Roadside crime scene investigation sometimes a must in the Poconos
It's a familiar but unpleasant scene, one the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says occurred 35 times in Monroe County in 2010 and 1,324 times in the state that same year.
One or more vehicles smashed up, debris strewn along the roadway and yellow do-not-cross tape blocking off the scene.
Police cars with flashing lights parked in the road or off to the side as investigators examine the wreckage, take measurements and interview witnesses. Paramedics treat the injured or a medical helicopter lifts off to fly someone to a trauma center.
And a white sheet covering the body of the person killed.
Blend of art, science
In the aftermaths of fatal crashes — like the ones on March 13 on I-80, March 14 on Route 115, Monday on Route 209 and Tuesday on I-80 — specially trained investigators are called to figure out what happened and why.
The road can be shut for hours, resulting in massive traffic tie-ups, but why does the crash reconstruction take so long?
