COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The rules for investigating traffic accidents involving police would be more clear under a bill a House Judiciary subcommittee approved Wednesday.
Questions arose last year when Forest Acres police investigated an accident following a chase that left a woman dead. A suspect fleeing police crashed into the car the woman was riding in on May 27, 2003.
Rep. Phil Sinclair, R-Spartanburg, said the bill provides a "clear definition" of what it means for a police vehicle to be involved in a collision and what will be done in an investigation.
It says that investigations don't have to arise just from wrecks involving police cars or chases.
It also requires that accident investigators identify possible witnesses that may not have been involved in the wreck.
The bill now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.
