I would start by looking at the new Canon S2-IS camera ($499).

You can find a review at this link:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s2-review/

The review does not delve into the subject of burst mode, but the S2-IS has the best burst mode of all non DSLR cameras.

You can go into burst mode and hold down the shutter button and it will continue to capture photos until you run out of space on the memory card.

That should be good for capturing those car crashes.

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