When you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, you and your family are often left with more questions than answers. Who caused the accident? Could it have been avoided? How much will it cost to repair my car and treat my injuries? Will I be held responsible for all that?
In many cases, the best way to get answers to your questions is to speak with an attorney and explore your options for legal action. For example, if you have been in an accident with a tractor trailer, you may not get straight answers from the trucker, the insurance company or the trucking company. In order to track down the answers you need, you may wise to consult an attorney who knows where to look for evidence and information.
One such place where critical information can be found is in the truck itself. Did you know that many commercial vehicles are equipped with black boxes? These devices can be installed in vehicles to record data including speed, hours that a driver has been behind the wheel and routes that a vehicle travels.
On its own, this data may not seem all that important. However, scrutinizing this information and comparing it with witness statements and police reports may suggest that a trucker was not supposed to be driving or was engaged in reckless behaviors.
Historically, the trucking industry has opposed proposals to include black boxes in every truck. Some opponents have argued that it is unnecessary, but studies suggest that just having the device installed can keep people safer. Truckers are required to keep logbooks, which are easily manipulated to cover up hours-of-service violations. But having the black boxes installed makes the recording process automatic, not manual.
If you have been hurt or lost a loved one in a truck accident, then reviewing information from black boxes and other records can be critical. Taking all this on alone can be overwhelming, but thankfully you have the right to work with an attorney to fully examine the crash in order to determine what happened and who is to blame.