The Importance of Black Box Data
Rainy and wintry weather make tractor-trailer accidents some of the most catastrophic and deadly accidents that occur on Seattle roads. When a trucking company or truck driver is responsible for these accidents, you will need an experienced trucking accident attorney on your side. Proving fault in a trucking accident can be difficult, but if you act quickly, it is not impossible.
Many commercial trucking companies outfit their large trucks with electronic data recorders known as black boxes. Most of these black boxes will record maintenance issues, driver performance and email exchanges between the driver and the trucking company. Specific information about driver performance includes rate of speed, hard braking, engine RPMs, and whether or not the clutch was engaged. Obtaining the data contained in these black boxes is vital to winning your case in Seattle courts.
Black box data can be lost if the truck is driven after the accident, so it is important for attorneys to download a truck’s black box data as soon as possible. Trucking companies are well aware of their importance in a personal injury case, and consequently many black boxes are “accidentally” lost or destroyed after trucking accidents.
Using Black Box Data
How lawyers use the black box data varies depending on the facts and circumstances of your individual Seattle trucking accident. The data can be used by an expert witness to prepare a computer animation that re-creates the accident. Such demonstrative aids are very effective tools for proving liability.
Additionally, the data can be used to contradict defense experts’ opinions. If their opinions are based on assumptions that are inconsistent with the data downloaded from the black box, your attorney can show that the defense’s reconstructions are incorrect.
How a Seattle Trucking Accident Attorney can help You
A knowledgeable Seattle trucking accident attorney can effectively use data obtained from a truck’s black box to prove liability and recover compensation for your medical bills, property damage, and lost wages after a commercial vehicle wreck. The damage that results from these collisions can be incredible, and the risk of serious injury to you can be significant.
Contact Seattle Trucking Accident Attorneys
If a large commercial truck driver injures you or someone you love, an experienced Seattle trucking accident attorney at Phillips Law Firm can help. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle trucking accident lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.
The personal injury lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.
Every year, an estimated 15 million trucks travel more than 500 billion miles on United States freeways and highways. From produce to livestock, gasoline to consumer goods, these trucks generate $250 billion annually for trucking company owners. Yet even with this staggering profit, trucking companies still place profits before safety and routinely violate federal trucking regulations.