Indianapolis Truck Accidents

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Trusted by Thousands
of Satisfied Clients

Indianapolis sits at the true crossroads of American commerce, where five major interstates converge and tens of thousands of commercial trucks roll through the metro every day. When one of those trucks collides with a passenger vehicle, the results can be catastrophic, and the legal battle that follows is nothing like a standard car accident claim.

Keller & Keller has been fighting for injured Hoosiers for nearly 90 years. Our Indianapolis office has served central Indiana since 1999, and our commitment to this community goes well beyond the courtroom. Through Keller Cares, we’ve founded and sustained Samantha’s House, which provides accessible homes and wheelchair-equipped vans to families facing life-changing injuries. When veterans were displaced by a fire that destroyed HVAF of Indiana housing in 2024, our team showed up with clothing, toiletries, and essential supplies.

We are part of this city, and that shows in how we handle cases. We have recovered millions and millions of dollars for clients across the state of Indiana, and our Zero Fee Guarantee means you pay nothing unless we win.

Indianapolis’s Truck Accident Problem, By the Numbers

Marion County leads Indiana’s 92 counties in commercial vehicle crash volume, a direct result of the freight density that defines this metro. Within Indianapolis city limits alone, 30,017 total collisions occurred in 2023, including 2,082 speed-related crashes and 246 alcohol-impaired collisions.

Statewide, Indiana recorded 5,755 non-fatal large truck crashes in 2024, with 139 large trucks and buses involved in fatal crashes that year and 135 people killed. The numbers have been consistently high for years: 5,656 crashes in 2021, 5,639 in 2022, and 4,910 in 2023. Indiana ranks among the top 10 most dangerous states in the country for truck accidents, and roughly 274,000 semi-trailer trucks are registered in the state. For injured people and their families, these are life-altering events that demand experienced, aggressive legal representation.

882

Commercial vehicle crashes in Marion County in the most recent complete reporting year

11.8%

Of all fatal crashes in Indiana involve a large truck

82%

Of fatal large-truck crash victims nationally are occupants of other vehicles, not the truck

Understanding Truck Accidents in Indianapolis, New Mexico

Types of Trucks Involved in Indianapolis Accidents

Under FMCSA and NHTSA definitions, a “large truck” is any truck with a gross vehicle weight rating above 10,000 pounds. The commercial vehicle mix on Indianapolis’s interstates and freight corridors includes:

Semi and tractor-trailer:

Class 8, GVWR over 33,000 lbs, up to 80,000 lbs loaded. The dominant category in FMCSA fatal crash data.

18-wheeler:

The standard long-haul configuration on I-65 and I-70. The most common large trucks on Indianapolis’s interstate corridors.

Tanker truck:

Liquid cargo (fuel, chemicals, food-grade). FMCSA hazmat minimum liability runs $1M to $5M depending on classification.

Dump truck:

Construction and aggregate hauling, high volume in central Indiana due to ongoing INDOT roadwork.

Garbage truck:

Municipal and private refuse hauler routes run throughout Marion County; stop-and-go movement creates frequent conflict with other traffic.

Straight truck:

Box truck, refrigerated trucks, and flatbed straight trucks. Typically 10,001 to 26,000 lbs GVWR.

Delivery van and step van:

Amazon DSP, FedEx Ground, and UPS. High density in Marion County due to the FedEx hub and Amazon fulfillment network.

Concrete mixer:

Construction-related. The high and shifting center of gravity creates significant rollover risk on ramps and curves.

Who Is Liable in a Indianapolis Truck Accident

Truck crash liability is almost always multi-party. Identifying every responsible defendant is one of the most consequential steps in building your case.

Major Trucking Companies Operating in Indianapolis

Several of the country’s largest carriers operate in and around the Indianapolis metro. FMCSA’s SAFER database publishes safety ratings, crash records, and inspection history for each at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Amazon

Amazon operates 13 fulfillment and sortation centers and 11 delivery stations statewide, with over $25.5 billion invested in Indiana since 2010. A new 1 million square foot fulfillment center is planned for Greenfield, east of Indianapolis.

FedEx

Express, Ground, and Freight. The Indianapolis FedEx Express National Hub, located at Indianapolis International Airport, is the second-largest FedEx hub in the world. It processes over 2 million packages per day and handles roughly 180 flights daily. A $1.5 billion expansion is underway.

UPS

UPS operates an 893,000 square foot regional super hub in Plainfield, just west of Indianapolis. This hub serves as a primary sortation and distribution node for Indiana, Kentucky, and southern Ohio.

USPS

The U.S. Postal Service operates a 1.2 million square foot Regional Processing and Distribution Center on Indianapolis’s east side. The facility consolidates regional mail and package processing operations from across Indiana and serves as a major node in the national postal contractor long-haul network.

National Freight Carriers

J.B. Hunt, Schneider National, Werner Enterprises, XPO, Old Dominion, Estes Express, and Saia all operate LTL and truckload terminals in or near Marion County.

DHL

DHL maintains multiple Indianapolis-area operations, including a dedicated Express service center on the city’s east side and a pharma-focused air cargo facility at Indianapolis International Airport serving the region’s life sciences and healthcare sector.

Walmart Transportation

Walmart’s 2.2 million square foot next-generation fulfillment center in McCordsville, 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis, is the company’s largest fulfillment center to date. The automated facility generates significant inbound and outbound truck traffic on I-70, I-65, and I-69.

The True Cost of a Truck Accident in Indianapolis

The injuries, risks, and lasting effects that follow a serious crash.

Common Injuries That Change Everything

The weight gap between a loaded semi at up to 80,000 pounds and a passenger vehicle at 3,000 to 4,000 pounds means truck crash injuries are categorically more severe than those from car accidents. IU School of Medicine’s neurotrauma team alone consults on over 1,500 trauma patients per year, the majority involving traumatic brain injury and spinal cord cases from high-energy crashes.

Traumatic brain injuries range from mild concussion to severe brain trauma requiring lifelong care. Spinal cord injuries and paralysis are a serious risk at highway-speed impact forces. Burns from fuel tank ruptures and cargo fires can cause severe disfigurement, require multiple surgeries, and produce long-term physical and psychological consequences that extend well beyond the initial crash.

Crush injuries in underride and rollover crashes frequently cause amputations. Complex fractures of the pelvis, femur, and ribs are common at highway-speed impact forces, and internal organ damage from blunt-force trauma may not present immediately but can become life-threatening fast. PTSD and psychological trauma are recognized long-term consequences of serious truck crashes. Approximately 82% of people killed in large-truck crashes are occupants of the other vehicle.

What a Truck Accident Really Costs You in Indianapolis

FMCSA crash cost data puts the average large truck crash involving a fatality at approximately $3.6 million. The average injury crash runs approximately $200,000. Trauma-center care for moderate-to-severe injuries frequently runs $100,000 to $500,000 or more in the first year alone, and catastrophic cases involving TBI or spinal cord injury can produce lifetime care costs of $1 million to $5 million or more.

Beyond the individual, closures on I-465, I-65, and I-70 from jackknife and rollover crashes send cascading delays across the national freight system. Bridge and pavement damage from serious crashes can require multi-day shutdowns and hundreds of thousands in repair costs. Those not directly involved in crashes ultimately absorb about 75% of all crash costs through insurance premiums, taxes, and congestion.

Federal Trucking Regulations That Govern Your Claim

What to Do After a Truck Accident in Indianapolis

The steps you take in the hours after a crash directly affect what you can recover.

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What to Do After an Accident

Taking the right steps after a crash can protect both your health and your legal claim.

  1. Stay at the scene.: Leaving the scene of an injury crash can be a felony under Indiana Code § 9-26-1-1.1.
  2. Call 911.: IC § 9-26-1-1 requires law enforcement investigation and a written report for any crash involving injury, death, or property damage of at least $1,000.
  3. Document the scene.: Photograph vehicles, skid marks, debris, the truck’s DOT and MC numbers, cargo placards, road conditions, lighting, and any visible damage.
  4. Get the driver’s information.: Collect the CDL, carrier name, USDOT and MC numbers, and insurance details.
  5. Identify witnesses.: Get names and contact information from anyone who saw what happened.
  6. Seek medical attention immediately.: TBI, internal injuries, and soft-tissue injuries often don’t present symptoms at the scene. Get evaluated even if you feel fine.
  7. Do not give a recorded statement: to the trucking company’s insurer before speaking with an attorney.
  8. Preserve evidence.: Keep your damaged vehicle. Do not sign any release until your injuries are fully evaluated.
  9. Request the crash report.: Ask the investigating agency for a copy of the Indiana Officer’s Standard Crash Report (ARIES report).
  10. Call Keller & Keller immediately.: ELD and ECM data overwrite quickly. The sooner we get to work, the stronger your case.
Use arrow keys or navigation buttons to move through timeline steps. This timeline shows 10 steps in the process.

From Crash to Resolution

What We Handle For You

When you hire Keller & Keller, we get to work immediately.

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Indiana University Health building sign

Indianapolis’s Hospitals and Trauma Resources

A serious truck accident can happen miles from the nearest hospital. Knowing what level of care is available, and where, matters for your recovery and for your case.

IU Health Methodist Hospital (Level I)

IU Health Methodist is an ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center and one of three such facilities serving Marion County. Partnered with IU School of Medicine’s Department of Neurological Surgery, the hospital consults on over 1,500 trauma patients annually, with specialized care for complex brain and spinal cord injuries. IU Health LifeLine provides 24-hour helicopter and ground transport from remote crash sites throughout the region.

Ascension St. Vincent Hospital Indianapolis (Level I)

Ascension St. Vincent is an ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center and home to Indiana’s only American Burn Association-verified burn center, treating both adults and children. It is also a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center. StatFlight provides 24-hour critical-care air transport to the facility from outlying areas.

Eskenazi Health (Level I)

Eskenazi Health is an ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center serving downtown Indianapolis and the near west and south sides of Marion County.

Franciscan Health Indianapolis (Level III)

ACS-verified Level III Trauma Center in Marion County. Stabilizes patients and transfers high-level trauma to one of the three Level I centers.

Pediatric Trauma Care (Level I)

Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health is Indiana’s longest-standing Level I pediatric trauma center, ACS-verified since 1993. Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent holds a provisional Level I pediatric designation and is a Level I Children’s Surgery Center.

What Law Enforcement Does at the Scene, and Why It Matters for Your Case

Everything that happens in the first hours after a truck crash creates a permanent record that will follow your case.

Local Law Enforcement in Marion County

Three agencies share jurisdiction over crashes in and around Indianapolis. Knowing which one responded to your accident matters when you need your crash report.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD)

The largest municipal police department in Indiana. IMPD has primary jurisdiction within Indianapolis/Marion County city limits and handles crashes on city streets and local roads throughout the metro.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office

Jurisdiction covers unincorporated areas of Marion County outside Indianapolis city limits, including rural roads and county areas.

Indiana State Police

Statewide jurisdiction, including I-65, I-70, I-69, I-74, and I-465 through Marion County. ISP typically leads investigations on fatal and serious injury crashes on Indiana’s interstates and conducts commercial vehicle enforcement operations across the state.

Why Local Legal Representation Matters in Indianapolis

Understanding Indiana and Federal Law

Truck accident cases sit at the intersection of Indiana tort law and federal FMCSA regulations. Indiana’s modified comparative fault rule means fault battles are fought hard on every case, and a single percentage point of fault assigned to you reduces your recovery. FMCSA regulations create standards of care that generalist attorneys frequently miss. The Indiana Tort Claims Act’s 180-day and 270-day notice windows are among the most commonly lost deadlines in the state. Indiana’s strict product liability law and punitive damages framework (capped at the greater of 3x compensatory damages or $50,000) create recovery opportunities that only apply if an attorney pursues them.

Local Insight Matters

Our truck accident attorneys know the I-65, I-70, and I-465 corridors, the South Split, and the evidence preservation challenges that come with urban and interstate crash sites in Marion County. We know how cases move through Marion County courts, and we know the local experts who can make the difference in a contested case.

Experience That Delivers

Keller & Keller has been fighting for injured Hoosiers for nearly 90 years, with our Indianapolis office serving central Indiana since 1999. Our team is local, our knowledge is specific, and our results are real. We’ve recovered over a billion dollars for accident victims.

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The Traps Insurance Companies Set After a Truck Accident

Trucking policies start at $750,000 and run to $5 million for hazmat carriers. Larger policies mean more aggressive defense spending. Here is what to watch for:

How Keller & Keller Investigates Indiana Truck Accident Cases

Our meticulous approach to evidence gathering builds the strongest possible foundation for your claim.

Setting the INDIANA Standard

Cutting-Edge Investigation Technology

While other law firms rely on outdated methods, Keller & Keller leverages cutting-edge technology to build stronger cases and win bigger settlements for our Indiana truck accident clients.

Professional drone documentation

Capture accident scenes from angles impossible with traditional methods, revealing critical evidence like skid patterns, road defects, and sight line obstructions.

Advanced voice-over-IP networks

Enable real-time collaboration between our legal team, investigators, and expert witnesses, recording every detail.

Forensic data 
extraction

Retrieve critical pre-crash data that reveals precise speed, braking patterns, and steering inputs that often prove negligence.

Cloud-based case management

Provide real-time access to case developments, medical records, and insurance communications, 24/7.

Rapid-response investigation

Local experts mobilize to capture and preserve time-sensitive evidence throughout the scene of the accident.

Black Box and Evidence
Preservation

Truck crash cases hinge on evidence with a short shelf life. Acting fast is key.

Black Box & Electronic Data

The Electronic Control Module (ECM) and Engine Data Recorder (EDR) record speed, braking, throttle, and RPM in the minutes before a crash. That data overwrites with use, so downloading it must happen quickly, especially in brake-failure crashes on I-465 and I-65. ELD data captures driving hours, rest breaks, and potential HOS violations.

Driver cell phone records can be subpoenaed to reveal texting or app use at the moment of impact. Dashcam and inward-facing camera footage is now standard on most large carrier fleets, though retention policies range from 30 days to permanent. Dispatch and communications logs, including Qualcomm and Omnitracs messages, can expose dispatcher pressure on drivers to push past legal HOS limits.

Records, Documentation 

& Third-Party Evidence

Federal regulations require trucking companies to maintain detailed records, and those documents can make or break a case. The Driver Qualification File documents hiring and training practices and can reveal negligent retention. Vehicle maintenance and inspection records show the condition of brakes, tires, and steering over time.

Third-party video from INDOT corridor cameras, the Indianapolis Traffic Management Center, and business surveillance along I-465, I-65, and I-70 commercial corridors can provide independent documentation of the crash sequence, but much of it is overwritten within days. Most FMCSA-required records are retained for 6 months to 3 years depending on document type. A preservation-of-evidence letter sent immediately after a crash is standard practice, and often the difference between building a strong case and losing critical proof.

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Compensation that Might be Available to You

Indiana places no cap on compensatory damages in personal injury cases outside of government entity claims. The value of your case depends on the specific facts. We pursue every dollar your case deserves.

Economic Damages

Past and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, rehabilitation costs, home modifications, and in-home care.

Non-Economic Damages

Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, disfigurement, and loss of consortium.

Punitive Damages

Available in Indiana for willful, wanton, reckless, or fraudulent conduct. Capped at the greater of 3x compensatory damages or $50,000. Not recoverable against government defendants.

Wrongful Death Damages

Surviving family members may recover for funeral and burial costs, lost financial support, lost services, and loss of companionship.

The value of your claim depends on the specific facts of your case. We pursue every dollar your case deserves.

Results That Speak 
for Themselves

Keller & Keller has recovered over a billion dollars for clients.

$48.5M

Settlement for a man killed in a head-on collision with a commercial truck

$20M

Mediated settlement in a semi-truck accident

$5.75M

Mediated settlement for an auto accident

$1.7M

Settlement for a vehicle passenger injured in a head-on collision

$775K

Settlement for a motorcycle rider injured by a tractor-trailer driver’s negligence

$700K

Settlement for a driver struck by a tractor-trailer

Disclaimer: Results vary based on the unique facts of each case and should not create expectations for future outcomes.

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Real Client Success Stories

We’ve helped millions of injured people pursue compensation—hear how Keller & Keller made a difference in their cases.

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Your Truck Accident Claim Starts Here

Free Consultation

If you’ve been hurt in an Indianapolis truck accident, don’t face the insurance companies alone. We’ll evaluate your case at no cost and no obligation; just straight answers about your options and what your case may be worth.

We Fight

From the moment you hire us, our team gets to work. We investigate, gather evidence, handle every insurance communication, and fight for the maximum compensation your case deserves. You focus on getting better. We handle the rest.

You Recover

Can’t make it to our Indianapolis office? We’ll come to you, whether at your home, the hospital, or wherever is most convenient. We fight for every client the way we’d fight for our own family, because that is exactly how we see the people who call us.

Zero Fee Guarantee

We believe everyone deserves quality legal representation, regardless of their financial situation. That’s why we work on a contingency basis. You pay absolutely nothing unless and until we win your case. No upfront costs, no hidden fees, no financial risk to you.

* Clients may owe court costs if they lose

Free initial consultation
No retainer fees or hourly billing
We cover all case expenses upfront
You only pay when we recover money for you

Frequently Asked Questions

Have Questions? We’re here to help.

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6301 Indian School Rd NE #920
Albuquerque, NM 87110

(505) 938-2300