Trucking accident litigation is different than other types of motor vehicle accident claims largely because of the unique types of evidence available in trucking accident cases, and the necessary focus on evidence preservation. Black box data contained in the onboard computers of tractor-trailers can provide critical evidence that can prove a trucking accident victim’s claims and undermine the defense offered by a commercial carrier.
The term “black box” can actually refer to a number of different electronic data storage systems, including electronic control module systems, onboard electronic data recorders, and electronic logs. Most black boxes also are equipped with GPS systems that can provide critical information about the trucks position immediately prior to the collision, hours or service, and on-duty time.
Black box data can provides a way to confirm information in driver logbooks, frequently referred to in the trucking industry as “driver lie books.” This black box data also can provide a wealth of information about how the driver was operating the vehicle immediately prior to a collision, vehicle maintenance issues, and other factors that may constitute the basis for liability in a trucking accident.
Many times trucks are put back in service shortly after a San Francisco trucking accident and the data stored on the data recorder can be lost. More than any other type of motor vehicle personal injury case, trucking accidents require retaining a San Francisco truck accident lawyer immediately because these cases so often turn on the ability to preserve key evidence before it is conveniently lost or destroyed.
The process of proving fault and causation in a tractor-trailer accident case can be extremely complicated and may be made even more difficult because trucking industry insurance carriers handle thousands of these claims. The information obtained from a tractor-trailer’s black box may provide important facts that an accident reconstruction expert can use to analyze and explain the collision, undermine defenses offered by the trucking company’s insurance carrier, or expose misrepresentations and distortions in the driver’s logbook regarding his hours of service.
Contact Us
If you or someone you love has been injured or a loved one has died in a San Francisco tractor-trailer accident, our San Francisco truck accident attorneys understand the importance of moving promptly to prevent the loss of black box data and other evidence. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.