Much like an airplane, many commercial trucks have electronic on-board
recorders (EOBR) installed within them. These “black boxes”
store important data pertaining to the events before, during, and after a
trucking accident occurs. While the parent company and their insurance carrier make use
of this stored data for their own statistics, personal injury lawyers
can make use of it for their clients who were hit by the truck.
Speed Records & Relevance to Truck Accident Cases
Unlike the black box recorder of an airplane, EOBRs in commercial trucks
do not collect data regarding every little detail and nuance of the truck.
They do, however, carefully track the speed of the truck during specific
sets of time. An EOBR also tracks and records how often the vehicle was
traveling faster than 65 miles per hour, and again keeps separate counts
of how often it was moving faster than 71 miles per hour. This system
of tracking average movement speed is used to determine if the driver
has a history of negligence and other reckless driving habits. If electronic
records show that a driver pushes their truck over the speed limit regularly
and yet was never penalized by his or her employer, it could serve as
evidence of company negligence.
Getting a Copy of EOBR Data
Trucking companies often have no obligation to share the information they
discover on the electronic on-board recorder of their vehicles, even after
one of their drivers is in a collision. In order to get a copy of that
important data, people often require the assistance of a personal injury
attorney who knows how to handle obtaining evidence properly.
If you have been involved in an accident involving a truck in Louisiana,
contact our New Orleans truck accident attorneys at The Womac Law Firm.
The Womac Law Firm has helped
personal injury clients for 38 years and knows how to handle truck accident claims.
If you have any questions regarding your accident, call 504.470.3935 today
for a free evaluation and get additional information from our team.