One of my daughters was killed in a vehicle/pedestrian accident in December. Local police said a blood test wasn't warranted because the driver didn't appear to be impaired. Never mind he has a past of dui and no operator license. Daughters body had a test done by the county coroner. Also no cell phone record check because it would violate his civil rights. Never mind his facebook account is full of selfies while driving. Last thing is that one of the witnesses in a car  in front of the driver that hit my daughter happen to be personal friends of his, and have since shut down their FB account and dropped out of sight. I have contacted the district state rep in regards to legislation about these situations. Any ideas from anyone?

Sounds like terrible investigating or a cover up from the beginning.

I am very sorry for your loss.

That sounds like very shitty crash investigation. Any fatal should involve field sobriety at the least. Unfortunately most small departments just don't have the resources or training like the Patrol to investigate crashes.  Sorry for your loss OP

Not a small dept. A fairly large city pd.

On the face of it sounds like a terrible investigation, but that's really tough to guarantee without access to all the facts.

But, everyone has a boss and you should systematically take it up the chain of command.  Contact the state rep would've been my six or seventh stop if it's a issue in a fairly good sized city.  If you've gotten bad answers all the way up thru the police chief and/or commissioner then see if the department has an internal affairs division.  If that doesn't work go to city council, then the mayor, then the state representatives and senators, and then the governor if you have to.

I'd get the local media involved as soon as I had yo go outside the police department for resolution.

There is another route, but it's expensive...  there are  private investigators that can do this sort of thing and depending on their findings you could file a civil suit against the faulty driver and possibly even against the "non" investigating police department.  Private investigators and lawyers are never cheap though.

I'm very sorry for your loss and I hope and pray the authorities do everything they need to do to hold the right people accountable.

There really shouldn't be an excuse then. You would think that a larger department would have people that have the proper training to investigate a crash. This is a fatality not a fender bender.  Had a similar crash down the street from me, the driver wasn't impaired but they did all field sobriety, I never asked about a blood draw, and then had a judge issue a warrant and they went through her phone records. That crash, and the families push is what helped give us the texting and driving law.

So sorry for your loss man. Words cannot describe your sorrow I'm sure.

Just stay positive and know that things will iron out the way that destiny has intended.

Good luck, what dept is investigating?  I know a lot of people in the LEO community. Maybe I can help?

Sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss, Op. I can't imagine the sorrow you are going through right now. Turn that sadness  into anger and get the MFers. I bet that one of the drivers parents is a friend of someone with LE or political ties. Too many corners being cut if you ask me. The posters above have given you good advice. I would also consult with an attorney for both a civil suit against the driver and against the PD.

I usually am a big supporter of law enforcement, but, in this case, someone either got lazy or was told to look the other way.

OP, I am sorry for your loss.

Was fault ever determined on the accident report?

ETA: We don't routinely test someone for drugs/alcohol in a fatal crash unless there is a reason to suspect it.

So sorry for you loss OP my thoughts are with you and yours


Unfortunately, a prior OVI isn't enough to get a search warrant for a blood draw. If there's not indicators of impairment to the officers at scene there wouldn't be any testing done on scene or otherwise. Sobriety tests are not standard at fatalities unless there is evidence presented

Felony investigations aren't put together in a day, especially if a death is at the the center of it.

A lot of things could be underwaym

Sorry for your loss