suicide or accident?

Question

Just for discussion pruposes, not an actutal case.
How would an investigator distinguish: Vehicle strikes telephone pole at rate of 80mph. No suicide note. Deceased had blood alcohol level of .12, it was early in the morning (12am).No skidmarks. What could be some factors in ruling this a suicide....? Is it not just as likely that the person fell asleep. Note: At 80mph, vehicle is traveling at 120ft./second; at this rate, is it possible to "aim" at a telephone in the dark?

Answer 1

They can probably tell if the person was either (a) too drunk or (b) asleep when the vehicle hit the pole. The way the body reacts in those conditions is different that when you are awake and sober.

With a BAC of .12 it is entirely possible their depth perception was totally off and they thought they had more room or were even going slower.

Answer 2

It's definitely possible to aim. A kid from my high school killed himself in a similar way, but wrapped his car around a huge tree. The people who lived in the house near where he crashed heard his car racing back and forth a few times before he hit the tree.

The kid had some recent emotional problems and had tried suicide before, so it was ruled as a suicide.

Of course, it's also possible that the hypothetical guy in your question fell asleep, wasn't looking where he was going, hit the gas instead of the break, was trying to answer his cell phone or make a call, was changing radio stations, etc. At 80 MPH on some roads it only takes a split second to make a fatal error.

Answer 3

There is going to be other evidence that an experienced investigator can glean. For example, tire skid marks prior to impact, vector analysis of the vehicle's path & momentum, background investigation of the deceased, I could go on but we must keep some secrets.

Answer 4

With just that information there really is no reason to believe that it is a suicide. All you have is a car and a dead operator with a BAC of .12. Most likely it would get reported, at least initially, as driving while intoxicated.

Answer 5

Definately. I was in a car accident; which I passed out at the wheel and my car swerved to the left; hitting an oncoming van. Thankfully no one was hurt seriously.

Answer 6

I guess this the way to kill yourself if you want to collect ins. money since they don't pay if you commit suicide. I would think that the ins. investigators would have a hard time proving this was a suicide.

Answer 7

It is very possible to aim, however they also look into his/her history. Has the person had a mental health history, is he/she in debt, any family issues or work problems?

Answer 8

maybe a heartattack was he on any med's?

Answer 9

Dead is dead!