Accident Reconstruction Training & Certification

Crash Investigation 1 is the foundation class for NUCPS’ Traffic Crash and Reconstruction courses. The course offers an in-depth study of the skills needed to investigate a traffic collision scene, thoroughly covering the techniques for recognizing and properly recording roadway and vehicle crash evidence, as well as information from involved parties and witnesses. Students learn to measure and photograph accident scenes and to create sketches and after-crash diagrams. Crash 1 also addresses how collected data are used to reconstruct traffic accidents and introduces the use of electronic devices for collecting and recording at-scene data.

SECOND IN A SERIES OF THREE COURSES Building upon the theories and techniques learned in IPTM’s At-Scene Traffic Crash/Traffic Homicide Investigation course, this class will delve into the advanced concepts of traffic crash investigations. More complex vehicle dynamics like acceleration/deceleration, factor, rate and airborne situations will be explored. You will learn to estimate speeds from falls, vaults, and flips and the calculation of kinetic energy and linear momentum. You’ll also learn to evaluate vehicle lamps, tires, and damage to help determine vehicle behaviors during the collision. Much of the coursework will be spent using acceleration/deceleration factors and perception/reaction times to determine time/distance relationships for colliding vehicles. IPTM’s Advanced Traffic Crash Investigation will prepare you for a variety of advanced and specialty courses in traffic crash investigations. Topics Include Math review from the At-Scene Traffic Crash/Traffic Homicide Investigation course Deceleration factors and rate application Speed estimates from kinetic energy, skid marks, and scuffmarks situations Combined speed/velocity applications Vehicle dynamics and motion Time, distance, and motion equations/analysis Vehicle crush damage documentation/linear perimeter measuring In-class projects to improve your confidence with equation application Audience Law enforcement and private traffic crash investigators, claims adjusters, engineers, attorneys, safety officers, military investigative personnel, animators and graphic designers Prerequisite(s) You must have completed IPTM’s At-Scene Traffic Crash/Traffic Homicide Investigation course or its equivalent. What to Bring Required Calculator with square root, sine/co-sine, and parentheses () functions Compass Work clothes for outside activities (including inclement weather)

This course builds upon IPTM’s Event Data Recorder (EDR) Use in Traffic Crash Reconstruction - Level I by teaching you how to apply mathematical concepts to your EDR-based reconstructions. We will begin by reviewing the math and physics concepts necessary to analyze EDR data in more complex non-central collisions. Topics such as the Law of Cosines; the Law of Sines; momentum; closing velocity; and change in velocity relationships will be discussed in detail. You will learn how each of these can be used in your reconstruction. Actual EDR reports from a variety of collisions will be utilized to show you how to determine all the values necessary for a complete reconstruction. Projects and problem sets have been designed to reinforce the materials presented during lectures and will provide you with the tools you will need to complete actual reconstructions.

This course will provide you with a more thorough understanding of the physics that are applied in the reconstruction of a traffic crash or any other incident where motion is involved. While some of the topics discussed in the course are introduced in basic crash investigation and reconstruction courses, they will be given significantly more in-depth coverage in this course. In addition, Applied Physics for the Traffic Crash Investigator will prepare you for the concepts presented in advanced reconstruction courses using computer modeling.

THIRD IN A SERIES OF THREE COURSES Traffic Crash Reconstruction builds upon IPTM’s Advanced Traffic Crash Investigation course by assisting you further in understanding vehicle dynamics. You will take part in a more intense study of time/distance calculations, two-dimensional momentum and impact speed calculations using momentum equations. Topics Include Derivation and origin of the commonly used speed formulas Speed of vehicles at impact using conservation of linear momentum Behavior of vehicles in a collision using Newton’s three laws of motion Discussions of commercial vehicle and motorcycle dynamics in collisions The determination of direction of travel, initial contact and position of vehicles on the roadway This course includes extensive project work to give you first hand experience in crash reconstruction. Each student will be required to diagram and analyze several different crash scenarios as well as complete vector sum analysis of each. Audience Law enforcement and private traffic crash investigators, claims adjusters, engineers, attorneys, safety officers, military investigative personnel, animators and graphic designers Course Length 80 hours What to Bring Required Scientific calculator Compass Recommended Three-ring binder (1 1/2")

FIRST IN THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE CRASH INVESTIGATION SERIES This intensive course will cover the unique characteristics of commercial motor vehicles and the special dynamics at play when one is involved in a collision. Detailed information of the nomenclature and operation of commercial motor vehicles will provide you with a level of competence needed to have an adequate understanding of mechanical components, parts and pieces of the commercial motor vehicle and how they may factor into your investigation. To reinforce the concepts presented, you will conduct “hands-on” exercises and vehicle testing during the course. Topics Include Tractor-trailer nomenclature Brake systems: configuration and operation Wheels, rims and tires Steering suspensions and frames Trailer coupling devices - fifth wheels Driver concerns - log books Vehicle components Center of mass determinations Skid mark measurements and speed analysis Jackknifing Rollover Vehicle dynamics in braking Weight shifting

This course is designed for agency representatives who are currently active in photographing crash scenes. We will guide you through the proper use of your departmentally issued camera, using at least three different camera modes beyond the camera’s Auto mode. This training will be accomplished through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on practical exercises. You will gain knowledge and confidence in both daytime and nighttime scene documentation, as two of the five days will be dedicated to nighttime photography through demonstrations of flash photography techniques and the use of available light. We will spend one day at a local salvage yard, where you will apply the skills acquired in the classroom to simulate the post-crash vehicle inspection normally at the impound lot. You will also learn macro techniques for recording close-up evidence, including vehicle lamp photography. You will leave this course with a confident working knowledge of techniques for photographically recording vehicles, vehicle damage, and vehicle-related evidence with your departmentally issued digital camera. The course requires full attendance of all scheduled instruction, completion of all planned projects assigned, and evaluation by the instructors. Topics Include Use of digital cameras Analyzing the crash scene Close up documentation Lighting conditions Night, inclement weather and flash photography Photographing vehicle damage Photographing human body injury

This 40-hour block of training is designed for the technical investigator and/or collision reconstructionist seeking to understand the advanced topics needed for reconstructing heavy vehicle collisions. The prerequisite for this class is the successful completion of the Forensic Training Group’s Heavy Truck Reconstruction Techniques 40-hour course. Upon conclusion of the class, the student will receive updates in the evaluation of a heavy vehicle's ability to stop to include air wedge brakes, changes in air disc brake systems, and the evaluation of air supported anti-lock braking systems. The student will be able to evaluate trailer stability, speed of an under-riding passenger vehicle, and operator responses to leading vehicles. The student will be able to estimate speeds from non-centered co-linear collisions and the use of rotational momentum in evaluating the impact speed of a vehicle. Heavy Vehicle Event Data will be discussed during this course. A (1 year) subscription to the FTG Heavy Truck workbook software will be included in this course and projects using this software will be completed during the week. Completion of this class will also better prepare the student to be successful in courtroom presentations. Eligible for ACTAR Credits.

This course will teach you how to analyze any event data recorder (EDR) data you encounter, regardless of the manufacturer. You will also learn how to analyze the EDR data which has been collected with any imaging tools, including propriety manufacturer tools, as well as from future vehicles not yet released. We will teach you how to use EDR data with roadway evidence calculations to yield a complete reconstruction considering all available evidence. Simple checklists and guides will be provided to improve your consistency and accuracy. Supplied templates will take some of the work out of more complex analysis. You will be given many EDR reports from real world crashes and will work in teams to analyze the EDR data and reconcile it to the scene evidence you are given. Comprehensive solutions to these problems will be distributed for future reference.

This 24-hour course prepares you to use computer-aided design (CAD) applications for accurate, courtroom ready crash scene diagramming using the 2D/3D software DVI-3D. You will learn how CAD diagramming enhances your ability to document, analyze, and visually represent crash scene evidence through precise, scaled diagrams. You will develop hands-on skills to import field measurements collected using a variety of methods, including total station, GPS, drones, point clouds, and baseline coordinate measurements. Instruction covers core CAD functionality such as project creation, linework development, model insertion, layer and project tree management, 2D and 3D diagramming, and surface creation. Advanced topics focus on geo referencing field data, merging multiple datasets, acquiring variables used in crash reconstruction equations, and preparing diagrams for courtroom and presentation purposes. Practical exercises and scenario based projects reinforce learning and allow you to apply CAD techniques to real world investigative challenges. Topics Include CAD terminology, software interface, and project setup Importing and managing field measurement data 2D and 3D linework, surfacing, and scene creation Model library use and visual scene enhancement Layer and project tree management Geo referencing and merging multiple datasets Measurement extraction for reconstruction variables Preparing scaled diagrams for court and presentations Audience Traffic crash investigators, traffic homicide investigators, reconstructionists, law enforcement officers, engineers, and other professionals involved in crash scene documentation and analysis Course Length 24 hours

This course will provide you with a more thorough understanding of the physics that are applied in the reconstruction of a traffic crash or any other incident where motion is involved. While some of the topics discussed in the course are introduced in basic crash investigation and reconstruction courses, they will be given significantly more in-depth coverage in this course. In addition, Applied Physics for the Traffic Crash Investigator will prepare you for the concepts presented in advanced reconstruction courses using computer modeling. Topics Include Math overview Work-energy relationships and applications Conservation of linear momentum/impulse (with vector sum analysis using mathematical and graphical methods) Uniform projectile motion/airborne equations Uniform circular motion/critical speed Tire forces and tire mark evidence Time-distance relationships Energy loss in collisions/CRUSH Rotational mechanics/rotation after collision and pitch down in take off Low-speed collision considerations including the coefficient of restitution Audience Law enforcement and private traffic crash investigators, claims adjusters, engineers, attorneys, safety officers, military investigative personnel, animators and graphic designers

Crash Investigation 1 Online offers the same course content as the classroom-based Crash 1 and, like the on-ground version, is the foundation class for NUCPS’ Traffic Crash and Reconstruction courses. Crash 1 Online offers an in-depth study of the skills needed to investigate a traffic collision scene, thoroughly covering the techniques for recognizing and properly recording roadway and vehicle crash evidence, as well as information from involved parties and witnesses. Students learn to measure and photograph accident scenes and to create sketches and after-crash diagrams. Crash 1 also addresses how collected data are used to reconstruct traffic accidents and introduces the use of electronic devices for collecting and recording at-scene data. Crash 1 Online is asynchronous and instructor led.

Dynamics is a subject that can be quite complex and daunting. However, it need not be when we look to real world problems. Analyzation of problems that are encountered enables you to break complex problems into bite-sized pieces that may be solved with relatively simple math. Problems in traffic crash dynamics are less about the math used to solve the problem than your ability to define the problem and realize in what direction the solution should take. In other words, let the problem tell you how to solve it. This requires a good problem-solving strategy that involves both sketching out the problem and developing a basic understanding of the fundamental dynamics involved. Topics Include Concepts in physics Forces acting on stopping vehicles Application of Conservation of Linear Momentum Understanding spin analyses and critical speed yaw Pole and narrow object impacts Concepts in rotational mechanics Time-distance analyses and projects Damage momentum and damage energy analysis Uniform projectile motion and airborne speed analysis Fundamentals of rollover crash investigation Audience Law enforcement and private traffic crash investigators, claims adjusters, engineers, prosecuting attorneys, safety officers, military investigative personnel, animators, and graphic designers. It will also be quite useful for those teaching traffic crash reconstruction to their respective agencies or groups.

As a crash investigator or reconstructionist, you understand the importance of precision and evidence-based analysis. This five-day, hands-on course is designed to elevate your investigative capabilities by teaching you how to extract and analyze vehicle speed data from video footage. Whether you're employed by a law enforcement agency or working in private reconstruction, this training will equip you with the tools and techniques to apply video motion analysis in real-world crash scenarios. You will begin by reviewing foundational concepts from IPTM’s At-Scene and Advanced Crash Investigation courses, then dive into specialized instruction on video metadata, scene diagramming, and motion analysis software. Through guided lessons, field exercises, and case studies, you’ll learn to calculate vehicle speeds using Constant, Uniform, and Average Time and Speed equations. The course culminates in a comprehensive review and final exam to validate your proficiency.

This is a test event only. This event listing is being used for the purpose of testing ongoing system development. While you cannot register for or attend anything related to this event, we encourage you to contact us for more information about what we have under development.

This is a test event only. This event listing is being used for the purpose of testing ongoing system development. While you cannot register for or attend anything related to this event, we encourage you to contact us for more information about what we have under development.