How a Truck’s Black Box Can Help Accident Victims Prove Fault

There are many factors that experienced Chicago truck accident lawyers use to show a truck driver or truck company caused your injuries. The location and the extent of the damage to the truck and cars can indicate fault. An inspection of the accident site, speaking with witnesses, and reviewing the police report can help show negligence occurred. One item that can also help is the truck’s black box, more formally called an Electronic Control Module. Most tractor trailers and semis have a black box that is normally built strong enough to withstand even the most violent collisions.

The evidence a black box can provide

Black boxes are required by federal law to capture the following information:

• The speed of the truck
• Whether the brakes were used
• Any change in speed
• If seat belts were used
• The throttle of the engine
• How many hours the driver operated the truck
• When maintenance and truck repairs were done
• How many crashes the truck was involved in
• Whether the airbags were deployed

A respected truck accident lawyer will seek to obtain the data from the black box in the following ways:

• Notification to the truck driver and truck owner
• Obtaining an order from the court that the black box should not be altered until your lawyer can review it
• Seeking to obtain the data through the official court discovery process

Truck owners may try to clear the information so that the black box can be used for other trips. Most black boxes only carry data for 30 days. If the box isn’t studied within 30 days, crucial information can be overwritten. For these reason, it is important that the lawyer act quickly to get access to the data. Your lawyer will typically employ a person or company that is trained in reading and analyzing black box data.

Don’t delay. Evidence can be lost if you wait to contact an experienced Chicago truck accident lawyer. Physical evidence can me damages. The memories of witnesses can fade. At Gainsberg Injury and Accident Lawyers, we work with investigators and other professionals to move quickly after you contact us. We work immediately to determine how the truck crash happened and who is responsible. To review your claim now, please phone us 312-600-9585 or contact us through our contact form.