Crash scene investigators are responsible for not only taking photographs of the scene, they also have to take detailed measurements of vehicle positions, surrounding landmarks and anything else that may be relevant to the cause of the crash.
There are really only 3 tools an investigator can use to map a crash or crime scene. You can use a conventional tape measure or wheel, a total station or a LTI laser. All 3 have their advantages and disadvantages, but only one tool is truly measurably superior when you consider the following factors about crash scenes.
Time is of the essence - the faster you can clear a scene the safer everyone becomes. Traffic accidents are known to cause secondary accidents, which make investigators on the scene and surrounding civilians susceptible to getting hurt. Investigators can't rush the process either because if a serious injury or a fatality occurred, it's extremely important to collect all the necessary position data for courtroom purposes.
This is precisely why LTI's laser mapping system is so ideal for crash scene investigators. By utilizing the power of reflectorless technology, you can make measurements to vehicles or any surrounding landmark without the need of a 2nd person holding a prism pole. Using a LTI laser not only saves time, it also reduces the safety liability for you and your team.
Some crash scenes can be very large and complex or within extreme terrain that could prevent the use of conventional measurement tools or mapping methods. This is why we designed our field software with 3 choices in mapping techniques. Depending upon the area you have to work with will depend upon which technique will be the most effective for you.
Your department's overall budget, training time and changing personnel are all contributing factors when deciding what to buy for your investigation team. LTI offers a laser that can be used to measure speeds and then once it's toggled into survey mode, it can measure distances and heights. Purchasing an UltraLyte 200 laser makes sense because it serves a dual purpose and can easily integrate with our field mapping software. Minimal training is required, so if there is a change in personnel it won't take a lot of time and money to get a new investigator up to speed.