How Black Box Data Can Strengthen Your Georgia Truck Accident Claim

After a serious truck accident, determining who is at fault is not always straightforward. These cases are often far more complex than typical motor vehicle accidents, requiring a thorough review of extensive evidence. Trucking companies are quick to launch their own investigations and work to shape the narrative in a way that protects their bottom line.

However, the truck’s black box can make it difficult for trucking companies to spin their own stories or hand liability off to someone else. Learn more about how the black box works, the information it contains and your options after a truck crash. Call Harris Lowry Manton, LLP to set up a consultation now.

What is a commercial truck’s black box?

The term “black box” is the unofficial term used for a truck’s event data recorder. This is a telematics system that tracks the vehicle’s performance and the driver’s actions. When you hear the term black box, you likely think of airplanes and how their black boxes can be used to figure out what went wrong after a fatal crash. The data in a truck can be used essentially the same way.

Event data recorders capture a substantial amount of data on a truck’s operations. Some of the data that can be pulled from an EDR includes:

• Vehicle speed when the collision happened
• Sudden braking or speeding up
• RPMs
• If the brakes were applied
• Gear shifts
• If the seatbelt was in use
• How long the engine had been running
• GPS location and route history
• Fault codes and maintenance history

When all of these pieces are put together, they create a complete picture of what occurred before and during the crash. Careful analysis of the truck’s black box data can help your attorney determine what went wrong and who is responsible. Information from an EDR can corroborate a party’s statements, disprove false claims, and provide a clear, objective timeline of events.

How black box data proves fault

Black box data, when accessed promptly and interpreted correctly, can go a long way in proving fault and making it easier for victims to secure fair compensation. Black box data can show a number of errors that lead to collisions, including:

• Speeding: Speeding is always dangerous, but it’s especially dangerous for large trucks. These vehicles take much longer to come to a full stop than smaller vehicles, and speeding is an actively negligent choice that puts other road users at risk.
• Failure to brake: If a driver did not brake at all in the seconds prior to a crash, this could point to several different things going wrong. It may mean that the driver was distracted or asleep.
• Sudden speeding or braking that may indicate fatigue: These erratic driving choices are often indicative of a driver who is fighting fatigue or experiencing micro sleeps and then attempting to course-correct.
• Excessive hours of operation: If the engine is running for longer than a driver is allowed to operate without a brake, this may indicate that the driver violated hours-of-service regulations. This is a huge issue, as these regulations are in place to keep fatigued drivers off the road. Intentionally violating these regulations could indicate willful negligence.
• Fault codes that went unaddressed: Fault codes are there for a reason—they indicate a vehicle needs service. When the vehicle in question carries dozens of tons at any given point, it’s particularly important that its maintenance needs get addressed quickly. When fault codes go ignored for long periods of time, this may indicate that the trucking company intentionally failed to get a truck repaired.

Using black box data to challenge a trucking company’s defenses

Trucking companies have a long list of defenses ready to go whenever one of their drivers causes an accident (or when their own negligence leads to a crash). Black box data does an excellent job of directly rebutting many of these defenses:

• Blaming the victim for stopping suddenly or driving erratically: If black box data shows that other failures happened before the accident—hours-of-service violations, ignored fault codes, or the truck driver’s erratic driving—it’s much harder to pin blame on the other driver.
• Claiming that their driver followed all safety procedures and protocols: This is easy to dispute when a truck’s black box shows that maintenance needs were ignored, a driver was in violation of hours-of-service regulations, or consistently drove above the speed limit throughout their trip.
• Blaming weather or road conditions: Black box data can often prove that a driver engaged in defensive driving to combat poor road or weather conditions. If black box data shows that these driving strategies weren’t used or that other failures occurred, this defense falls apart.
• Blaming a mechanical failure: Mechanical failures can be easy to track via black box data. It may show if a fault code or warning light was on and if routine maintenance needs were met.

Timing is critical: preserving black box evidence

It is essential to work with a truck accident lawyer from the beginning of your claim to collect and preserve valuable evidence. If black box data isn’t gathered immediately, it may be overwritten with new data as the truck puts more miles on. Gaining access quickly and then preserving data ensures that it can be used for your truck accident claim.

Fight for justice with Harris Lowry Manton

Our team of truck accident lawyers is here to help you seek the compensation you deserve after a collision. Let’s talk about what went wrong and how we can help you. Give us a call or get in touch online now.