Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Sgt. Daniella Arndt, officer, Fort Carson Police Department,...... read more read more
By Scott Prater
Mountaineer staff
FORT CARSON, Colo. — When Fort Carson Police Department (FCPD) leaders first learned that a one-vehicle crash had occurred on a Mountain Post training range recently, they knew exactly who to send to investigate.
Sgt. Daniella Arndt has only been working as a patrol officer and traffic crash investigator with the department since August, but her experience from previous installations and knowledge of vehicle collisions made her the best person for the job.
Arndt arrived at Range 131C a short time after receiving the call for service only to discover the crash victim had already been pulled from the as-yet unseen wreckage, and that medical first responders had already begun treating him. She also learned there were no witnesses to the crash, as it occurred in a remote area of the range, and that the victim was unable to communicate with investigators.
“The injured driver had suffered a head wound and a compound leg fracture,” Arndt said. “So, as the medical pros treated him, I interviewed his unit mates, before proceeding on to the crash site.”
It turns out that a special operations law enforcement unit, unattached to Fort Carson, had been using the range for rifle training and the crash victim had been driving a four-wheel, all-terrain vehicle to set random targets in the area.
“The terrain on that range is incredibly varied, with hills, rock formations and deep ravines,” Arndt said. “And everything is covered in tall grass and foliage. The area in question was also muddy, so it was difficult to even reach the crash site.”
The site of the crash had also been disrupted by special operations unit team members, who went in search for their comrade when he failed to show back up at their designated meeting place.
Eventually, Arndt determined that while setting targets, the driver had inadvertently drove into a 17-foot-deep ravine, was thrown from the vehicle during his descent, and that the vehicle came to rest on top of him. Upon discovering the crash site, his unit mates were then forced to roll the vehicle over to reach its driver and pull him up the ravine.
Arndt said she never spoke to the driver, who was airlifted to a local hospital during her investigation.
“Based on the physical evidence, we determined what had occurred,” she said. “There were tire tracks, for example, leading up to the ravine, damage to the vehicle and to the side of the ravine. Really, despite occurring in a remote area, the investigation was similar to that of a traffic crash on a street. You take the same steps, make the same measurements, interview people involved and so forth.”
Lt. Ty Skarloken, watch commander, traffic management and collision investigations, FCPD, said Arndt was the perfect choice to lead the investigation.
“She’s so detail oriented and creates information-packed reports that are concise and logical,” he said. “I was excited to learn that she would be joining our traffic collision team a few months ago. She has been one of our best performing and most productive traffic officers, which further demonstrates her drive to keep the Fort Carson community safe.”
As for the driver of the vehicle, Skarloken said he was released from the hospital five days later and is recovering.
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2022 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 416733 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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