Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm The principal focus of Sutliff & Stout is the achievement of our client's goals through the litigati

09/10/2026

What Exactly Should a Preservation Letter Demand From a Trucking Company?

Hank Stout explains that a strong preservation letter needs to be broad, covering ELD records, external and internal dashcam video for the entire day, not just the moment of the crash, and all documentation required under federal trucking regulations. Sutliff & Stout builds these demands for Houston truck accident clients to catch evidence, like a pattern of distracted driving, that a narrower request could miss.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/10/2026

What Happens in a Houston Courtroom When a Carrier Destroys Evidence?

If a trucking company deletes evidence after receiving a preservation letter, Hank Stout says Texas courts can respond with sanctions, including a spoliation instruction telling the jury to presume the deleted evidence was bad for the company. Sutliff & Stout has seen firsthand how that instruction can turn a Harris County jury against a carrier, since it's often the cover-up that does the most damage.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/09/2026

Can GPS and Telematics Data Fill the Gap If a Black Box Is Wiped?

Hank Stout says ECMs are rarely wiped outright, though they can be replaced or improperly downloaded in ways that erase data. When that happens, Sutliff & Stout looks to ELD and GPS records, which can calculate a truck's speed using time and distance, to help fill in the picture for a Houston truck accident claim.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/09/2026

Can a Trucking Company Legally Delete Black Box Data in Texas?

Once litigation can reasonably be anticipated, a trucking company has a duty to preserve evidence, says Hank Stout of Sutliff & Stout. In serious Houston crashes, many carriers already expect a claim and send their own investigators immediately, which is exactly why Sutliff & Stout urges victims to hire a lawyer right away and, when needed, seek a court order to stop evidence from being altered.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/08/2026

Who Actually Owns the Black Box Data After a Truck Crash?

According to Hank Stout of Sutliff & Stout, the trucking company owns that data, and a victim can't simply request it. Getting access typically requires filing a lawsuit and using a subpoena or formal discovery request, which is one reason Houston truck accident victims are encouraged to bring in a lawyer early.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/08/2026

How Does an Accident Reconstructionist Turn Black Box Data Into Proof of Fault?

Hank Stout explains that Sutliff & Stout hires accident reconstructionists to download black box data and run it through specialized software to recreate a crash. In one Houston case, ECM data showed a truck driver never braked before running a stop sign, disproving the trucking company's claim that the other driver shared the blame.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/07/2026

Can a Truck's Black Box Really Prove Speed and Braking Before a Crash?

Yes, says Hank Stout of Sutliff & Stout, though it depends on the truck's year and the device installed since the industry isn't standardized. Beyond the engine's own recordings, an ELD's GPS data pings roughly every half second, giving Houston truck accident attorneys another way to calculate exactly how fast a truck was traveling before impact.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/07/2026

Black Box, ECM, or ELD: Do You Know the Difference?

Hank Stout breaks down the terms for Houston truck accident victims: the ECM, or electronic control module, is essentially the black box, recording braking, speed, throttle, and steering, while the ELD tracks a driver's hours and often includes inward and outward facing cameras. Sutliff & Stout uses all of it to reconstruct exactly what happened before a crash.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/06/2026

How Long Does a Commercial Truck Actually Store Its Black Box Data?

Hank Stout explains that ECM data, the information recorded by an 18-wheeler's engine, tends to stick around much longer than dashcam footage and isn't routinely overwritten. A mileage report can show what happened and flag hard braking events, though data may be limited if no hard braking occurred. Sutliff & Stout uses this data to help build a Houston truck accident claim.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

09/06/2026

What Is a Spoliation Letter, and What Does Texas Actually Call It?

In Texas, Hank Stout of Sutliff & Stout notes the document is technically called a preservation letter, and it puts a trucking company on formal notice that litigation is anticipated and that evidence must be preserved. Without it, proving a company intentionally destroyed evidence in a Houston truck accident case becomes much harder.

Sutliff & Stout, Injury & Accident Law Firm | (713) 987-7111
550 Post Oak Blvd #530, Houston, TX 77027, United States

https://www.sutliffstout.com/

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550 Post Oak Boulevard, Ste 530
Houston, TX
77027

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