Data Collection & Analysis for Accident Reconstruction

Capabilities and Services

• Rapid Response

  At Exponent, our multidisciplinary teams are geographically dispersed across the nation and can be deployed to your facilities or accident sites in a matter of hours. Using the latest data collection and scene and vehicle documentation equipment, our experts collect and preserve physical and electronic data that can prove invaluable in understanding the sequence of events leading to a collision and the vehicle and driver behavior before, during, and after impact.  

• Drone Technology

  Our experts utilize modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) — drone technology — to collect data from remote or hard-to-reach locations and are often called upon to collect data in difficult terrain. We process the collected data to create two- or three-dimensional topographic maps, which support further analyses and are used to create impactful, accurate demonstratives.

• 3D Scanning Technology

  Our teams are highly skilled at preserving physical evidence and creating three-dimensional models of accident locales and vehicles using a combination of visual representation techniques.

  We use an array of data capture techniques and equipment, including traditional photography, handheld 3D scanners, as well as 3D laser scans with Faro's FOCUS line of static scanners, and historical LiDAR data captured by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

  We utilize 3D modeling to create to-scale demonstratives using a combination of these assets. Today's consumers of visual media expect high-quality, accurate depictions. Our modeling work equips our clients with accurate, compelling, and informative demonstratives, whether for internal use or court proceedings.

• Electronic Data Recovery

  Today's motor vehicles can provide electronic records of vehicle movement and driver inputs before and during a crash that might otherwise be indeterminate or less precise using traditional reconstruction methods.

  In addition to regularly imaging data from event data recorders (EDR), engine control modules (ECM), and airbag control modules (ACM), our teams are skilled at analyzing data from newer technologies, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous vehicle (AV) and connected vehicle (V2X) systems to analyze a crash more effectively.  

  The electronic data extraction methods are typically non-destructive and repeatable and are therefore acceptable to the multiple stakeholders in typical motor vehicle accident scenarios.

  We use the latest software and tools to retrieve, preserve, and incorporate this invaluable electronic event data into engineering-based reconstructions. Our clients are empowered with a more complete and precise explanation of the accident event.  

• Full-scale Vehicle Testing

  Sometimes all the analysis in the world cannot answer the really hard questions about vehicle performance and response or about occupant kinematics and injuries.  Exponent is uniquely qualified to perform full-scale, dynamic, single or multi-vehicle crash tests using the capabilities and equipment available at our Test & Engineering Center (TEC) in Phoenix, Arizona.

  As a result of decades of experience running standard and custom full-scale vehicle tests, and publishing the results, we understand that even for a novel test, perhaps simulating conditions of a specific incident, it is important to utilize calibrated equipment and established data acquisition and processing methods, so that the data is reliable and can be understood in the context of standardized testing or published data.

  Vehicle instrumentation is complemented by real-time and high-speed camera recordings including overhead views provided through drone technology. Similar to a rapid real-world response, test engineers can extract electronic data generated during crash testing for analysis or comparison. A suite of anthropometric test devices (ATD) is available to evaluate occupant kinematics and loading in response to vehicle and/or restraint dynamics.  

• Summary of Services

  For 50+ years, we've thrived on solving unstructured problems that require bespoke solutions. Some of our services include:

  • Full-scale vehicle testing 

  • Standardized tests and custom test development 

  • Collision, rollover, handling, and crash avoidance testing 

  • High-speed and low-speed testing 

  • ADAS technology assessment and development 

  • Rapid response 

  • Capturing and preserving vehicle-stored data 

  • Drone site surveys 

  • 3D site and vehicle scanning 

  • Test and accident data analysis 

  • Accident analysis and reconstruction 

  • 2D and 3D demonstratives and animation