Negotiating a settlement after a car accident is always tricky. This process can be even more challenging when a truck accident settlement negotiation is involved. It's difficult to settle on your own, and it's better to ask a truck accident attorney for help.
How a Truck Accident Attorney Can Help You Obtain Black Box Data
A truck accident attorney has the skills and experience to help you navigate complex legal challenges to reach the best possible outcome for your truck accident case. One of the most important ways a truck accident attorney will help is by ensuring you obtain the black box data so you can use it in your truck accident case.
Why Black Box Data Is Crucial for Your Truck Accident Case
With black box data, you will learn about the speed at which the commercial truck was traveling. Knowing the velocity lets you determine if the truck driver was careless. This fact is helpful when negotiating with a truck accident company because they will likely have lawyers trying to minimize the settlement you will be entitled to.
A common defense that a trucking company's lawyer would make is to argue that you were partly at fault for the accident. This would be used to reduce the value of your settlement. They might also say you were not as severely injured as you claim. However, you can use the data from the black box to show how fast the truck driver was traveling and show that your injuries are typical under those circumstances.
Preventing Black Box Data from Being Deleted
Black box data can disappear, and you must take action to prevent data deletion. The data recorded on the black box usually only lasts for a certain amount of time before the black box records over it with new data. Then, the old data is lost. An attorney can help you write a verbal request to preserve the black box data.
Retrieving and Interpret Black Box Data
You can, fortunately, retrieve the black box data with a toolkit that includes a cable you can plug into the diagnostic port. However, extracting and interpreting the data can be difficult after the accident. This interpretation requires the help of an expert witness.
Using Black Box Data to Prove Fault and Negotiate a Settlement
After you have all the necessary data, you can make a strong case for why the truck driver was entirely at fault for the accident. You will have an easier time negotiating a settlement.
For more info, contact a local professional like Todd East Attorney at Law.
