Cobb County Police Use Drones to Clear Accident on East-West Connector
Cobb County police are using drone aircraft to help clear car accidents from roads more quickly, according to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta. They used the drone helicopter this week to fly over the scene of an accident on the East-West Connector. The accident required police officers to close both eastbound lanes of the Connector while they processed the accident. The officers were able to clear the accident and allow traffic to recommence in the eastbound direction.
Cops Use Drones to Record Accident Sites
The police department only recently acquired FAA approval to fly the drone, a process which took over six months. The process of using the drone requires two police officers: one to operate the remote controlled vehicle, and one to monitor the surroundings of the drone to make sure it doesn’t strike any surrounding obstacles, such as trees or power lines. The police say that it allows them to clear accident sites more quickly by accelerating the process of taking photographs that can later be available for accident reconstruction. The drone allows officers to quickly capture an aerial view of the entire crash site, which can then provide updated information to add to existing photographs of the area. As ABC Action News Tampa reports, police departments across the country are training their officers to use drone aircraft in accident reconstruction.
Drone Photos Help Lawsuit Accident Reconstruction
A car accident can give rise to criminal or civil proceedings in court. If one of the drivers involved was at fault for the accident, then others who sustained injuries may sue the at-fault driver for negligence.
When the injured party brings a negligence lawsuit, they have to prove that the at-fault driver failed to take reasonable care to prevent injury to others around them. This usually means that they failed to follow one or more of the rules of the road, and that this failure lead to the accident and injuries. Accident reconstruction is the process by which experts attempt to prove to a jury how and why an accident occurred. Although various pieces of evidence can appear as part of an accident reconstruction, including analysis of the impact damage to the car or black box data from one of the vehicles, photographic evidence is always important. In addition to surveillance cameras or dashcam footage, photographs of the accident site can help measure angles and distances which demonstrate the likely cause of the accident.
Cobb County Drone Photos Could Help Accident Victims
In the case of the accident that occurred this past week, it seems unlikely that any negligence lawsuit will arise. The driver of the vehicle appears to have veered off the road into the woods and crashed their car into a tree. While reports do not indicate that any other vehicle sustained damage during the accident, it’s possible that there was another passenger in the car with the driver. If that passenger sustained injuries, they could sue the driver for negligence and attempt to recover for their losses. The photographs from the drone could provide evidence for that passenger to prove that the driver must have violated the rules of the road (for example, by speeding or failing to maintain a lane.) This could help them succeed in a negligence lawsuit.
Find an Accident Lawyer
Car accidents happen every day, but if it happens to you, it may be the worst day of your life. If you have suffered an injury in an auto accident, the first thing you need to do is talk to a lawyer who understands your situation and can help you get compensation. Call a car accident lawyer at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today.
