Why a Truck’s Black Box is Important to Your Truck Accident Case
Why a Truck’s Black Box is Important to Your Truck Accident Case
According to the Corporate Counsel Business Journal, half a million trucking accidents occur each year. Similar to airplanes, some big rig trucks have black boxes. The purpose of the truck’s black box is to record data. If the truck involved in your accident contains such a black box, its data can be used as evidence in a court of law. A truck accident attorney in Fresno will determine if the truck has a black box and take the legal steps necessary to use it as a piece of evidence. When it comes to proving your case, here is why a black box is so important to the outcome of your truck accident case.
What’s Inside the Truck’s Black Box?
A truck’s black box is a computerized component designed to capture data and monitor the truck driver’s safety (or lack thereof). The black box also records details about the truck’s status. Some truck black boxes continuously record information while the vehicle is in operation. Other trucks have black boxes that begin recording after a crash occurs.
It is also worth noting some trucks do not yet have black boxes installed. Some states will require that insurance companies can only obtain EDR (event data recorder) information from the police after a warrant has been issued. However, there are still many gray areas when it comes to getting a hold of this type of car accident information in the state of California.
The Importance of Vehicle Black Boxes
Regardless of when the truck’s black box is designed to start capturing information, the data it collects is essential to winning a settlement or court award after the crash. A Fresno truck accident lawyer will analyze the contents of the truck’s black box and use that information in the quest for justice.
Though it is still possible to win a truck accident lawsuit without data from a truck’s black box, the quest for justice is significantly easier if there is such an internal recording device. Though the trucking company that owns the truck involved in your Fresno truck accident probably won’t be willing to share the vehicle’s black box data with you if you were to attempt to represent yourself.
Examples of Truck Black Boxes
Several different variations of truck black boxes exist. As an example, electronic logging devices, also referred to as ELDs are highly specialized systems that monitor the truck driver’s activity. In particular, ELDs monitor the number of hours the truck driver is behind the wheel. These devices record information about the length of time the engine operates, the times the engine is operating, when the truck is in motion and the distance the truck covers
Electronic Control Modules, or EMCs for short, are the computing component of modern trucks’ engines. The ECM is a system with distinct computers and sensors that gauge and control the vehicle’s performance elements and engine components. ECMs monitor everything from truck traction control to anti-lock brake systems, transmission functionality, and fuel injection timing. Each of these truck performance components helps tell the story of the truck accident. Though the black box alone might not explain the entirety of the accident, it will be used in combination with other evidence to shed light on the truth.
Some truck black boxes are referred to as event data recorders. Event data recorders are electronic systems that monitor specific information, recording data pertaining to the truck in the moments leading up to the accident. Often shortened to the acronym of EDR, the event data recorder will likely be referenced during your court case. The EDR provides essential information pertaining to the truck’s rapid deceleration, the deployment of airbags, seatbelt tension activation, sudden braking, and other signs that a crash occurred.
Truck Black Box Details Can Make or Break Your Case
The triggering of the truck’s black box records important details such as the status of the truck’s cruise control, its speed at the time of the accident, wheel turning, clutch application, brake application, and more. This information is essential to proving what the truck was doing at the time it collided with your vehicle as well as the moments leading up to the point of impact.
The challenge lies in legally compelling the trucking company that owns the truck involved in your Fresno truck accident to provide the black box for analysis. A Fresno truck accident attorney will legally compel the defense to provide the black box for analysis. The truck’s black box data combined with the police report, witness testimony, and additional evidence set the stage for a legal victory and the payout you need to attempt to return your life to at least a semblance of normalcy after this egregious injustice.
Schedule a No-Cost Consultation With Our Fresno Truck Accident Lawyers
Our Fresno truck accident attorneys are here to analyze the data from the black box of the truck that struck your vehicle. Reach out to us today to schedule a free consultation so we can review the details of your Fresno truck accident.