APPENDIX C. FIELD DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOL

OVERALL MANAGEMENT -- STATE HIGHWAY SAFETY OFFICE
Describe the systems for both dead and surviving drivers

• Laws and policies
• Processes -- see flowcharts
• Key players -- law enforcement, hospital/ER, med examiner/coroner, labs, FARS analysts
• Information flow between players

Key questions and issues

• What parts work well?
• What parts have problems? What are they?

DRIVER DIES AT SCENE

ME/Coroners

Describe the system:
Medical Examiners
Coroners (lay or medical qualifications)
Combination

How are Medical Examiners/Coroners organized?

• State level
• County level
• City level

Review our understanding of laws governing BAC testing of victims in that State:

• Discuss what we know about the law
• Any recent or pending changes?
• Other regulations that apply?
• What controls reporting of test results: law, regulation, custom, discretion?

When there is a fatal crash:

• How does a coroner/Medical Examiner get involved?
  • Notification of death
  • Possession of remains
    
    
• When will coroner/Medical Examiner test or not test for BAC?
  • Circumstances of death -- at scene or in hospital
  • Case load
  • Paperwork involved
  • Availability of testing facility
    
    
• Describe laboratory facilities for blood tests:
  • State level
  • County level
  • City level
    
    
• What happens to the test results:
  • Lab sends results to coroner/Medical Examiner
  • Lab results remain with coroner/Medical Examiner
  • Communication/storage of lab results is electronic, paper, etc.
  • Lab results are available upon request from other qualified agency (name agencies)
  • Lab results are reported to other qualified agency (name agencies)

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for drivers who died in a crash? Alternatively, why is State’s system working so well?

• Law (discuss)
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other

FARS Analyst

What agency ‘houses’ the analyst?

How does the analyst learn that a fatal crash has occurred?

BAC data on fatal victims:

• When obtained
• How and from whom obtained
  • Police records
  • Hospital records
  • Victim transported out of State

If number is significant, what are causes for “test taken/results unknown”?

• Police records
• Hospital records
• Victim transported out of State
  

How do you follow up for BAC data?

• Police Records
• Hospital records
• Victim transported out of State
  

What are other problems of getting BAC data? How do you address them?

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for dead drivers? Alternatively, why is State’s system working so well?

• Law (discuss)
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other

Law Enforcement

Describe step-by-step law enforcement processing of a case with a fatally injured driver.

• What ‘triggers’ alcohol investigation?

How are BAC results reported to the Law Enforcement?

• Lab/Medical Examiner/Coroner

Added to crash report/supplement

What controls sending crash report outside department?

• Centralized State agency gets report?

DRIVER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL/ER

Medical

Review our understanding of laws governing BAC testing in that State:

• Discuss what we know about the law
• Any recent or pending changes?
• Other regulations that apply?
• What governs reporting of test results: law, regulation, custom, discretion?

When the driver is injured
ER or Hospital Draws Blood:

• Is blood routinely drawn from trauma victims for tox-testing?
• If “sometimes”, when is it done and not done?
• Are tox-screen testing packets readily available?
• Can/do police ask for/demand a test? If yes, what is required, e.g. court order?

If a blood test has been performed:

• How is patient hospital record treated, e.g. business record?
• How can another qualified agency obtain the result of a BAC test?

If the injured driver dies in the hospital (within a short period of time)
ER or Hospital Draws Blood:

• Is blood routinely drawn from somebody who has been involved in a crash and who dies in the hospital for a tox-screen?
• Describe interactions with coroner/Medical Examiner
  • Does a coroner/Medical Examiner receive BAC results from the hospital?
  • If not, how can a coroner/Medical Examiner obtain the result?

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for injured drivers involved in fatal crashes? Alternatively, why is State’s reporting working so well?

• Law
• Definition of a hospital record
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other

B) FARS Analyst

How does a FARS analyst find out that a death related to a traffic crash occurred in a hospital?

What does a FARS analyst have to do to obtain results of blood draws by a hospital?

• Go through law enforcement
• Obtain results from the LAB

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for injured drivers involved in fatal crashes? Alternatively, why is State’s system working so well?

• Law
• Definition of a hospital record
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other

C) Law Enforcement

Review our understanding of laws governing BAC testing in that State:

• Discuss what we know about the law
• Any recent or pending changes?
• Other regulations that apply?
• What governs reporting of test results: law, regulation, custom, discretion?

Step by step walk-through of case where driver is taken to medical facility:

When the driver is injured:

• What ‘triggers’ alcohol investigation? When the following agency involved:
  • State police
  • Major metro PD
  • Sheriffs/other
    
    
• When is a qualified medical person asked to do a blood test?
  • Can it be ordered, e.g. court order?
    
    
• How can a law enforcement officer obtain the results?
  • Hospital record
  • Directly from lab

If the injured driver dies in the hospital (within a short period of time):

• How does law enforcement pursue obtaining BAC?
  • State police
  • Major metro PD
  • Sheriffs/other
    
    
• How can a law enforcement officer obtain the results?
• Hospital record
• Directly from lab

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for injured drivers involved in fatal crashes? Alternatively, why is State’s system working so well?

• Law
• Definition of a hospital record
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other

SURVIVING DRIVER REMAINS AT SCENE

A) Law Enforcement

Review our understanding of laws governing BAC testing in that State:

• Discuss what we know about the law
• Any recent or pending changes?
• Other regulations/rulings that apply?
• Is BAC result evidence that is public or not?
• What governs reporting of test results: law, regulation, custom, discretion?
  

Step-by-step of alcohol investigation under this law:

• How does a law enforcement officer determine whether to acquire BAC evidence?
• When an alcohol investigation is conducted, do the results get to the crash reports?

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for drivers involved in fatal crashes? Alternatively, why is State’s system working so well?

• Law
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other

B) FARS Analyst

How does a FARS analyst find out that law enforcement have investigated a surviving driver?

What does a FARS analyst have to do to obtain results of BAC test?

What changes do you think may improve (or did improve) State’s BAC reporting for drivers involved in fatal crashes? Alternatively, why is State’s system working so well?

• Law
• Better investigation by law enforcement
• Logistics of BAC reporting within/among agencies
• Other