I was enthused recently – last Sunday to be exact, to learn that we have some very good forensic photographers in eastern Canada.\u00a0\u00a0People who\u00a0are objective, thorough, and interested in what they`re doing – trying to get those perfect\u00a0pictures that portray\u00a0a traffic accident scene exactly as it is.<\/p>\n
(Forensic terrestrial<\/em> photographers to be exact.\u00a0 In engineering we distinguish between aerial and terrestrial photography, between aerial and land or ground-level photography.\u00a0 The distinction is important because I’m certain that low level aerial photography\u00a0with drones will soon be in the traffic accident investigator’s tool kit).<\/p>\n This came out – my learning about the photographers and how they do their work, during a meeting Sunday in Amherst, NS, of CATAIR, the\u00a0Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstrutionists.\u00a0 They have members in Canada, the USA, Singapore, Australia, and Brazil.\u00a0 Visit\u00a0www.catair.net<\/a><\/p>\n As their website states, CATAIR was “formed in 1984 initially to provide all accident investigators a professional and affordable mechanism in which to meet and share experiences and ideas”.\u00a0 I experienced that sharing in the Amherst meeting as well as\u00a0a good\u00a0talk by one member on forensic photography, Ed\u00a0Goodfellow with the Miramichi, NB\u00a0police department.<\/p>\n I`ve been trying to\u00a0attend\u00a0a CATAIR meeting\u00a0for about a year and a half because of my work in forensic engineering investigation.\u00a0 I\u00a0also rely on good and thorough photography.\u00a0 And more recently because of my enthusiasm for the usefulness of low level aerial photographs taken from drones of engineering failure and accident sites. (Ref. 1 and 2)<\/p>\n CATAIR also use a test method in traffic accident investigation that is identical in principle to one that can be used in slip and fall accident investigation.\u00a0 This is the “drag sled” method for testing the skid resistance of floors.\u00a0 I`ve been investigating slip and fall accidents.<\/p>\n Why is a blog on CATAIR\u00a0important to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n I’m blogging on this topic because I think it’s important for\u00a0you\u00a0to know about CATAIR.\u00a0 Their investigative and photographic standards appear to be very high, way up there.\u00a0\u00a0Members get good training, and, sadly, lots of practice considering the frequency of traffic accidents.\u00a0 Investigating and reconstructing accidents is a big part of their work and good photographs are essential.<\/p>\n I also want CATAIR members to\u00a0know about getting aerial photographs of a traffic accident site from a camera mounted on a drone. \u00a0Members can get an idea of what is possible with this aerial photographic technique from the photographs inserted in the references accompanying this blog. \u00a0These cost my client a few hundred dollars for 2.5 to 3.0 hours on site.<\/p>\n Many of CATAIR’s members are existing and former\u00a0police officers, but engineers in private practice, civil servants from\u00a0different levels of government, and others also belong.\u00a0 I was invited to join by both their\u00a0Atlantic regional director, Ken Zwicker, an original\u00a0 member, Nova Scotia, and their current president, Terry C. Lolacher, ACTAR #1297, Alberta.<\/p>\n Ed’s comments indicated that they\u00a0try very hard to get the pictures that portray the accident scene exactly as it is.\u00a0\u00a0To take pictures that capture the evidence.\u00a0 The truth\u00a0is\u00a0all that matters; the facts.\u00a0 Forensic photographers don’t process with Photoshop at all.\u00a0 They keep their pictures in digital format,\u00a0and don’t\u00a0reduce the size.\u00a0 If too large they send to Dropbox and let the client download from there.\u00a0 I gather this is done in the interest of a client being able to\u00a0zoom in on a small detail in a photograph and see it clearly.<\/p>\n Apparently, the Holy Grail in forensic photography at accident sites is getting a night picture that shows the scene as an observer would see it.\u00a0 It’s not easy, and I’m not sure they’ve\u00a0got it yet –\u00a0the Holy Grail.<\/p>\n I think the Holy Grail’s days are numbered though based on what I experienced in Amherst last Sunday.\u00a0 I also think that CATAIR’s members are\u00a0going to take traffic accident site photography\u00a0to another level – no pun intended, when they start taking aerial photographs from drones.\u00a0 And readers are going to want this standard of site photography when its applicable to the investigation of engineering failures and personal injury accidents.<\/p>\n References<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was enthused recently – last Sunday to be exact, to learn that we have some very good forensic photographers in eastern Canada.\u00a0\u00a0People who\u00a0are objective, thorough, and interested in what they`re doing – trying to get those perfect\u00a0pictures that portray\u00a0a … Continue reading \n