Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog

Almost all modern tractor-trailers and heavy trucks are equipped with electronic control modules. These modules record relevant data concerning the truck’s operation and allow it to be downloaded and accessed. The benefits for a lawyer representing a client in a tractor-trailer or heavy truck crash case can be significant.

An electronic control module can be used to gather a variety of information surrounding a crash when, or just before it occurs. This information may include data concerning the vehicle speed, the brake pedal and throttle position. The data is typically recorded continuously over a specified time interval, such as three minutes. It is then replaced unless an event occurs in which case the electronic control module saves the data surrounding the event, such as thirty seconds before and fifteen seconds after a crash. Events that trigger the electronic control module to save such data can include sudden deceleration, airbag deployment, or manual activation by the driver.

This data can be used by accident reconstructionists and attorneys to determine the actual speed of a vehicle just before a collision occurs. This is extremely helpful in many cases in which there are no witnesses to the accident and the driver denies excessive speed. Our attorneys have been able to access and use this data in several tractor-trailer/heavy truck cases to bring about very successful results for our clients.