What Purpose Do Black Boxes Have Following Truck Accidents?
A black box in a truck serves a similar purpose as it does in an airplane: collecting essential data and evidence regarding the cause of an accident. The black box data could be pivotal in proving liability in a Truck accident. If you were injured in an incident with a commercial truck, this information may be useful in a claim or lawsuit, allowing you to recover the compensation you need to get back on your feet.
What Is a Black Box?
A black box in a truck documents information about the vehicle’s movements. Two types of devices could be used – an electronic logging device (ELD) or an event data recorder. An ELD automatically records the location, date, time, vehicle miles, engine hours, and the information of the driver and carrier. Some ELDs connect to a cell phone or tablet to transmit the collected data.
Event data recorders can also document vast amounts of information, including the times a truck was in and out of operation, its minimum and maximum speeds, whether or not cruise control was on, departure and arrival times, if a hard brake occurred, and more. They can even store data from critical events related to a collision for a few minutes before and after the incident.
How Can a Black Box Be Used in My Case?
Your Truck Accident Attorney can obtain a black box by sending a preservation-of-evidence letter to the company with the box.
Obtaining the evidence from a black box is a multi-step process, and even after the data is received, it is generally complex to understand. That’s why hiring an experienced Personal Injury Lawyer to handle your truck accident case is essential. If black box data is not accessed immediately after the accident, it could be destroyed or lost, so it is vital to take legal action as soon as possible to avoid the loss of critical evidence.
Once an expert reviews the evidence, it could potentially prove negligence. For example, if the truck driver was speeding, engaging in reckless behavior, or fatigued, the black box could indicate this, strengthening your case.
If successful, you could be compensated for past and future medical expenses, missed wages, reduced earning capacity, property damage, pain and suffering, and more. Generally, the more severe your injuries are, the more significant compensation could be. If the person involved in the accident suffered fatal injuries, certain family members may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit to receive compensation for their loss.