Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
At. times. it. is. useful. to. have. the. victim. and. other. persons. being. interviewed.
reenact.the.accident..This.may.provide.some.answers.and.may.enhance.recall.of.
some.details.previously.not.remembered..Reenactment.is.not.necessary.in.all.acci-
dent.investigations.
evaluating the Witness' state
The.investigator.needs.to.analyze.the.witness.as.well.as.his.or.her.testimony.during.
the.course.of.the.interview..He.should.consider.and.try.to.determine,.by.observation.
or.direct.questions,.the.witness'.state.with.respect.to
.
1.. Delay.between.the.time.of.occurrence.of.the.accident.and.interview..People.
forget.50.percent.to.80.percent.of.the.detail.in.just.a.24-hour.period.
.
2.. Contact. with. principals. in. the. accident.. People. who. feel. they. have. faults.
may.give.misleading.information.to.witnesses,.such.information.later.being.
remembered.as.observation.rather.than.hearsay.
.
3.. Contact.with.other.witnesses.with.domineering.personalities.or.perceived.
expertise.that.distorts.the.witness'.memory.
.
4.. Contact. with. news. media. or. other. investigators. who. induce. inaccuracies.
through. leading. questions. and. alleged. “facts”. or. opinions. they. present. for.
substantiation.
.
5.. Signs. of. shock,. amnesia,. or. other. psychological. disturbance. resulting. from.
the. accident.. Unpleasant. experiences. are. frequently. blanked. from. people's.
memory.
.
6.. General.health.and.use.of.medication,.drugs,.or.alcohol,.all.of.which.affect.
perception,.attention,.and.memory.
.
7.. Personal.problems.in.any.of.the.areas.of.the.relationship.of.risk.to.stress..
Self-induced. stresses. cause. preoccupation. and. inattention,. which. may. be.
masked.by.detailed.testimony.
.
8.. Personal.interests.or.other.needs.to.end.the.interview,.evade.responsibility,.
or.divert.an.investigator's.inquiry.from.a.particular.subject.area.
.
9.. Personality.types.with.resultant.tendencies.
.
10.. Apparent. rationalizations.. Are. parts. of. the. witness'. story. entirely. too.
smooth.and.complete.in.their.irst.statement?.The.more.intelligent.a.witness.
is,.the.stronger.their.tendency.to.mull.events.over.in.their.mind,.and.become.
aware.of.gaps.and.supplement.knowledge.with.assumptions.from.an.honest.
desire.to.give.coherent.information.
The.investigator.should.interview.each.victim.and.witness..Those.who.were.pres-
ent.before.the.accident.and.those.who.arrived.at.the.site.shortly.after.the.accident.
should.be.interviewed..Keep.accurate.records.of.each.interview..Use.a.tape.recorder.
if.desired.and.if.approved.by.the.person.being.interviewed.
summarizing the Interviewing Process
After.interviewing.all.witnesses,.the.team.should.analyze.each.witness'.statement..
They. may. wish. to. re-interview. one. or. more. witnesses. to. conirm. or. clarify. key.
points.. While. there. may. be. inconsistencies. in. witnesses'. statements,. investigators.
