No two accidents are the same. An investigator from Gomel on the specifics of investigating road tragedies

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To decompose the causes, conditions and consequences of an accident into molecules, reconstruct what happened literally in seconds, identify the culprit in order to protect the rights and legitimate interests of the victim - this is our daily workinvestigator for especially important cases of the department for investigating crimes against traffic safety and operation of transport of the investigative department of the USC for the Gomel region, Sergei Prikhodko. Dozens and hundreds of road accidents pass before his eyes, taking someone’s life, taking away dreams and hopes, at one moment dividing everything into before and after. From the height of his experience, the investigator clearly sees how and why a road accident occurred, even if one of the participants tries to cover up the blame with memory loss. For excellent service, Sergei Prikhodko was awarded another title ahead of schedule: today at a ceremonial meeting in the capital, he was awarded the shoulder straps of a lieutenant colonel. The investigator shared with a BELTA correspondent the specifics of the profession, spoke about the lessons that the road teaches, and working on mistakes, which helps organize safe traffic.

About choosing a path: “I realized that this profession is mine”

The early assignment of the next rank was a pleasant surprise for the investigator, because such cases are quite rare in the practice of the department. “This is probably evidence of high praise from management,” notes the person about whom the team says that he is in the right place and is passionate about his work.

Sergei Prikhodko notes that the profession of an investigator has attracted him since childhood. “The initial idea consisted of films that I watched with my father. As I grew older, I realized that this profession was mine. Therefore, I entered a specialized university - the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I understood well that I would not get a better specialized education anywhere than there. The first impressions about the profession at the place of duty initially turned out to be contradictory. After all, before entering the service there were only theoretical ideas. However, even then I understood that the work ahead was difficult and painstaking, so the ideas about the profession completely coincided with expectations and reality," he says. And in the future, the man sees his development only in this direction.

The lieutenant colonel also remembers his very first case of an accident. Now it seems easy. “The driver of the car, when leaving a secondary road, did not give way to the driver of the moped, as a result of which the passenger of the two-wheeler was seriously injured,” he says.

On the trajectories of trouble: “No two cases are the same”

Road accidents are never completely repeated. Even hitting a pedestrian. Each case must be approached individually, because it is important to take into account the characteristics of the transport, the condition of the driver and pedestrian, who was driving and who was walking, running, lying on the roadway, etc. “And although everything is classified under one category - a collision, each accident is analyzed in detail, taking into account its own characteristics. There are no two identical cases at all,” the investigator emphasizes.

One of the most difficult cases also happened at the beginning of his professional journey. In one of the districts of the Gomel region, the driver of a faulty car drove into the oncoming lane at a curve in the road. To prevent an accident, the driver of oncoming traffic made the same maneuver.

“Then both began to return to their lanes, but an accident still occurred at the curve of the road. The complexity, or rather the long-term nature of the investigation, was explained by the fact that one of the cars - a MILK tanker - was technically faulty. A large number of expert studies were required to determine the effect of the malfunction on the mechanism of the accident . We carried out non-standard experimental actions, since the transport was loaded with large-sized equipment, which, when moving, could affect the directional stability of the truck itself. We reproduced the situation: the transport was loaded accordingly, a similar road surface was created, and since the accident took place after rain in the spring-summer period, the road poured, brought to the appropriate state.And after that, experimental actions were carried out directly with my participation,” Sergei Prikhodko recalls the details of the investigation.

The driver's mother was riding in the back of the milk tanker. The woman died on the spot from her injuries. Four more people were also injured in the accident.

It was possible to establish that technical malfunctions of the milk tanker that belonged to the entrepreneur led to the tragedy. The barrel stood on rotten supports, which collapsed as a result of the collision, and the passenger was simply crushed under the barrel. And here the notorious conditional mood takes place: if everything was in order, then this would not have happened. There were also malfunctions of the brake system, the investigator clarifies.

And the case itself had certain “maneuvers”. Initially, the driver of the milk tanker was not a suspect, since the trail pattern indicated that the second motorist drove into the oncoming lane and caused an accident. “But as a result of expert research and experimental actions, it was found that, after all, the milk tanker was the first to enter the oncoming lane and, due to its location, did not allow the second car to move safely. And that driver, being in an emergency situation, was already acting intuitively, and not according to traffic rules ", says the lieutenant colonel.

About false amnesia of drivers: “Everything is easy to prove and restore”

Sergei Prikhodko notes that in his personal practice there have been no cases when the perpetrators of an accident tried to change the trace information and “correct” the picture of the accident. At the same time, more than once drivers, fearing responsibility for their actions, said that they did not remember anything. Like, some moments were simply erased from memory.

“They claimed that as a result of the blow they lost their memory and did not remember certain events and circumstances. All this can be easily proven or disproved through forensic psychiatric examinations or comprehensive expert psychological and psychiatric studies,” the investigator adds. The diagnoses were refuted, and it was established that the drivers wanted to hide the details of what was happening.

About road lessons: "The mechanism of an accident - literally a few seconds"

The investigator for especially important cases notes that this area of ​​service is close to him personally, because he himself is a car owner. “This practice gives lifelong lessons about what to do on the road and what not to do. After all, the result of short-term recklessness or the desire to jump through a flashing green traffic light can be tragic. The mechanism of an accident is literally a few seconds. In practice, there are cases when these seconds - from the moment the driver makes a decision to the consequences - become fatal. I am constantly convinced of how to behave on the road and what should not be allowed,” he emphasizes.

About someone else's misfortune: "It is impossible to completely abstract yourself"

It is impossible to completely abstract yourself from everything that you see at the scene of an accident, an experienced investigator admits. It is impossible to turn off the person in you.

“This category of cases, let’s say, is unintentional, because people don’t want what happens in the end. Of course, with due attention, they should have understood that some violations could lead to such serious consequences. In an accident, the pain of both parties is almost always visible ": remorse - on the one hand, and severe injuries, mutilation or death - on the other. Therefore, it is impossible to completely abstract ourselves," says Sergei Prikhodko.

About the cruel joke of arrogance: “The experience of many drivers leaves much to be desired”

The category of road accident cases is quite numerous. Despite all the preventive measures and efforts of traffic police officers, the number of accidents has not decreased dramatically. Almost every day in the republican reports there is information about road accidents that ruin someone's life. This applies to both the drivers responsible for the accident and those who were traveling with them or who happened to be on the road next to them.

“We are making proposals to the State Traffic Inspectorate to change the organization of traffic, for example, at dangerous intersections. This could be installing additional traffic lights, increasing the pause between turning on green for pedestrians or red for drivers, etc. For some, this is an opportunity to stop on time, for others it is safe pass, because despite the tightening of liability, the number of drunk drivers is not decreasing. My subjective opinion: the power of vehicles is increasing, and the experience of many motorists leaves much to be desired. Arrogance also plays a cruel joke. Quite a few accidents occur with the participation of young drivers with up to two years of experience years. And the consequences of such accidents are among the most severe,” emphasizes Sergei Prikhodko.

In memory, it’s one thing when 17-year-old teenagers took their parents’ powerful car without their knowledge. The guys wanted to go for a ride. As a result, the car flew into a ditch and ran into a tree - all three died.

In addition, new means of transportation are appearing. There have been cases where even cyclists have run into pedestrians, injuring them. “But some bicycles allow you to accelerate to 30-35 km/h, or about 10 meters per second,” the investigator clarifies.

About the rightness of the pedestrian: “During the investigation the opposite can be proven”

There is an opinion that the pedestrian is always right, but in practice there are many cases when the opposite was proven during the investigation. "This is mainly due to the crossing of the roadway by a pedestrian in unspecified places. There, their exit onto the roadway is not expected for the driver, and he does not even assume that a pedestrian may appear there. Thus, based on the results of experimental actions, it is established that the driver does not have there was an objective opportunity to prevent the accident, and the case is dropped. Then the driver does not bear any responsibility," explains the investigator. At the same time, if after such an accident the motorist disappears from the scene of the accident, leaving the victim, then his actions are qualified under another article of the Criminal Code.

About the “little things”: “It is important to record traces of an accident as accurately and quickly as possible”

The key investigative action - inspection of the crime scene, where the most attention is needed, Sergei Prikhodko dives into the basics of his work. “The accident itself is fleeting, and traces of it are sometimes destroyed by atmospheric phenomena. And if the traces are poorly recorded or not reflected at all, this can lead to the fact that it will be impossible to prove the guilt or innocence of a certain road user. Investigators go to the scene of an accident as quickly as possible. Day or night, 20-degree frost or 30-degree heat - the weather and time of day are absolutely not important for an objective investigation,” he explains.

Despite the progressive development of technology, tape measure, paper and pen remain the most important tools with which measurements are taken and results are recorded. “Quadcopters are beginning to be used quite widely, which make it easier to record tracks over large areas. But in most cases this is only an addition, not a panacea,” the lieutenant colonel emphasizes.

Sergei Prikhodko is confident in himself and his decision to investigate crimes against traffic safety and transport operation. After graduating from university, I immediately came to the regional unit, where I was offered to conduct this line of business as a reserve investigator. I agreed, completed training for about a year, and then began receiving cases of this category. There was a desire to further study and develop, so I moved to the regional administration, where I continue to develop my competencies and professionalism.

BELTA,

Photos provided by the USC for the Gomel region.