The rest of the day was spent waiting (of course), drinking coffee,
sitting, talking, drinking coffee, visiting Warrick and drinking coffee.
For some reason, stressful situations always involved drinking lots of
coffee.
Now that Nick's family was here, they felt that they would be able to go home for a few hours sleep before shift starts. They all know they will be back the minute shift is over to wait some more, and drink more coffee.
Gil was the first to arrive, but only by ten minutes before Catherine, Sara and Greg arrived. Brass came into his office. "Hey, how are they?"
Grissom felt like he needed a coffee. "Warrick is OK. Nick....." he shrugs. "He's a mess. Still hanging in there though which is good. Doctor is going to check on him tomorrow morning again."
Brass nods. He knows how useless Gil feels. "How were his folks?"
"Sad. Very sad."
"Well we have some good news at this end. Got a name on our little joy rider, Tyrone Sampson. Went round to his house but surprise, surprise, young Ty wasn't there. We have an APB out for him. We have also faxed details to every hospital and clinic for them to keep an eye out for him. Man has to be in some sort of pain after a crash like that. Going to seek medical treatment sooner or later. From the look of the car he should be pretty beat up." Brass handed Gil a copy of the rap sheet with the photograph of Tyrone on it.
Archie poked his head in the office, "That traffic camera footage has just turned up Captain, do you want to come and look at it with me."
"Try to stop me Archie. Coming Gil?"
Gil nods and follows Jim out. By they time they get to the audio visual room, Catherine, Sara and Greg and most of the graveyard techs were also in the room.
"If you don't need to be here I would suggest you all get back to work people." Gil knew everyone was concerned but this was not going to turn into a home movie marathon. The techs returned to their posts but his CSI's stayed put.
Archie began, "They sent me the entire night so what time was the accident?"
"Just after 3am," Sara answered.
"Yeh, but before 3:15 cause that was the time when Catherine and I got there," Greg continued.
Sara also piped up, "We were there only a few minutes before you guys so... between 3:03 and 3:12?"
"OK, I'll start rolling from 3:03 then." Archie struck a few keys on the keypad and a picture came up of Holloway Road with the intersection where the accident occurred in the rear of the shot.
"Can we get any closer to the intersection Archie?"
"Sure Captain," a few more key strokes and the intersection was taking up the entire screen. "Just let me clear that shot up a bit. Get a bit more focus." A few more key strokes and...... BAM!
"JESUS! Did you see that?" Greg exclaimed.
It was that quick. One second they were clearing up the picture and the next the SUV was front and centre, lying on its side.
"Roll back and slow it down Archie," Gil instructed. Archie shuttled back until just before the accident and slowed the film down. The screen showed the intersection just before the accident, the lights on Holloway were red and the lights on Tropicana appeared to be green from the angle they were watching. Then the red convertible came into shot moving along Holloway, away from the camera towards the intersection, the light still showing red. Just as it was drawing closer Nick's car was seen entering the intersection, the red car braked but could not avoid the impact.
"Stop there. Got him! He entered on the red." Brass clapped Archie on the back.
"Jim, there is no way to tell who is driving that vehicle. If he comes up with a story that can cause reasonable doubt......" Grissom tried to keep Jim focused.
"Now who is making this personal," Brass responded.
"Keep rolling the film Arch, see if we can get his face on film," Catherine instructed.
Archie continued playing the film. Just after the red car braked, Nick's car jumped forward before impact. Then they struck. The red car started spinning and the driver was thrown up and out and landed off camera.
The SUV wobbled then flipped three times and came to rest on it's side, just how Gil and Sara found it.
An audible gasp could be heard from everyone. "How the hell did anyone survive that crash?" Catherine was taken back by the severity of the crash.
"Cause Nick took evasive action, that is how. Roll that back again Archie." Jim walked forward toward the large monitor.
"I don't know if I can watch that again," Sara thought about leaving the room on the verge of tears again. Greg came and placed a hand on her shoulder for support. She place her hand over his and kept watching.
Jim continued, "See here how the truck jumped forward and turns slightly.... If he hadn't done that then both Nick and Warrick would be dead. That's defensive driving one-o-one right there. Good to see the Dallas Police force did such a good job training their cops."
"Are you trying to say Nick would have seen him coming?" Gil was amazed.
Brass nodded. "Yup. Thank god he was quick enough to react. That car was on a collision course with the front of the car right in front of the driver which would have killed Nick instantly and most likely pushed the engine block in towards Warrick. He stepped on the gas which moved the car ahead enough to impact behind him and also turned into the collision to reduce severity of the roll. That wobble at the beginning probably stopped another 2 or 3 rolls of the vehicle."
"Wow, I'll never rib Nick about his driving again," Greg was looking up at the screen in awe. Small smiles crossed the faces of everyone as they all thought 'good boy Nick'.
"I can't believe the driver of the red car walked away. Where is he in this shot anyway?" Catherine craned her neck as if she could see around the corner of the picture.
Archie reformatted the shot again and found the driver of the vehicle lying on the grass sidewalk. The film continued and he lifted himself up and started to limp away from the scene.
"Freeze it there!" Archie did as Gil commanded. On the screen was a blurry picture of the driver facing the camera. "Enhance that." Again with a few key strokes of the computer Archie had a full frame shot of the face of the driver.
"Well if it isn't our friend Mr Sampson," Brass held up a copy of Tyrone Simpson's record with the photo of him in the corner.
"And that, Jim, just wiped out reasonable doubt."
Now that Nick's family was here, they felt that they would be able to go home for a few hours sleep before shift starts. They all know they will be back the minute shift is over to wait some more, and drink more coffee.
Gil was the first to arrive, but only by ten minutes before Catherine, Sara and Greg arrived. Brass came into his office. "Hey, how are they?"
Grissom felt like he needed a coffee. "Warrick is OK. Nick....." he shrugs. "He's a mess. Still hanging in there though which is good. Doctor is going to check on him tomorrow morning again."
Brass nods. He knows how useless Gil feels. "How were his folks?"
"Sad. Very sad."
"Well we have some good news at this end. Got a name on our little joy rider, Tyrone Sampson. Went round to his house but surprise, surprise, young Ty wasn't there. We have an APB out for him. We have also faxed details to every hospital and clinic for them to keep an eye out for him. Man has to be in some sort of pain after a crash like that. Going to seek medical treatment sooner or later. From the look of the car he should be pretty beat up." Brass handed Gil a copy of the rap sheet with the photograph of Tyrone on it.
Archie poked his head in the office, "That traffic camera footage has just turned up Captain, do you want to come and look at it with me."
"Try to stop me Archie. Coming Gil?"
Gil nods and follows Jim out. By they time they get to the audio visual room, Catherine, Sara and Greg and most of the graveyard techs were also in the room.
"If you don't need to be here I would suggest you all get back to work people." Gil knew everyone was concerned but this was not going to turn into a home movie marathon. The techs returned to their posts but his CSI's stayed put.
Archie began, "They sent me the entire night so what time was the accident?"
"Just after 3am," Sara answered.
"Yeh, but before 3:15 cause that was the time when Catherine and I got there," Greg continued.
Sara also piped up, "We were there only a few minutes before you guys so... between 3:03 and 3:12?"
"OK, I'll start rolling from 3:03 then." Archie struck a few keys on the keypad and a picture came up of Holloway Road with the intersection where the accident occurred in the rear of the shot.
"Can we get any closer to the intersection Archie?"
"Sure Captain," a few more key strokes and the intersection was taking up the entire screen. "Just let me clear that shot up a bit. Get a bit more focus." A few more key strokes and...... BAM!
"JESUS! Did you see that?" Greg exclaimed.
It was that quick. One second they were clearing up the picture and the next the SUV was front and centre, lying on its side.
"Roll back and slow it down Archie," Gil instructed. Archie shuttled back until just before the accident and slowed the film down. The screen showed the intersection just before the accident, the lights on Holloway were red and the lights on Tropicana appeared to be green from the angle they were watching. Then the red convertible came into shot moving along Holloway, away from the camera towards the intersection, the light still showing red. Just as it was drawing closer Nick's car was seen entering the intersection, the red car braked but could not avoid the impact.
"Stop there. Got him! He entered on the red." Brass clapped Archie on the back.
"Jim, there is no way to tell who is driving that vehicle. If he comes up with a story that can cause reasonable doubt......" Grissom tried to keep Jim focused.
"Now who is making this personal," Brass responded.
"Keep rolling the film Arch, see if we can get his face on film," Catherine instructed.
Archie continued playing the film. Just after the red car braked, Nick's car jumped forward before impact. Then they struck. The red car started spinning and the driver was thrown up and out and landed off camera.
The SUV wobbled then flipped three times and came to rest on it's side, just how Gil and Sara found it.
An audible gasp could be heard from everyone. "How the hell did anyone survive that crash?" Catherine was taken back by the severity of the crash.
"Cause Nick took evasive action, that is how. Roll that back again Archie." Jim walked forward toward the large monitor.
"I don't know if I can watch that again," Sara thought about leaving the room on the verge of tears again. Greg came and placed a hand on her shoulder for support. She place her hand over his and kept watching.
Jim continued, "See here how the truck jumped forward and turns slightly.... If he hadn't done that then both Nick and Warrick would be dead. That's defensive driving one-o-one right there. Good to see the Dallas Police force did such a good job training their cops."
"Are you trying to say Nick would have seen him coming?" Gil was amazed.
Brass nodded. "Yup. Thank god he was quick enough to react. That car was on a collision course with the front of the car right in front of the driver which would have killed Nick instantly and most likely pushed the engine block in towards Warrick. He stepped on the gas which moved the car ahead enough to impact behind him and also turned into the collision to reduce severity of the roll. That wobble at the beginning probably stopped another 2 or 3 rolls of the vehicle."
"Wow, I'll never rib Nick about his driving again," Greg was looking up at the screen in awe. Small smiles crossed the faces of everyone as they all thought 'good boy Nick'.
"I can't believe the driver of the red car walked away. Where is he in this shot anyway?" Catherine craned her neck as if she could see around the corner of the picture.
Archie reformatted the shot again and found the driver of the vehicle lying on the grass sidewalk. The film continued and he lifted himself up and started to limp away from the scene.
"Freeze it there!" Archie did as Gil commanded. On the screen was a blurry picture of the driver facing the camera. "Enhance that." Again with a few key strokes of the computer Archie had a full frame shot of the face of the driver.
"Well if it isn't our friend Mr Sampson," Brass held up a copy of Tyrone Simpson's record with the photo of him in the corner.
"And that, Jim, just wiped out reasonable doubt."