In 1997, the Missouri State Highway Patrol created the  Major Crash Investigation Unit  (MCIU). Currently, the Highway Patrol has twelve officers assigned to four Major Crash Investigation Units, located strategically throughout the state. The primary mission of the MCIU is to investigate and provide detailed reporting of serious crashes involving multiple fatalities, commercial motor vehicles and crashes resulting in felony criminal charges. The crash teams also assist other law enforcement agencies with serious traffic crash investigations and critical crime scene mapping. The teams utilize Total Station technology, which allows for the accurate and fair depiction of a crash or critical crime scene diagrammed to scale. Each officer is trained in the human, mechanical and environmental factors of traffic crash investigation. They are considered court experts in the field of traffic crash investigation.

Victims of serious injury and their families often do not know of the existence of these very valuable total reconstruction reports prepared in certain cases by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. These reports completely detail the scene, and the crash team is usually on the site immediately. It is very important for this team to document the debris, gouge marks and other physical information. By the time injured parties have recovered enough to consider their options of recovery, in many cases, the physical evidence is gone and sometimes the road has even been changed.

These reports are available from the  Highway Patrol,  usually within six weeks of the date of the accident, and may be obtained together with all photographs taken by the investigation team at a very nominal cost.

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