Toyota Recall Attorney: discussion of black box data obtained from Prius that crashed in New York

Reports are circulating that data has been obtained from the "black box" in the Toyota Prius that recently crashed in New York, based on a report of unwanted acceleration.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the data event recorded in the Prius shows the brakes were never applied and the throttle was wide open at the time of the crash.

What does this prove?

What is more important is what this does NOT prove.  This does not prove that the crash was caused by the driver and not by a defect in the Toyota.  For example, this black box data would be consistent with the gas pedal being stuck in an acceleration position due to a defect in the pedal or a defect in the floor mat.  Further, the data suggests the driver did not apply the brakes, however, a known problem with the recalled Toyotas is that braking does not work when the gas pedal is stuck.  So, it is quite possible that any braking by the driver would have made no difference in this wreck, and that the cause of this wreck is defects in the Toyota Prius.

Despite the fact that the black box data does not yield any conclusions yet as to the cause of this crash, it appears Toyota is trying to suggest as much.  This is similar to how Toyota conducts itself in lawsuits concerning defective automobiles.

If you have any questions about Toyota Recall Lawsuits, please contact our Toyota Recall Law Firm.