or just for the pressure.
07:24And then this is the underside of the chassis, the engine area, causing gouging.
07:30The next question is...
07:32Is there any pre-impact braking from the driver?
07:34And it's looking like there's not at the moment.
07:35It's not at the moment.
07:36The car's deflated, whether damaged or just for the pressure.
07:39And then this is the underside of the chassis, the engine area, causing gouging.
07:46The next question is...
07:48Is there any pre-impact braking from the driver?
07:51And it's looking like there's not at the moment.
07:53It's not at the moment.
08:08With the point of impact identified, the cause of this collision remains unclear.
08:18Has he lost control further up?
08:20If you look at the back wheel, it's deflated.
08:27Come off its rim.
08:29So could some kind of mechanical failure in the lead-up to the crash be to blame?
08:35So my concern is whether the tyres come loose, causing the vehicle to lose control.
08:42And if you look here, you've got gouging.
08:45And that's fresh.
08:46But there should be a mark that corresponds with that damage on the wheel.
08:59Finding this mark on the road surface is crucial.
09:03It will reveal if the damage to the wheel happened pre or post impact.
09:08There's so much contamination here with powder and it could be under there.
09:15I can't see anything obvious.
09:18There we are.
09:19If you come here, see the reflection of the alloy in the road surface?
09:32The vehicle's coming forward.
09:37It's impacted into the rear of the trailer.
09:40And as it's done that, it's actually dipped.
09:43And then the vehicle's rotated.
09:45As it's done that, the rear driver side or rear off side has come down, dug in.
09:50And the tyres then removed from the rim, deflated.
09:55And then it's now the alloy of the wheel.
09:58Which has then started to scrape across the road surface.
10:02And then the vehicle's continued rotating, come to rest.
10:05So that has happened as a result of the initial collision with the trailer.
10:13So it has nothing to do with that tyre.
10:24But these red marks, at the point of impact, have remained unexplained.
10:29Until now.
10:33Looks like this is some part of the car.
10:36I don't know what part, but what's significant to me now is the...
10:40It's like a plastic raw plug that you've used where the screw goes in and grabs, but...
10:50Matches that.
10:52The component's being pushed into the road surface and dragged.
10:56You can see that's very fresh.
11:00So whether we try and find on the more intact side.
11:04Would that be corresponding?
11:06Well, I can see it here.
11:08It's these parts here.
11:10Yeah?
11:11So that would be on the left-hand side.
11:14So as he's obviously gone in the back, probably the wheel turner's pushed that down into the road surface.
11:20So that was there.
11:22So yeah, it's on the outside of the mark, isn't it?
11:26So is it...
11:28It's probably where he's snarled.
11:30And then that's being forced down into the road and pushed.
11:32Pushed.
11:48But could this debris hold the answer to another mystery?
11:51We've got the blue transfer on the rear of the trailer of the Arctic.
11:56There we are.
11:58This is the cowling of the fog light of the Astra.
12:02As we quite clearly see, there's blue paint on it, which has come off.
12:06It says LH.
12:11Indicating this is the left-hand one.
12:14And it would be the front near side, front left that's gone into the back of the trailer causing that damage.
12:19Low down on the tailgate.
12:22It's looking like some of the lower balance of the Astra.
12:26The sprayed blue, so...
12:30He's customised it, played round with it, haven't he?
12:32Now, focus turns to the interior of the car.
12:39And the driver himself.
12:43Both airbags have deployed.
12:46Drivers and passengers.
12:50The fire service indicated that the seatbelt was being worn at the time,
12:53because they had cut it off him to get him out.
12:55When I've inspected the deceased, there are tell-tale seatbelt marks, it indicated to me that the seatbelt was worn.
13:05That's the stress on the belt.
13:08And you can probably see, as I do that, you can see where he's made the marks and pulling us as the collision is happening.
13:16There's a significant speed involved.
13:22As the vehicle hits the back of the trailer, it's rapidly decelerated.
13:27But he'll maintain the speed the vehicle was travelling originally before the collision.
13:32And so much so that he snapped the steering wheel.
13:36You know, it was his body that's physically done that.
13:41But if the driver was wearing a seatbelt, just how has this happened?
13:48If you see that seatbelt in comparison to the other one where it should be and how much it's stretched out and pulled away.
13:55The other one's still in situ. You know, it's quite nestled down where it should be.
14:07Yeah, he's got the anchorage point.
14:10Should be too wise on him.
14:15Look at it, that's ready to come out.
14:19Not even holding on it.
14:20I haven't seen her before.
14:32So the seatbelt's tried to pull him back in and maintain him, but it hasn't been able to do it fully because the gentleman who's deceased, the size, the physical size of him and his mass, he's a large person.
14:45Maybe his mass has overridden the seatbelt and what the seatbelt does.
14:47As the evidence is recorded, the investigation into how this driver lost his life continues.
15:01With recovery agents now at the scene, the team need to take on one final task.
15:16So as long as we get him on there and then bring him back?
15:19Yeah.
15:23What we want to do is call the mechanical fit.
15:26We know where the car is, definitely, but we don't know where the lorry is, definitely.
15:29So we're going to bring the trailer back, so it's almost, we're going to fit the two vehicles back together at that point they impacted.
15:37That's just near-side tow, isn't it?
15:38Yeah.
15:39And that's going to be the exhaust.
15:40Yeah.
15:41Probably that.
15:42Yeah, it is the manifold, isn't it, coming down.
15:43Yeah.
15:44Just try and keep the back end parallel with it then, Greg.
15:46Yeah.
15:47Hold it there.
15:48Yeah.
15:49Hold it there.
15:50Yeah.
15:51Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:10Just try and keep the back end parallel with it then, Greg.
16:13Yeah.
16:14Hold it there.
16:15Hold it there.
16:16Hold it.
16:17Hold it.
16:18Hold it.
16:19Hold it.
16:20Hold it.
16:21Hold it.
16:22Okay, wait.
16:23Hold it in.
16:24Hold it.
16:25We've got our gearbox on that, Matt.
16:26We know what we mean.
16:27As it's about to touch, if you push it in that inch, you all right?
16:32Hold it here.
16:33Okay, just put down on there.
16:35Put down.
16:36Put down.
16:37Put down.
16:38That's it.
16:39That's it.
16:40That's it.
16:41That's it.
16:42Hold it.
16:43Hold it.
16:44Hold it.
16:45So what we've done now is overlaid it on the mark in the same orientation that it's travelling.
16:52And then what we're going to do now is bring the trailer back and line it up with the deformed edge of the bonnet.
16:59It's reconstructing the collision.
17:00At that second, they've come into contact.
17:04But with the damaged tyre in a precarious condition, moving the trailer into position requires extreme care.
17:17completely within Commenteri get the rider in the tincí„° and Esperoaces.
17:18By the way, they've run.
17:19Now, a riddle to the railroad.
17:20Do I think that's the outgræged and that's where you should just wrap around?
17:21No, I think this is his...
17:23I think that is that bit coming up.
17:24I think that is that, that bit of curving out.
17:27Yeah.
17:44While it might have caught them off guard,
17:47the tyre's now deflating safely
17:50and matching up the vehicles can continue.
17:53Yeah, so that's in there, Greg, isn't it?
17:54It's that shape goes here.
17:59It's not going to get much more than that.
18:04Whoa, whoa, whoa!
18:05Which way?
18:06Coming back.
18:13Are they OK?
18:14Basically, the resistance of the truck has profiled the damage onto the Astra,
18:24and that's where we can fit them back together.
18:26So we know that vehicle's in that position of that type,
18:30that it collided in the rear of the trailer.
18:32It's a slight angle, but that could have been caused as a result of the collision
18:44and the twisting, the pivoting of the vehicle at the time.
18:47Because you're never going to replicate it 100% of what's happened at that split second.
18:51But what is the standard of driving pride of this happening?
18:54And so there's lots of things to consider yet.
18:57We'll be on today.
19:06The next part of the investigation after dealing with the scene was,
19:09is there any CCTV, is there any dash cam footage that could assist us
19:13with what's happening before the impact has occurred?
19:20And officers tracked down various lorries that were travelling nearby.
19:26And their dash cams were recording.
19:32Is our lorry there?
19:35The driver told police he'd spent the night in his cab.
19:41This footage shows his vehicle between two other lorries.
19:46Obviously, the driver had pulled over there for the night,
19:48for a night's rest, and then starting his journey for the day.
19:55The initial account of the lorry driver was that he'd just pulled out a lay-by,
20:00just short of where the collision occurred,
20:02accelerated up through the gears, nice steady pace.
20:06And the next thing he said he was aware of was this noise and the juddering coming through his vehicle.
20:17So they need physical evidence to establish if what he's saying is correct.
20:23But, dash cam footage only shows the lorry parked up.
20:32At that point, the vehicle's stationary.
20:35However, we know he can't be far off moving off,
20:38because the lights are illuminated on the HGV.
20:41He's there ready to go, isn't he?
20:43And there is a way to find out what the driver did next.
20:49Because it's a heavy goods vehicle, they need to have a, what we call a tachograph.
20:56It's almost like a recording device within a commercial vehicle.
20:59We can then download this evidence from the actual unit that's contained within the, the lorry.
21:07To either cooperate or contradict whatever the driver is telling us.
21:12As the vehicle's travelling, it's constantly recording data.
21:18This is the speed trace of the vehicle.
21:22And these speeds are kilometres per hour.
21:24You can see the vehicles accelerate up, then plateaued,
21:27and then change of another gear, and then just constant acceleration,
21:32bringing it all the way up to 47 kilometres per hour,
21:36which equates to 29 miles per hour.
21:37So the vehicle's got to that speed roughly just over 30 seconds.
21:43Evidently, it shows us at the point when the vehicle has felt the impact,
21:48because we've got a change from acceleration to deceleration.
21:51So at that peak there, we know something's happened.
21:58So we've got a more than accurate time of, you know, when the collision has occurred,
22:03and what the driver of the HGV has done, how he's reacted.
22:08The lorry was carrying sheets of glass, but the load remained intact.
22:15There's no emergency braking there.
22:18He's brought his vehicle to a controlled stop,
22:22whilst maintaining his fragile load.
22:24When you look at the speed trace on the, uh, the tachograph,
22:27it actually paints the true picture of what the driver was telling us.
22:37So, with the lorry about to move off, the car shouldn't be far behind.
22:44I want to identify our Astra driver.
22:49If we can get a timeline of the route that the Astra has taken,
22:53and see how that vehicle is being driven, it can tell us so much,
22:57and give us an idea why this collision has taken place.
22:59This black vehicle in lane two, that has got to be our Astra driver
23:15that was involved in the collision.
23:17You can see there, headlights illuminated like all other road users.
23:32The actual road position there, the Astra, he's, yeah, he's maintained within his lane,
23:37in lane two, within the road markings.
23:40There's nothing at that point that raises alarm bells for me
23:44in terms of the manner of driving.
23:49We could calculate that the vehicle at that moment in time was 1300 metres
23:54from the actual, where it impacted into the rear of the lorry.
23:59To cover that distance, the car had to be travelling
24:03at approximately 70 miles per hour.
24:06If the Astra was travelling at 70 miles an hour,
24:10it was 40 seconds away from, from the point of impact.
24:14So something in that 40-second timeframe has caused that vehicle to collide
24:24into the rear of the lorry at that significant speed.
24:27As the car goes out of shot, this recording is of no more help.
24:32But another lorry, travelling behind, could hold the answer.
24:41It was quite a way back, but it did afford the opportunity of seeing the vehicles,
24:46how they were travelling ahead and where they were in the road at the time.
24:49Although we can't see the foot, the actual collision recorded, you can see the involved Astra.
24:57Obviously we can see that it has already occurred.
25:02The Astra has now swung out into lane two and come to a stationary position.
25:07These vehicles have reacted with the brake lights coming on.
25:12Well, these oncoming vehicles, they evidently have seen what has occurred.
25:17and you'll see the flashing of the headlights to alert them and there's danger ahead.
25:24These two lorries have driven through.
25:26Don't feel the need to stop.
25:31There's the lorry that's involved.
25:38You can just see the last moment of the Astra travelling behind the lorry.
25:53So we've got the red HGV, white HGV and just ahead of them is the black Astra
25:59and the HGV.
26:02Watching that footage just shows that the Astra is travelling straight ahead.
26:07And again, it clarifies that there aren't any third parties involved.
26:11So it's just these two vehicles that have come together.
26:16You see the white, almost a white light there.
26:19It's quite a large flash, really.
26:22And you'll probably find that's the actual point of impact into the back of the HGV.
26:29At the scene of the crash, no marks were found on the road surface before the point of impact.
26:41And it's now clear why.
26:43There's no brake lights or something that would indicate to me that the driver's reacted,
26:49either in terms of braking or steered input, to avoid that collision.
26:56Why didn't he do something about it?
26:58I can only do so much in terms of my evidence.
27:06What I can say has happened, how it's occurred.
27:10A post-mortem examination was carried out on the 49-year-old driver.
27:16He's travelling down that road in that specific time, in that location, and he suffers a heart attack.
27:27And the collision itself has caused really significant injuries to him.
27:3240 seconds prior to that collision, the vehicle was being driven in a normal manner.
27:40That combination of heart attack and the collision itself, ultimately, you know, has caused his death.
27:48It goes to show how fragile human life is and how quickly something can happen, and we have no control over that.
28:0305 years of death.
28:0405 years of death.
28:05There's no control over that.
28:1005 years of death.
28:1405 years of death.
28:2205 years of death.
28:2505 years of death.
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