# Troopers Miss Man's Body At Crash Scene



## MMiz (Jan 24, 2010)

*Troopers Miss Man's Body At Crash Scene*

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal traffic crash in which the body of the victim wasn't discovered until the next day by his girlfriend.

The crash happened Monday night on the Interstate 95 off-ramp to Oakland Park Boulevard. Delvin Lewis, 29, was killed when the car he was driving slammed into the guardrail.

FHP troopers found a car Tuesday that they thought was an abandoned vehicle. Later that day, the driver's girlfriend spotted the damaged guardrail as she exited the highway, stopped to check and found Lewis' body.

"She came back out here because nobody had heard from him, so when she came back, she saw the body over there. That's when she called," said James Habersham, Lewis' uncle.

*Read more!*


----------



## spinnakr (Jan 24, 2010)

Somebody is going to get seriously chewed out / fired / sued over this (or any combination thereof!)


----------



## MedicSqrl (Jan 24, 2010)

I think FHP is going to get away with this one. There are alot of abandoned cars in FL. If he wasn't in the immediate area then there is no reason the trooper to suspect there is still a person there. The article made it seem that he was ejected pretty far. I would venture to opinion that he wasn't wearing his seatbelt either.


----------



## reaper (Jan 24, 2010)

Don't see a problem there. Happens all the time. The body was found 300 ft from the car and behind a wall. If FHP thought it was an abandoned vehicle, they are not walking the interstate, looking for bodies.


----------



## zmedic (Jan 24, 2010)

I don't know, I feel that an "abandoned" car that has damage should be treated as a possible crash. The car must have been banged up if he hit something hard enough to get ejected.


----------



## reaper (Jan 24, 2010)

They are found like that, all over the interstate. Someone wrecks into a guardrail and runs off, before LEO shows up. Maybe they are drunk, maybe wanted, or maybe illegal. FHP would spend hours walking the interstate for every abandoned car they come across.


----------



## rhan101277 (Jan 24, 2010)

Well maybe they should do more investigation if the car hood is still warm.


----------



## CAOX3 (Jan 24, 2010)

The guys girlfriend could find him but the police,fire and EMS departments couldnt.

Maybe further investgation was warranted, I agree 300 ft is a long way, cripe its a football field.  

Maybe he wandered off from the accident scene and succomb to his injuries behind the wall.


----------



## reaper (Jan 24, 2010)

Fire and EMS were probably never called. If FHP thought it was abandoned, they would just call a wrecker.


----------



## 46Young (Jan 24, 2010)

The FD could use their TIC to scan the area. We do it all the time on MVA's.

Perhaps if there are so many abandoned cars in the area, the police could use TIC's for the same purpose.


----------



## Chimpie (Jan 24, 2010)

As for someone who lives in Florida, near an interstate, and who travels a 8 mile stretch frequently, I can attest to the fact that there are always vehicles off on the side of the road, and at least half the time they are abandoned.


----------



## lightsandsirens5 (Jan 25, 2010)

I can see both sides here.

For one, yes, I can remember when I was living in FL tons of abandoned cars on the roads and just about every where else. The trooper is going to search the immidiate area and 300 feet is a loooooong way for someone to fly. And assuming the rig is on the side of the road and all you have to search is a half circle with a radius of 300 feet extending away from the road, you have to search 141,372 square feet. And I'm pretty sure it is not all open area with short grass.

Also, I have never used one, but wouldn't all the background heat in a city kind of wash out a TIC?

On the other hand, the force required to eject someone over 300 feet would be tremendous. I mean, the rig would probably look like it got dropped out of an airplane. That could be a clue that the person, _if _ejected, might be a ways out there.


----------



## johnrsemt (Jan 25, 2010)

Plus it said that he hit the guard rail Monday, and it was later that the police stopped,  how long does it take for a body to cool down so that the TIC doesn't work;   and I don't think that they have a  300' range.


----------



## wolfwyndd (Jan 26, 2010)

lightsandsirens5 said:


> Also, I have never used one, but wouldn't all the background heat in a city kind of wash out a TIC?


Absolutely not.  You know those cop TV shows where they have the camera's on the helicopters following the suspect?  Yeah, those there Thermal Imaging Camera's.  They only show on what they are pointed towards.


----------



## CAOX3 (Jan 26, 2010)

Im guessing just because something is a frequent occurence doesnt give us the right to blow off the possibilty.


----------



## BLSBoy (Jan 26, 2010)

Love the monday morning QBs. 
So, we call in an aircraft, and use TICs for every single abandoned vehicle?
No one here works for FHP. 
They made the call.


----------



## reaper (Jan 26, 2010)

CAOX3 said:


> Im guessing just because something is a frequent occurence doesnt give us the right to blow off the possibilty.



So your volunteering for the job? Start walking the interstates!


----------



## CAOX3 (Jan 26, 2010)

reaper said:


> So your volunteering for the job? Start walking the interstates!



Maybe enlight of recent events that may be something you may want to consider.

You have a lot of water in Florida also you dont blow off an overturned boat do you?


----------



## BLSBoy (Jan 26, 2010)

CAOX3 said:


> Maybe enlight of recent events that may be something you may want to consider.
> 
> You have a lot of water in Florida also you dont blow off an overturned boat do you?



HAHAHAHAHAHA!!
We also have a LOT of sunken boats. Wanna go dive each one?
Send a full water rescue assignment to each one?
Get real.....


----------



## CAOX3 (Jan 27, 2010)

Anyway...


----------



## VFFforpeople (Jan 28, 2010)

CAOX3 said:


> Anyway...



I see your point in the searching for a body. 100yds is a long way for a body to fly, and I dont know the area but if there are walls or K-rail and he went behind it, either flew or jumped thats his bad day. The FHP did his search that was in his SoP and went back to his job. Life happens is it perfect no, but we do what we can within reason.


----------



## Medic115 (Jan 29, 2010)

I'd sure hate to be in that troopers shoes!!!


----------



## Veneficus (Jan 29, 2010)

Maybe he was walking or crawling for help and made it that far?

Anyone work near a cane, corn, or wheat field? Sometimes bodies at accident scenes go missing. Especially when you don't know how many victims there are to begin with.

Pick up trucks, farm vehicles, and ATVs sometimes have similar issues.


----------

