A loaded tractor-trailer is one of the heaviest vehicles on Indiana roads, and when one hits a passenger car, the people in the smaller vehicle often suffer life-changing injuries. The trucking company and its insurer may begin protecting their interests right away, so the first days after a crash can matter for both your health and your claim.
At Wagner Reese LLP, our Indianapolis truck accident lawyers help injured people across Indiana pursue compensation from drivers, carriers, and other responsible parties as part of our vehicle accident practice. Our attorneys have handled difficult trucking cases for decades, and we know how federal safety rules, onboard data, and company records can shape a claim involving a semi-truck, 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, or delivery truck.
⚠ Time-Sensitive. Indiana Law Limits Your Window to File
Most Indiana truck accident injury claims must be filed within 2 years, and trucking companies often begin building their defense right away.
Why Truck Accident Claims Are Different
Truck crashes are not simply larger versions of car crashes, because size, weight, and federal safety rules change how people get hurt and how a claim is built. The national and Indiana numbers show who usually pays the price.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 5,340 people died in large truck crashes in 2024, and 62 percent of them were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles. The institute also notes the heaviest trucks can weigh 20 to 30 times as much as a passenger car. Federal rules allow loaded trucks on the Interstate System to reach 80,000 pounds, which is a lot of mass to slow, steer, or stop.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Large Trucks 2024 data shows 145 people died in large truck crashes in Indiana in 2024, including 109 who were in other vehicles. Because of these differences, a truck claim usually needs a deeper investigation than a typical car claim, and our guide on how truck accidents differ from car accidents explains why.
Federal Rules That Apply to Trucking Companies
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration writes many of the safety rules for interstate trucking, and Indiana adopts them for interstate and intrastate carriers under Indiana Code § 8-2.1-24-18. When a carrier or driver breaks a rule, the violation can become important evidence. Which rules apply depends on the carrier, the cargo, and the trip.
| Rule Area | What It Says | Where to Read It |
|---|---|---|
| Hours of service | Property-carrying drivers need 10 consecutive hours off duty, may drive 11 hours within a 14-hour window, and need a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving | 49 CFR 395.3 |
| Driver log records | Carriers keep records of duty status and supporting documents for six months | FMCSA guidance |
| Accident register | Carriers keep a register of each accident for three years | 49 CFR 390.15 |
| Post-crash testing | Drug and alcohol testing is required after certain serious crashes | 49 CFR 382.303 |
| Minimum insurance | For-hire carriers of nonhazardous freight in interstate commerce must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, with higher limits for some hazardous cargo | 49 CFR 387.9 |
Hours-of-service limits exist because drowsy truck drivers put everyone nearby at risk. Dispatch records, fuel receipts, toll data, and electronic logging data can show whether a driver was on the road too long, and a carrier’s inspection, maintenance, and driver qualification files can show what the company knew about the truck and the driver.
Common Causes and Types of Truck Accidents
Serious truck crashes often have more than one cause, and investigators look at the driver, the truck, the cargo, and the company’s practices together. Driver fatigue, distracted driving, speeding, impaired driving, poor maintenance, overweight or unsecured cargo, and negligent hiring or supervision all appear in these cases. The type of crash often points to what went wrong:
- Jackknife crashes: the trailer swings out at an angle to the cab, often after hard braking or lost traction.
- Underride crashes: a smaller vehicle slides under the rear or side of a trailer, which can make rear impact guards an important issue.
- Rollover crashes: high cargo, sharp curves, speed, and shifting loads can tip a truck, and our page on rollover accidents explains the liability questions.
- Tire blowouts: a failed tire can cause a loss of control, and maintenance records may show whether the problem was known.
- Wide-turn and blind-spot crashes: a truck may swing left before turning right, and drivers can be hit inside a truck’s no-zone.
- Head-on and rear-end crashes: fatigue or late braking can cause a head-on collision or a rear-end crash, and loaded trucks need extra room to stop.
Each of these crash types leaves different evidence behind, which is why our attorneys start by working out how the crash happened.
Who May Be Liable After a Truck Crash
More than one party can share responsibility for a truck crash, and each may carry its own insurance policy. Liability depends on who controlled the people, equipment, and cargo involved.
The Driver and the Trucking Company
A driver who was fatigued, distracted, speeding, or impaired may be personally responsible. The carrier may also be responsible for its employee’s actions and for its own choices on hiring, training, scheduling, dispatch pressure, and maintenance. This can include large retailers that run their own fleets, such as Walmart.
Shippers, Loaders, and Maintenance Providers
A company that loaded a trailer may be responsible if the cargo was unbalanced, overweight, or poorly secured. A repair shop that failed to fix brakes, tires, or steering parts properly may share responsibility too, and our guide on third-party liability in trucking accidents covers more examples.
Manufacturers and Freight Brokers
A defective brake, tire, or coupling may support a product liability claim against the manufacturer. In May 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II that federal law does not block state-law negligent hiring claims against freight brokers, so a broker that chose an unsafe carrier may face a claim depending on the facts.
Evidence That Can Disappear After a Truck Crash
Trucks generate a lot of data, but some of it is overwritten or discarded on a schedule, so early action matters. The truck’s engine computer, often called a black box or ECM, may store speed, braking, and fault information, and our guides explain the importance of black box data in a truck crash and what an ECM is.
Electronic logging data, dashcam video, cell phone records, dispatch messages, maintenance files, and the driver’s qualification file can all matter as well. A preservation letter, sometimes called a spoliation letter, is a written request telling the carrier and other parties to keep this evidence, and our attorneys send one early because footage and data can be lost within days.
Truck Crashes on Indianapolis Interstates
Indianapolis sits where several major freight routes meet. In its 2023 Multimodal Freight and Mobility Plan, the Indiana Department of Transportation lists I-465, I-65, I-69, and I-70 among Indianapolis roadways with unreliable truck travel times, and describes I-465, I-65, and I-70, among others, as major truck corridors. Our guide on Indiana truck bottleneck roadways looks at the same problem.
Because many carriers move freight across state lines, a crash on one of these routes may involve a driver or company based outside Indiana. Our Indianapolis personal injury team can review where the crash happened, who was operating the truck, and which rules may apply.
Compensation and Fault in Indiana Truck Claims
Compensation in a truck accident claim depends on the injuries, the evidence, and the insurance coverage involved, and no one can responsibly give you a number before reviewing your records. Our guide on average semi-truck accident settlements in Indiana explains why averages can mislead.
What a Claim May Include
Economic damages cover measurable losses such as medical care, rehabilitation, lost income, reduced earning capacity, and property damage. Non-economic damages address pain, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, and a wrongful death claim may include medical, hospital, funeral, and burial expenses and the lost earnings of the person who died. Indiana limits punitive damages by statute under Indiana Code § 34-51-3-4, and they are meant to punish especially serious misconduct instead of covering losses.
How Comparative Fault Can Affect Your Claim
Indiana follows a modified comparative fault system under Indiana Code § 34-51-2-6. You are barred from recovery if your fault is greater than the fault of everyone else involved, and if your share is 50 percent or less, your award is reduced by that share. For example, if damages total $100,000 and a jury finds you 20 percent at fault, your recovery would be reduced by $20,000, which is an illustration and not a prediction. Insurers may claim you braked suddenly or merged into a blind spot, and electronic data and video can show what happened.
Indiana Deadlines
Indiana Code § 34-11-2-4 gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit. A wrongful death action must generally be filed by the personal representative of the estate within two years under Indiana Code § 34-23-1-1, and claims against government entities carry shorter notice rules, so ask an attorney about your exact dates. A late lawsuit may be dismissed, and evidence often fades long before two years pass.
Working With Trucking Insurers
Trucking insurers are in business to limit what they pay, and early conversations can affect your claim. A quick settlement offer may arrive before your injuries are fully known, and a settlement usually ends the claim. You have no legal obligation to give the trucking insurer a recorded statement, and open-ended questions about speed, pain, and what you were doing can be used to reduce your claim.
Seeing a doctor promptly, photographing the scene and the truck’s company name and USDOT number, and keeping records of bills and missed work all strengthen a claim. Our guide on what to do after a truck accident in Indiana adds more detail, and getting a lawyer involved early after a truck crash can help protect evidence.
Why Choose Wagner Reese for Your Truck Accident Case
Truck cases take more investigation than most injury claims, so it helps to know how our firm approaches them.
A Focus on Evidence From Day One
We review the crash, the injuries, and the companies involved, and then decide which evidence needs to be preserved first. Our attorneys send preservation requests and work with accident reconstruction professionals, medical providers, and other consultants when the facts call for it.
Prepared for Trial
We prepare each case as if it may go to trial while negotiating with insurers for fair compensation. Our firm is selective about the cases we take, which lets us focus on serious trucking and catastrophic injury claims.
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accidents in Indianapolis
These answers cover common questions not addressed above.
Do I need a different lawyer if the truck was based out of state?
Not necessarily. Many carriers cross state lines, and a crash in Indiana can still involve an out-of-state driver or company. Which court and which rules apply depends on the facts, so an attorney should review them.
How much does a truck accident lawyer cost?
Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
It may, and you should not delay care because a claim is open. Your health insurer may later ask to be repaid from a settlement, so tell your attorney about every bill and payment.
Do all truck accident claims go to trial?
No. Many claims resolve through negotiation, and our guide on how often truck crash claims go to trial explains what to expect.
How long does a truck accident claim take?
It depends on the case. Claims with clear fault and fully documented injuries may resolve sooner, while claims involving serious injuries, disputed fault, or a trial can take much longer, and waiting until your future medical needs are clearer can help protect your recovery.
What if the driver was an owner-operator or independent contractor?
The claim may be more complex, because more than one company may be involved. Our guide on crashes with self-employed truck drivers explains how this can affect compensation.
Contact Wagner Reese LLP About Your Truck Accident Claim
Trucking companies and their insurers have teams working to limit what they pay, and you deserve a legal team of your own. Our attorneys at Wagner Reese LLP bring more than 150 years of combined experience to Indiana injury claims, and they have been recognized by Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America.
If you or a family member was hurt in a truck crash in Indianapolis or anywhere in Indiana, our attorneys can review what happened, which companies may be involved, and what evidence needs to be preserved first. Contact Wagner Reese LLP to request your free case review.
