How a Small, Black Box Could Win Your Claim

By Dallas Personal Injury Attorney on December 10, 2020

Truck accidents are terrifying, devastating, and deadly. Countless people across the United States lose their lives to truck accidents every year. Even worse, trucking companies do everything in their power to deny liability, even when they are clearly responsible. Thankfully, there is a tool that everyone filing a truck accident claim can use: the black box.

The Purpose of a Black Box

Most people thing of airplanes when they hear “black box.” However, these data-recording devices have been used in modern truck designs for the past few decades. A black box is supposed to record relevant data for investigation, in case the truck becomes involved in a collision. The data can also be used by trucking companies when evaluating the effectiveness of their drivers and trucks. When it comes to filing a claim, however, these devices can make your case.

How a Black Box Can Be Useful in a Claim

The black box of a truck is constantly recording important data. When this data set is accessed, it can be used during your claim to prove that the driver was at fault for the collision. While there are ways to prove fault without a black box, such as with eyewitness testimony, recreations of the accident, and security footage, the black box can provide all the data you may need to prove fault. Key pieces of data the black box records include:

• Speed
• Tire pressure
• Trip time and distances
• Last rest period taken
• Whether the driver hit the brakes before the collision
• Whether the driver was using a seatbelt
• GPS location of truck

This only scratches the surface of what a black box could tell you about a truck. However, there is a drawback. Black boxes do not hold data forever. Depending on the model, some wipe data within ten minutes, some within a couple of weeks. You never know what kind of black box was used in the truck that caused your collision, which is why it is so important to act quickly — as well as why the trucking company will try and slow the investigation down.

How Trucking Companies Will Try to Keep the Black Box from You

Trucking companies, like many businesses, put profits above most everything else. That means that when a truck driver causes an accident, and the trucking company may be partially liable, the company will do everything it can to shift the blame, or even outright destroy evidence. That way, they won’t hurt their bottom line by giving you the settlement you deserve.

A common tactic many trucking companies employ when it comes to getting rid of black box data is to quickly repair the truck that was involved in the collision and send it back on the road. That way, the physical evidence from the accident found on the truck, such as scratch marks and paint chips, is wiped clean, and the data evidence is lost when the black box is in use again. Even if the company doesn’t repair and reuse the truck, it may simply try to wait out the clock, and only send you the black box once management knows it has automatically wiped the data.

Getting your hands on a black box that has the data you need can be difficult, especially with the trucking company doing everything it can to get in your way. That is why you need to work with someone with years of experience in black box investigations. We at the Lenahan Law Firm work routinely with truck accident victims, getting them the compensation they deserve. To get the help of a tough personal injury attorney, and a free consultation, call our firm at (214) 295-1008 today.