Injured in a Car Accident in Evansville, IN? Why a Drone May Show Up Before Police

June 30, 2026

• Starting July 6th, Evansville will be rolling out an extensive drone program for car accidents, and they may end up getting dispatched to crash sites before first responders.
• These drones will be taking hundreds of pictures and creating accurate 2D and 3D models of the accidents, and they will assist police and medical professionals by allowing the scene to be fully catalogued and cleared up quickly.
• This wave of new evidence can help bolster your case if you have an experienced Evansville car accident lawyer who knows how to use it.

There are certain sounds you expect to hear in the moments following a car crash. The sudden silence after the impact. The voices of people coming to help. Distant sirens approaching closer, letting you know that help is on the way.

But if you are in a car accident in Evansville, IN, soon you may hear a different sound first: the whirr of a drone coming to examine the scene even before first responders arrive.

Beginning this July, the Evansville Police Department will be rolling out a drone program for car accidents and some other 911 calls. These drones are expected to be able to help investigators better understand the accident scenes and relieve traffic jams that may result. And if you are in an accident in Evansville, it is important to know what this will mean for your case as you work to get the compensation you deserve.

How The Evansville 911 Drone Program Works

For several years, the EPD has been experimenting with using drones in certain high-leverage situations. These include SWAT team scenarios, where drones can scope out locations before team members are sent in, or search-and-rescue operations, where people can be found through thermal imaging.

They have also been used, from time to time, in car accidents, especially on dangerous stretches of the Lloyd Expressway. As Ben Brasher, a member of the SWAT and drone team explained, “(t)here’s been some instances where we’ve had crashes on the Lloyd Expressway, and if a reconstructionist has to come out and map all of that, it takes quite a bit of time.”

But until now that’s been sporadic. Starting July 6th, Evansville will roll out a more comprehensive drone program for car accidents across the city.

These are autonomous drones from the BRINC drone company – autonomous being safer and quicker than manual drones. They will be placed on charging stations around the city and launched following 911 calls from the stations closest to the accidents.

The city gets one year of a free pilot program, and the cost is $59,999 a year after that.

But what will the drones actually do?

How Drones Collect Evidence Following a Car Accident

We know there’s a lot of construction on the Lloyd Expressway right now, leading to more accidents. Let’s say you are driving near where the Lloyd and McDowell Road intersect. A car pulls out to make a turn in front of you, and you crash.

A call is placed to 911, and a nearby drone is dispatched. In theory, it gets to the accident in less than a minute (the offered time is within 70 seconds). That’s considerably faster than any first responders.

Of course, the drone can’t physically help anyone out. What it can do, though, is a few important things.

Show the Scope and Scale of the Accident

Taking instantaneous images of the accident scene can help dispatchers understand how many police and medical personnel need to be there.

A large accident will require more, and while the drone can’t evaluate injuries, a professional dispatcher may be able to make reasonable assumptions after seeing the site.

This will be far more reliable than bystanders or people involved the accident, who will probably be both untrained and shook up.

Gather Evidence

One thing police officers do after a car crash is file an accident report. In this, they list citations issued, gather witness statements, and try to sketch out what they think happened (but remember that it is important for you to gather your own evidence as well, if possible). Officers are trained to do this, but they have limitations: they’re on the ground.

Drones are able to get a birds-eye view of the accident scene as well as fly closer to it. This can allow them to gather:

• Travel paths
• Vehicle speeds
• Points of impact
• Visibility conditions
• Skid marks
• Debris patterns

Drones can take hundreds of pictures. They can measure the distance between vehicles after the impact along with their positions. They can create 2D maps and 3D models of the site. They can scope out the entire scene and preserve it digitally before officers even arrive.

One benefit of this is that police won’t have to spend as much time gathering their own evidence, which could allow them to get traffic moving again.

And having all this evidence can help bolster your case – if you have a legal team who knows how to use it.

The Right Legal Team Uses Evidence to Your Advantage

The evidence collected by drones can improve your chances of getting recompense for your medical bills, lost wages, therapy bills, and pain and suffering. You will be going up against insurance companies who don’t want to pay out. But now you have more proof on your side.

Also on your side can be skilled Evansville car accident lawyers. Your legal team should know how to use the new types of evidence collected at the scene of your accident to make an airtight case for the insurance companies or a judge and jury if needed. They will be able to advocate on your behalf and not be intimidated by cutting-edge technology.

We’re entering a new world. But one thing remains constant: you want a team that’s ready to go to bat for you.

Reach Out to Our Experienced Evansville Car Accident Attorneys

The lawyers who will fight for you are at Hensley Legal Group, PC, a dedicated Indiana personal injury law firm whose experienced attorneys have been fighting on behalf of the wrongfully injured since 1998.

Simply call us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form now for a free consultation with a knowledgeable Evansville car accident attorney.