Nebraska Shares CMV Crash Expertise With 11 States
Law Enforcement From Across US Study Real-World Crash Scenarios
Key Takeaways:
- Nebraska State Police led a multistate training in Kearney for investigators from 11 states to learn forensic examination of commercial vehicle crash scenes.
- The sessions used real crash vehicles and industry partnerships to teach evidence preservation and analysis crucial for court cases and crash prevention.
- Officials said the program strengthens cross-state collaboration and ensures investigators can gather accurate data to support prosecutions and improve roadway safety.
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Nebraska State Patrol led training sessions for law enforcement investigators from 11 states to gain hands-on expertise conducting forensic exams of commercial vehicles involved in accidents.
“Teamwork across state lines is important to keep America’s roadways safe,” NSP Capt. Martin Denton, of carrier enforcement, said Oct. 14. “Our troopers are proud to share their training with troopers and officers from across the country. The scenarios are based on actual encounters and situations our troopers have experienced.”
Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin to learn in classrooms and hands-on sessions about CMV inspections, forensic exams and post-crash inspections.
Lt. Mike Maytum, of NSP’s Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, said investigating CMV crashes and the aftermath presents challenges that require skilled training.
“CMV crashes often end up in court, both criminal and civil,” Maytum said. “In each case, there is much at stake, and the work we do in the post-crash environment has impacts far into the future. The truth matters and can’t involve guesses or speculation. We take that responsibility seriously, and officers trained at our post-crash class leave with the best tools we can provide to assist in understanding and communicating the facts of these horrific crashes.”
(Nebraska State Patrol)
NSP used CMVs from accidents and partnered with the Nebraska Trucking Association, Kearney Volunteer Fire Department, Crete Carrier Corp., Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Great West Casualty Co., Nebraska Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
“After a CMV is wrecked, it can be difficult to piece together the series of events or circumstances that led to the crash,” Maytum said. “In order to actively prevent crash causal factors, it is critical to understand what those factors are. Many times, they are hidden in the mangled mess of a crashed CMV.
“Being able to conduct a thorough investigation as early after the crash occurs is critical to preserve the quality of evidence gathered. Having the necessary partnership with our allied agencies and first responders is crucial to ensure we are notified early and can muster resources to be on scene while things are still in their place of rest.”
(Nebraska State Patrol)
The Nebraska Attorney General’s office works with NSP to educate other CMV investigators on how a state prosecutor views data and evidence so investigators can collect information to support a successful court prosecution.
“Time is always an enemy. We always strive to be as thorough and accurate as possible. This is never more important than when a life has been lost in the series of crash events,” Maytum said. “Allowing these investigators the time they need to properly catalog evidence and write sufficient reports for use later is a challenge all police officers face. In Nebraska, we are fortunate that we have a relatively small number of fatalities, but the geographic and logistic challenges — distance for response, available manpower, etc. — are something that provide us an abundance of opportunities to rise above difficult circumstances.”
He commended NTA for its assistance, especially linking NSP with companies that provide training resources.
“Between wrecked trucks that are coordinated with insurance companies, tow companies that move and place the wrecked trucks, and static equipment used for ELD, camera systems, event data recorder downloads and numerous other contributions, the high quality of this training event is based in large part on the resources of the NTA and partnerships and friendships with industry in our state,” he added.
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