Exchange of Paint in Hit & Run Collisions and Its Significance as Forensic Evidence

Abstract

Generally there are no eyewitnesses in hit-and-run cases, so physical evidence becomes all important for the solution of the crime which depends on the recognition, protection; selection, identification, and evaluation of the transferred/exchanged material i.e. paint. In a hit and run case usually mutual exchange of paints takes place between the criminal’s vehicle and the victim’s vehicle involved in collision. It links the accused vehicle with the crime and with the vehicle of victim. On the other hand, if the clues recovered, do not link the suspect vehicle with the victim’s or the scene of occurrence, the innocence of the suspect is established, thus helps the innocent. Until the paint evidence can be forensically examined, it should be carefully preserved so that it remains unaltered while it is transferred from the crime scene to the laboratory. This paper will review the significance of paint as forensic evidence with relevant case studies, and discuss how it can be collected and preserved for forensic examination.