Insurance Attorney in Rapid City Explains How New Black Boxes Work

As insurance attorneys in Rapid City families trust, we help those injured in a car accident to receive the compensation they deserve for their injuries and damages.  We typically get involved after an accident has taken place and can make sure that the insurance companies do not force you to accept a “lowball” settlement offer that does not compensate you for your damages.  By working with you, reviewing your medical bills and wage loss documents, and working with the necessary accident reconstruction and/or medical experts, we can help to determine what amount will be required to address your injuries and damages both now and in the future.  

Can an Event Data Recorder – sometimes referred to as a “black box” – influence my insurance claim?

While working on accident cases we deal with Event Data Recorders (“EDRs”, or “black boxes”). If you are unfamiliar with what these are, generally, they monitor and record certain information and data in a vehicle, similar to the black boxes found in airplanes. Beginning in 2014, new cars, light trucks, SUVs and vans less than 8,500 pounds are required to have one built in.  EDRs often record what happens leading up to a car accident, such as throttle position, speed, velocity change, and brake application in the moments leading up to and during an accident.  The data can then be accessed/downloaded after the collision in order to get an idea of what actually took place during the collision.  

As insurance attorneys in Rapid City, we want to know what year your car was manufactured so that we can determine if an EDR was in your vehicle or the other party’s vehicle and whether information from the EDR can be retrieved. As with anything, the information may not tell the entire story, you still need an attorney to represent you. 

EDRs often give a moment by moment account of various vehicle data in the moments leading up to and during the crash.  Not only can such information often provide reliable information about the collision such as whether a person was speeding or not, but, sometimes, it can even tell if someone else was also in the car.  This is an incredible level of information. 

As insurance attorneys in Rapid City, we always recommend that you consider hiring an attorney instead of negotiating directly with the insurance company on your own.  When it comes to cars with these “black boxes” or EDRs, the assistance of an attorney that is familiar with them becomes even more important.  Data without context is still open for interpretation, and could be used by the other party or his/her insurance company to attempt to paint a different version of events than what you know occurred in the moments leading up to and during the accident. Ultimately, the complicated issues that can arise due to EDRs and “black boxes” in vehicles is simply another reason why it is a good idea to consult with an accident or injury attorney in Rapid City after you have been injured in a wreck.

Hire an Insurance Attorney in Rapid City to Make Sure you Get the Compensation You Deserve

If you have been injured, an insurance attorney in Rapid City can make sure that you receive the care and compensation you deserve.  Insurance companies are supposed to be there when we need them.  People pay monthly premiums for years without ever needing to use their policy benefits. Unfortunately, when they do, opposition is standard.  Whether it is an insurance company not wanting to pay for medical bills, a homeowner’s policy not willing to pay for damage to the home, or an auto policy that won’t pay to repair the car – we can help during the negotiations process to ensure that you receive the compensation and assistance that you are entitled to. 

It is important to remember that insurance companies are not there to pay you money.  They are in business to make a profit from you paying them money and never needing any in return.  To this end, they can be difficult to work with at times and many people are disappointed in how challenging the process can become.  We speak with clients all of the time that file a claim only to get shuffled from department to department while waiting for compensation.  We can help by ensuring that they address your concerns in a timely manner. 

Some of the ways you may have trouble with the insurance company is if you are in a car wreck, and the other party was uninsured.  This creates a challenge because your policy may or may not include provisions that pay for medical bills or car repairs when the crash involves an uninsured motorist. Fortunately, there are options for collecting from either your insurance company or through a civil action against the other driver.  As an insurance attorney, we can evaluate the case and let you know what the best course of action would be. 

If you are having difficulty getting your homeowners insurance to pay for home repairs – you are in good company.  Their goal is to minimize how much money they have to pay out in claims and will often do what they can to reduce the amount by claiming you were at fault for the damage and they don’t have to cover it.  Sometimes, they won’t even blame you but still will attempt to not pay out.  This creates a challenging situation since most people need to have their home fixed in order to live there.  By evaluating your policy, we can determine what they are obligated to pay for and as an insurance attorney in Rapid City; we are able to make sure that our clients are treated fairly.

Health insurance companies are notoriously difficult to work with.  The horror stories about procedures not getting paid for or approved have shed light onto how terrible the situation is.  Many people are afraid that if they get a major illness the insurance company won’t pay for the treatments that they need to recover.  This is an understandable concern and one that we can help to address. 

If you need to work with an insurance attorney in Rapid City, we are happy to speak with you and to review your case.