When in a truck accident, you may be fully aware that you did nothing to cause the accident. But when it comes to pursuing compensation for your injuries, simply knowing is not enough. You and your attorney have to prove that another party was liable for the collision, whether it be the truck driver, the trucking company, the shipper, or another third party.
One powerful and crucial piece of evidence that your injury attorney will gather is black box information. Also known as an electronic control module (ECM), a truck’s black box is essentially a storage unit of all information related to the truck, its trip, and where it was right before the crash and the time leading up to the event.
Helpful data that may be recorded by the black box and collected for evidence include:
The truck’s speed at the time of the crash
Whether the truck was accelerating or decelerating
Whether the brakes were applied and when
Whether the truck driver was using cruise control
The last time the driver had stopped for a sleep break
The monthly and daily driver activity
How frequently the truck was going above the speed limit
Communications between the truck driver and truck company
Whether or not the driver adhered to federal hours-of-service regulations
The Importance of Preserving Black Box Information
So, why exactly is this information so vital to your truck case? This information can be used to reconstruct the accident and break down what factors played a role in the crash. By doing so, your attorney will be able to determine which party or parties are liable to compensate you.
Most black box information is stored for 30 days before it is recorded over; older truck models may store the information for an even shorter period of time. Some truck companies may even try to destroy this data or refuse to voluntarily give it up. For this reason, it is crucial that your truck accident attorney work as quickly and thoroughly as possible to gather black box evidence for your case.
Get Skilled Legal Advocates on Your Side
If your or a loved one is injured in a truck accident, you need seasoned legal representation immediately. Within hours or even minutes of the accident, the trucking company’s insurance company will have their own team of investigators at the scene of the crash working hard to reduce their company’s liability.
You need a skilled injury attorney who is able to combat their investigation in a timely manner to strengthen your case. Since 1993, the legal team at Politis & Matovina, P.A. has been advocating on behalf of truck accident victims so they obtain the compensation they need and deserve. We are here to help you during these difficult times so you can focus on healing the right way.
Put your truck accident case in the most capable hands. Contact our Daytona Beach truck accident attorneys at (386) 333-6613 to get started with a free case review.