Technological Capabilities

We use the latest technology available to analyze and reconstruct crashes and produce visuals to help our clients and juries visualize a crash from a variety of perspectives.

Drone Aerial Mapping

We use drones to survey a site and document evidence. The overhead perspective that drones provide are helpful when documenting crash site information, such as skid marks, gouge marks, scrape marks,  travel paths made outside of paved surface areas, and scene pavement markings. With today’s technology, collected data can even be shared directly from the field. The data collected by drones can also be used to develop layouts and animations to illustrate crash scenarios.

Read about how we use drone technology in crash reconstruction

FARO Laser Scanning

Our FARO 3D laser scanners are used to precisely measure crash scenes and vehicles. Laser scanning collects millions of data points in a fraction of the time used by traditional methods and produces a point cloud that can be imported into computer software to complete various analyses. It also allows for the long-term digital storage of vehicle and scene data. Additionally, scanning is safer for our experts, allowing them to collect data from the side of the road rather than taking measurements in the roadway.

Heavy Vehicle and Passenger Vehicle Downloads

Kittelson LLC experts have received specialized training and use the latest tools to extract and analyze crash-related event data from heavy vehicle Engine Control Modules (ECMs) and passenger vehicle Electronic Data Recorders (EDRs).

Heavy vehicle ECMs may have the ability to record event data pertaining to a crash. If a vehicle is ECM supported, it may record one of three events:

  • Hard Brake Event
  • Last Stop Event
  • Fault Event with freeze frame of parameters

An electronic data recorder (EDR) in a passenger vehicle, commonly referred to as a “black box,” is a device that can record data parameters related to a crash due to a deployment or non-deployment level event. These systems can record crash data such as speed, brake switch status, engine rotations per minute, and seat belt usage, along with other data parameters.

Diagramming, Animations, and Fly Throughs

Using our crash reconstruction animation tools in combination with professional expertise, we can develop an illustrative crash recreation. Whether the crash involved a single vehicle, multiple vehicles, or rail crossing, animation can be an effective tool to illustrate the sequence of events that led up to a crash, including the perspective of a driver.

Animation of a Roundabout

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual reality is a completely immersive 3D environment that allows users to freely navigate and view the environment from multiple vantage points or perspectives. Augmented reality mixes 3D models with the outside world through the view finder of a camera lens on a smart device. Both provide the user the opportunity to explore multiple viewpoints and drive their own experience, compared to the more linear, predefined camera perspective in a video animation. Kittelson’s growing expertise in these relatively new techniques offers more opportunities for communicating information and recreating crash scenes.