Drone Technology in Personal Injury Law

Attorneys may join the list of professional services adopting drone technology as part of their regular business. Drones have a remarkable capacity to make detailed video and photographic presentations of buildings, roads, and other locations. Today, many insurance companies, state and local police departments, and the Federal traffic safety board have incorporated drones into their resources for investigating accidents.

Drones in Accident Investigations

Accident reconstruction is an essential part of assessing the causes and results of a serious traffic crash. For example in the recent tragic limousine crash in upstate New York, the local police, state police, and federal agencies performed an immediate examination of the scene including an accident reconstruction survey. The National Traffic Safety Board used drone technology to reconstruct the events and map the scene.

Drones in Premises Liability 

In premises liability cases, drones can provide compelling evidence of liability. Drones can present photographic imagery that creates a lasting impression in the minds of judges and juries. When the issue involves the conditions of premises, land, or other places where a defendant has a duty of care, then drones can present vivid presentations of the conditions.

Insurance companies have adopted drone technology to assess damage from hurricanes, tornados, and severe storms; insurers also use drones to reconstruct some traffic accidents. The emergence of drone technology is another reason to select legal representation carefully. Northern Jersey residents must now consider the attorney’s level of technology awareness. They must select a personal injury lawyer northfield nj residents can rely upon for personalized service and effective representation.

Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Before Drones

Accident reconstruction used maps and ground surveys to reproduce accident scenes. Ground survey information consisted of expert surveyor readings that were layered onto existing official maps. The process of surveying was complex, and experts had to layer the survey information onto official maps. There was a significant delay in getting a precise rendering of the scene with integrated the accident information.

The Drone Effect on Accident Investigation

Drone technology permits an instant flight over the scene with a GPS guided drone and camera. The process called photogrammetry is precise it can build a 3-D model of the scene with the terrain and features in exact position and proportion. The National Traffic Safety Board adopted drone technology beginning in 2013. By 2016, drone surveys were a routine part of NTSB accident investigations,

Drone technology can affect the legal presentation of a case in many ways. Drone technology offers a more accurate and reliable visual detail of an accident scent than the traditional combination of ground surveys and pre-existing maps. A very important advantage of using drone technology is in the speed of gathering data and in the speed of getting results.

The drone survey of the Schoharie crash required a short set up, a flight of about 20 minutes, and the data was immediately available to investigators. The speed and convenience permitted investigators to react to the information and get more or additional views if needed. The future of personal injury cases may require more extensive use of emerging drone technology.


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