The El Faro Tragedy and Trucking Accidents.

On October 1^st, 2015, the 790-foot Jacksonville based freighter called the El Faro, sank near the Bahamas on the way to Puerto Rico. All 33 crew members were killed in the worst United States commercial maritime disaster in decades. This tragedy left everyone with questions and that’s why it was the National Transportation Safety Board’s mission to recover the “black box.”  Commercial airplanes, trains, and ships use sophisticated recording devices, known as black boxes, that record data continuously throughout the operation of the vehicle. When a catastrophic event occurs, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) relies on these devices to reconstruct the events that led to the accident or crash.

Similar to the black box, commercial vehicles and semi trucks often contain an Event Data Recorder.  EDRs may record (1) pre-crash vehicle dynamics and system status, (2) driver inputs, (3) vehicle crash signature, (4) restraint usage/deployment status, and (5) post-crash data such as the activation of an automatic collision notification (ACN) system.  Unlike a black box, a snap shot of data is taken specific to a brief period of time in the event of an accident.  Even so, an EDR has the ability to capture crash information in trucking accidents and motor vehicle crashes that is vital in accident reconstruction.

Why are EDRs important to accident victims? These devices preserve critical evidence in commercial vehicle and trucking accidents.  When an individual is involved in a serious trucking accident, the event data recorder stores reliable information that may be unavailable from eye witness testimony or through traditional accident reconstruction. It is crucial that the data on the EDR be preserved timely to prevent the destruction of valuable evidence. Therefore, it is vital to retain a lawyer as soon as possible following the accident.

If you have been involved in a car accident with a commercial vehicle, please call today for more information on your legal rights at 904-358-3300.

All legal representation in Trucking Accident Litigation is done on a contingency basis, meaning you pay no attorney’s fees or costs unless we win your case. Free consultations for your claim are available day and evening in office, home, or hospital.