The Role of Black Box Data in Florida Truck Accident Cases

Black box data often plays a critical role in Florida truck accident cases, providing information about the driver’s actions and the truck’s movements in the moments leading up to the crash.

Our Florida truck accident lawyers can figure out if black box data is available in your case. If it is, we can obtain that data and use it to prove that you deserve financial compensation for your physical, financial, and emotional losses.

What Is Black Box Data?

A black box—more formally called an electronic logging device (ELD)—is a piece of equipment that records everything the vehicle was doing in the moments prior to a collision. This information may include:

• How fast the truck was going
• If and when the truck driver applied the brakes or turned the steering wheel
• If and when the airbags deployed
• If the truck driver had their seat belt on
• How well the truck’s engine was performing

The exact type and amount of information available may depend on the ELD and the severity of the crash.

Is Black Box Data Available in Your Case?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires certain types of trucks to come equipped with ELDs. If you were hit by one of these kinds of trucks, then you will likely be able to use black box data as proof in your case.

Even if the truck that hit you does not meet FMCSA’s requirements, we can still check to see if the vehicle was equipped with a black box. Some truck owners may use ELDs even if they are not legally required to do so.

How Do You Request Black Box Data After a Truck Accident?

First, you would have to identify who owns the vehicle, as this party typically also owns the black box and the data stored on it. You would then have to file a formal request asking for a copy of all of the information recorded by the ELD.

Obtaining black box data is not always easy. If the vehicle’s owner—which could be a large trucking company—believes they or their driver may have been at fault, they might be especially reluctant to let others review the black box data.

This is where hiring a legal representative can be especially helpful. A truck accident attorney can do everything for you, including:

• Identifying who owns the black box data
• Filing a request for the data
• Hiring experts to analyze and interpret the data
• Explaining what the data show and how it affects your case

How Do Attorneys Use Black Box Data?

Black box data can be invaluable in a Florida truck accident case. First and foremost, it may tell us who is responsible for your commercial truck accident. For example:

• If the data show that the truck driver was exceeding the speed limit or that they failed to brake, this could indicate negligence on the driver’s part.
• If the data show that the driver was following all safety protocols, this could indicate the driver was not negligent and that you should file a claim against someone else.
• Black box data can also indicate whether there was a mechanical issue with the truck, which could mean that the trucking company or a third-party maintenance crew is liable.

By using ELD data to prove the liable party’s identity, we can pressure them to pay compensation for all of the harm they inflicted on you and your family, including:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages and earning capacity
• Property damage
• Miscellaneous expenses
• Lost enjoyment or quality of life
• Pain and suffering
• Disability
• Loss of consortium

Armed with the black box data and the other evidence we collect, our lawyers can build a case against the at-fault party. We can present this case:

• At the negotiating table, if the at-fault party’s insurer is open to working with us to come to a pretrial settlement agreement
• In the courtroom, if we have to go to trial and argue in front of a judge and jury

What if There Is No Black Box Data Available in Your Case?

Not all trucks are required to have ELDs. Even if the truck in your case had one, an ELD is a piece of technology like any other and can sometimes malfunction, leading to a loss of data.

While black box data is often very valuable, it is generally not the only source of evidence available in a trucking accident case, so the lack of it does not have to mean the end of your legal action. Our personal injury lawyers can collect evidence from a variety of sources, including but not limited to:

• Video footage of the accident
• Photos from the accident scene showing the truck and the road conditions
• Testimony from eyewitnesses
• Testimony from experts who know how to reconstruct accident scenes
• Physical evidence, such as debris or skid marks

Even if there is black box data, that data in and of itself is probably not strong enough to prove your case—but, when used in combination with the kinds of evidence listed above, you could have a very strong case that enables you to recover the compensation your family needs.

Our Lawyers Know How to Handle Truck Accident Claims in Florida

Meldon Law can collect all of the evidence necessary to prove the validity of your claim. To learn more about the role of black box data in your Florida truck accident case, call us today to get a free consultation from a team of trucking accident lawyers that won’t back down from a fight.