How Can Black Box Data Help Your St. Louis Truck Injury Claim?

Let’s discuss what you need to know about truck black boxes and how black box data can potentially help truck accident victims. 

What comes to mind when you hear the word “black box”? Airplanes, possibly? However, most recent truck models have a “black box” installed. That’s right, and just like planes’ black boxes, black boxes in trucks collect important data that can facilitate the investigation of truck collisions and incidents.

Let’s discuss what you need to know about truck black boxes and how black box data can help accident victims. 

What Data Does Black Box Capture?

Truck black boxes collect a great deal of information about a truck accident, including what happened during and after the wreck. Other important data found in the black box may include:

• How fast the truck was traveling
• Fuel gauge data
• Whether the driver was using the seatbelt during the accident
• The steering wheel movements just before the crash
• Tire pressure 
• Braking behavior just before the crash

The black box also shows the exact time when such events occurred, allowing investigators to input the information into a system that creates a clear picture of how the accident happened.

How Can the Black Box Help You After a Wreck?

Information contained in a black box could help you in the following ways:

Prove Negligence: Data contained in a black box can be used to prove that the truck driver was at fault by clearly bringing out the actual circumstances that led to the accident. This includes accidents such as:

• Multi-vehicle collisions
• He said/she said accidents
• Accidents where the severity of the injuries is questionable

Support Other Evidence: Black box evidence can be used to determine the authenticity of other evidence that could be useful for your case. This includes witness statements or previously unknown surveillance cameras nearby. In addition, black-box data can help investigators determine whether the driver was aware that something was wrong before the truck caused the accident.

Accident Reconstruction: Experts use the information on a black box to recreate a detailed picture of what occurred and who was at fault. By analyzing vital information such as steering movements, the speed of the truck, and so on, experts can accurately demonstrate how the crash took place.

How Do You Obtain and Preserve Black Box Data? 

Unless the truck driver gives consent, you generally need a court order to obtain black box data. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you reach out to an experienced St. Louis truck accident attorney for help. Your attorney may help you obtain a court order allowing you to retrieve black box data. They may also file a preservation letter to prevent truck owners from overwriting the information stored in a black box.