NCJ Number
212650
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 50 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2005 Pages: 1411-1416
Date Published
November 2005
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Two forensic cases are presented to show how singe patterns and particle transfers from deployed driver-side and passenger-side airbags can help distinguish who was the driver and who was the passenger when the deployment occurred.
Abstract
When deployed, the gas in the driver-side airbag leaves the inflator at a temperature that can reach 600 degrees C. Although most of the hot gas escapes through the vent holes after deployment, some can leak through the stitching seams in the front and singe a pattern on the occupant's clothing characteristic of the seam pattern. The singe pattern from the driver and passenger-side airbags will be different. Also, cornstarch, which is used as a lubricant in some driver-side airbags, can transfer to the driver's clothing. In addition, hairs, fibers, and make-up can transfer from the driver or passenger to the surface of the airbags. These distinct transfers to and from deployed airbags when they contact drivers and passengers in vehicle accidents can help identify who was driving and who was a passenger when the accident occurred. In the first case presented, the owner of a truck that crashed into a tree about 1 mile from the owner's house reported that the truck had been stolen and then apparently abandoned after the thief crashed it. Tests run on the owner's shirt and the deployed driver-side airbag indicated, however, that the owner had been driving his truck when the crash occurred. Based on this evidence, he was found guilty at trial of several offenses. In the second case, evidence of distinctive transfers to and from deployed airbags determined who was the driver and who was the passenger in a jury's conviction of the driver for reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. 11 figures and 9 references