Minnesota troopers utilizing drones for crash reconstruction

The Minnesota State Patrol responds to hundreds of serious and fatal crashes each and every year.

After the initial response, part of the job for troopers is determining how and why the crash happened, a process that can take several hours.

That’s why the State Patrol is now taking advantage of technological advancements to help cut down on that lengthy process.

Thursday, troopers showed how they can use drones to complete crash reconstruction in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take them to do on the ground.

Using a mock crash scene involving a car that hits a bicyclist, the State Patrol displayed the bird’s-eye view drones give them and explained how it can help them figure out things they can’t see from the ground — even how fast someone was driving.

Additionally, expediting the process not only makes crash scenes safer for first responders but also helps them reopen roads faster for drivers.