Which of the following is NOT a level of crash investigations?

• A. Reporting
• B. Reconstruction
• C. Cause Analysis
• D. Forensics

Answer: (D)

Understanding how a crash investigation unfolds helps you see what each stage aims to accomplish. You begin by collecting and documenting facts—what happened, who was involved, conditions at the scene, and initial witness statements. Next comes reconstruction, where investigators use the available physical evidence—debris, skid marks, damage patterns, vehicle paths—to model the crash and determine the sequence of events. Finally, cause analysis digs into why the crash occurred, looking at contributing factors such as driver behavior, mechanical issues, or environmental conditions to establish root causes.

Forensics, while critical to gathering and analyzing evidence, isn’t a separate level of the investigation flow. It’s the scientific work that supports the entire process—lab analyses, data extraction, and specialized testing—rather than a distinct stage you move through in sequence.