The Critical 24 Hours After A Semi-truck Crash In Toledo (ohio Law): Preserving The Black Box Data

Truck accidents tend to have severe, devastating effects on survivors. If you don’t act quickly, it may hurt your future legal case, making it difficult to recover compensation to help you pay for your medical bills and future financial and emotional losses. The critical 24 hours after a semi-truck crash in Toledo involve staying calm, quiet, and seeking legal counsel to pursue the next steps in your case.

Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer Today

The team at Rumizen Weisman Attorneys has dedicated its professional lives to doing what matters most: helping Ohioans get through their most challenging times in life. As Ohio locals, our five attorneys advocate for members of our community. With a niche focus on all facets of personal injury law, plus over 10,000 resolved cases, our team has the experience needed to take on your case. Meet with us today to learn how we can help you.

What Is a Semi-Truck’s Black Box?

In 2024, there were over 2.2 million heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver jobs in the United States. Drivers in Toledo often share U.S. Route 20, Interstate 80, and Interstate 75 with these long-distance truckers. About a quarter of fatal truck accidents in 2023 occurred on interstate highways such as these. When a truck accident happens, the results are often more severe than regular car crashes.

Semi-trucks weigh between 33,001 pounds and 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. The average car in 2022 weighed around 4,094 pounds. When impact happens, survivors typically face both emotional and physical injuries. These injuries can take months or even years to heal.

When facing a long recovery process, you’ll need to think about pursuing a legal case to help you recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and emotional pain.

A semi-truck’s black box data can help provide essential proof in your case.

A black box is a federally required device placed in all commercial trucks to record specific information. This can include:

• If the truck’s airbags were deployed
• Any sudden braking
• If the seatbelt tensioner was activated
• The speed the truck was going at the time of the crash
• If the truck was on cruise control
• If the truck’s clutch was used
• How the truck’s wheels were turning at the time of the crash

Black boxes are used as a way to protect the trucking company during potential crashes. The recorded information can be studied during a legal case to determine the cause and who was at fault. These devices are designed to resist tampering, making them an essential piece of evidence during a truck accident case.

How Evidence Can Help During Your Truck Accident Case

Having extensive evidence is key to a successful motor vehicle accident case. Courts need clear proof to determine the outcome of a legal case. Along with the black box, you’ll want to collect:

• A detailed, written timeline of events, including specific dates and your emotional and financial losses
• Photos and videos taken at the time of the crash, such as evidence of the area where the wreck happened, including any debris, property damage, or skid marks caused by the incident
• Testimony from anyone who saw the accident, with contact information of any eyewitnesses
• Footage from dash cams, surveillance cameras, and traffic cameras that caught the crash on tape, copies of the 911 call, incident report, your medical records, and medical bills
• Proof of your emotional pain after the accident, such as a doctor’s note from your therapist that details how the crash has impacted your life

It’s vital to hire a truck accident lawyer. They’ll have access to resources that aren’t readily available to the general public, such as working with professional accident reconstructionists to determine what caused the accident and who was at fault for the crash.

FAQs

When Do I Need to File My Truck Accident Claim in Toledo?

In Toledo, victims of truck accidents typically have two years to file their claim. For residents of Toledo, you can file your case at the Lucas County Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, located at 700 Adams Street. You’ll want to file quickly after the incident to help decrease your overall financial losses.

How Much Compensation Can You Get in a Truck Accident Case?

The compensation you can get in your truck accident case varies based on your injuries, losses, and who was at fault. You can request compensation to help reimburse your medical bills, lost income, damage to your vehicle, damage to your personal belongings, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and disability.

Why Should You Never Admit Fault After Being in a Truck Crash?

You should never admit fault after being in a truck crash because it will most likely be used against you later in your legal case. It’s normal to apologize or downplay serious incidents, but doing so can be detrimental to your case. It’s better to stay quiet until you’re able to hire legal counsel.

How Do Courts in Ohio Assign Blame in a Truck Accident Case?

Courts in Ohio assign blame in truck accident cases by reviewing the provided evidence and assigning everyone involved a percentage of fault. If the victim is found to be more than 50% at fault, they can’t recover compensation. Any compensation awarded to the victim will be reduced by their percentage of fault.

Choose Rumizen Weisman Attorneys to Take On Your Legal Case

When it comes to a truck accident case, the outcome can affect the rest of your life. Having a skilled lawyer on your side is an effective way to protect yourself during legal proceedings.

Truck accident cases often involve multiple parties, which can make establishing liability particularly difficult. Our attorneys understand the federal and state regulations that govern the trucking industry. We conduct thorough investigations and work alongside qualified accident reconstruction experts to build a strong claim on your behalf.

Contact the team at Rumizen Weisman Attorneys today to learn more about what to do during the critical 24 hours after a semi-truck crash in Toledo. We see new clients at our Beachwood or Cleveland office.