Ask The Answer Person: "Why did it take so long for the name of Thursday's accident victim to be released?"

Posted: Tue, Oct 29, 2019 3:22 PM

(Dennis e-mails: ""Why did the investigation of the recent fatal accident on Trout Run Road take so long, especially in not releasing the name of the victim/s? This is a smallish, rather cohesive community. In general we tend to know and care about our neighbors-- and our guests and visitors. News of the accident came rather quickly. Officials could at least explain a bit of what's going on behind the scenes. Unfortunately, rumors seem to run faster in smaller towns!"):

The Answer Person says: "I'd like to defend local law enforcement officers. It's a difficult position they're in--release the name too soon and they're criticized; release the name too late and they're criticized.

The most common reason that a victim's name is not released right away is that members of the family are still being notified. Another common reason is that an investigation into a fatal traffic accident takes time--and officers want to make they give out accurate information.

Yes, there was a longer-than-usual delay in releasing the victim's name after Thursday's accident, but local law enforcement officers want to get it right--so I think we should understand the position they're in and appreciate their desire to be accurate."