If you have an accident with a tractor-trailer, you are likely to feel like one of the unluckier people on the planet. Still, truck accidents are not exactly rare in the U.S. In fact, in 2019 alone, nearly 540,000 trucks had some type of police-reportable crash. Many of these accidents caused others to suffer catastrophic injuries.
If you have a life-altering injury after a collision with a tractor-trailer, you are undoubtedly thinking about filing a claim against the trucker, the trucking company or someone else. Securing the truck’s black box can help you understand exactly why the accident happened. This information is likely to bolster your accident claim.
Truck black boxes
Officially called an event data recorder, a truck’s black box collects information about the vehicle’s operation. Unfortunately, though, not every truck on the road today has a black box. Still, if the vehicle that collided with your car does, you may learn about each of the following:
• The truck’s speed, direction, acceleration and deceleration
• The trucker’s use of his or her seat belt
• The overall condition of the truck’s engine and other major systems
• The truck’s maintenance history
Your next steps
It is important to know that the information in black boxes does not typically last forever, as truckers and trucking companies may be able to delete or overwrite data. Consequently, you may need to take immediate legal action to prevent anyone from destroying, deleting or tampering with the potential evidence inside the truck’s black box.
Ultimately, while your luck may seem to be in short supply currently, obtaining the truck’s black box may improve your chances of receiving a financial settlement for your catastrophic injuries and other damages.
