Not just "looking at photos" or making a rough guess from pictures, photogrammetry is a measurement method that uses photographs or video to calculate real-world distances, angles, speeds, and positions. In crash work, it can help reconstruct where vehicles were, how they moved, and what the scene looked like before evidence was cleared away. When done properly, it relies on known reference points, camera data, scale, and software or calculations - not hunches dressed up as science.

That difference matters because photo-based opinions can sound more precise than they really are. A reconstruction expert may use photogrammetry to estimate lane position, sight lines, crush damage, or timing, but the results are only as good as the images and assumptions behind them. Bad camera angles, missing calibration, altered footage, or poor reference measurements can skew the outcome. If someone is using photogrammetry to challenge your account of a crash, ask what photos were used, who took them, when they were taken, and what ground measurements support the analysis.

In a Maryland injury claim, photogrammetry may be used by insurers, defense experts, or investigators after a crash on I-95 or I-695 patrolled by the Maryland State Police. Because Maryland still follows contributory negligence, even a small disputed finding can be used to argue you were partly at fault and try to block recovery entirely.