Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyer

Trusted Indianapolis truck accident lawyers with over 50 years of combined experience.

At Pavlack Law, LLC, our Indianapolis, IN truck accident lawyer has been representing injured Hoosiers for decades, and we take these cases on contingency, meaning no fee unless we recover for you. Call us today to schedule your consultation.

Truck Accident Lawyer Indianapolis, IN

Our Indianapolis truck accident lawyer represents people hurt in collisions involving commercial vehicles, including semis, tractor-trailers, box trucks, delivery vans, and dump trucks. These cases may look like ordinary car accident cases on the surface, but they involve a different body of law and far more complicated investigations.

Trucking is governed by federal regulations the average driver never thinks about, including hours-of-service rules, maintenance logs, drug and alcohol testing, cargo securement standards, and electronic logging requirements. A serious truck wreck almost always involves multiple defendants, such as the driver, the motor carrier, a broker, a maintenance contractor, or a cargo loader. Sorting out who is responsible takes investigation, and the evidence can disappear quickly if no one acts to preserve it.

Types of Truck Accident Cases We Handle in Indianapolis

We have represented clients in nearly every kind of commercial vehicle crash that happens on Indiana roads. The mechanics of each case differ, but the playbook from the trucking company’s side is usually the same: deny, delay, and shift blame to the other driver. Below are the cases we handle most often.

• Semi-truck and tractor-trailer crashes. These wrecks produce some of the worst injuries on the road. We pull driver logs, ECM data, and dispatch records before the carrier has a chance to claim those records were lost or recycled.
• Rear-end collisions. A loaded semi traveling 55 mph needs roughly the length of two football fields to stop. When a trucker is not paying attention, the vehicle in front pays the price.
• Jackknife and rollover accidents. These crashes are often tied to excessive speed, brake failure, or improperly loaded cargo, and they typically turn on physical evidence and accident reconstruction.
• Underride collisions. When a passenger car slides beneath a trailer, the results are catastrophic. Federal underride guard regulations matter here, and we know how to apply them in litigation.
• Intersection crashes. Box trucks and local delivery vehicles cause a surprising number of serious wrecks at city intersections, where driver fatigue and tight delivery schedules play a meaningful role.
• Drunk driving accidents. Federal law holds CDL holders to a stricter blood alcohol standard than other drivers, and we pursue both compensatory and punitive damages where the evidence supports it.
• Hit-and-run accidents. Sometimes a commercial driver does not stop after a collision. We work with law enforcement and use DOT records to identify the carrier when the driver flees.
• Uninsured or underinsured accidents. Even commercial policies have limits, and when damages exceed coverage, your own UM/UIM policy can fill the gap. Most people do not realize this protection exists.
• Crashes with independent contractor drivers. Trucking companies often try to dodge liability by labeling drivers as contractors, but the law is not always on their side. We know how to push back on that defense.
• Wrongful death. When a family loses someone, the case becomes about more than medical bills. We handle wrongful death actions with the care these matters require.

Every case begins with a thorough investigation. Our Indianapolis truck accident lawyer can send preservation letters within days of being retained, hire reconstruction specialists when the facts call for them, and work to obtain evidence in truck accident cases before it is destroyed or overwritten.

Why Choose Pavlack Law, LLC for Truck Accident Cases in Indianapolis, IN?

Local Knowledge and Federal Court Experience

Founder Eric Pavlack has practiced law in Indiana since 1999. He earned his B.S. in Biology and his J.D. from Indiana University, and he is admitted to practice in Indiana state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Indiana, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. That federal court admission matters in trucking cases, because many of these lawsuits end up in federal court when the carriers are based out of state. Eric has been recognized as a Super Lawyer every year from 2015 through 2025, and previously as a Super Lawyers Rising Star.

Colin Flora and Lance Ladendorf also handle truck accident cases for the firm. Together, our three Indianapolis truck accident attorneys bring roughly 50 years of combined practice to every file that comes through our doors.

Proven Results

We have recovered millions of dollars for injured clients across Indiana, including settlements in semi-truck cases, ambulance transport crashes, and wrongful death actions arising from motor vehicle negligence. As an Indianapolis personal injury lawyer firm, we focus our practice on the people we represent rather than on volume. Eric is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice. We work on contingency, which means there is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.

Indianapolis Truck Accident Infographic

Understanding Truck Accident Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation in Truck Accident Cases

Indiana follows a modified comparative fault rule. If you are 50 percent or less at fault, you can still recover compensation, although your award is reduced by your share of fault. If your fault crosses 51 percent, recovery is barred entirely. That is one reason insurance adjusters work so hard to pin some percentage of blame on injured victims.

Damages in a truck case typically include the following categories:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and lost earning capacity
• Property damage to your vehicle and personal property
• Pain and suffering
• Permanent impairment or disfigurement
• Loss of consortium for a spouse
• Punitive damages, in cases involving egregious conduct such as impaired driving

Liability can extend well beyond the driver who hit you. The trucking company, a maintenance vendor, the cargo loader, a broker, or even a parts manufacturer may share responsibility depending on what caused the wreck and what records show.

Important Aspects of Your Truck Accident Case

A few things matter more in truck cases than in ordinary car wrecks, and our Indianapolis truck accident lawyer can pay close attention to all of them from the moment we open a file.

• Driver hours-of-service logs and electronic logging device data
• Truck maintenance and inspection records, including pre-trip and post-trip reports
• Drug and alcohol test results from immediately after the crash
• Cargo manifests, weight tickets, and loading records
• The carrier’s safety record and history of prior violations

Catching these records early is critical. Federal regulations only require carriers to retain certain hours-of-service logs for six months, and other records have similarly short retention windows.

Truck Accident Case Timeline

Truck cases generally take longer to resolve than passenger vehicle cases because of the additional parties, records, and experts involved. A rough timeline looks like this:

• Investigation and evidence preservation during the first several weeks
• Medical treatment that continues until you reach maximum medical improvement
• A demand letter and pre-suit negotiation with the insurance carriers
• Filing the lawsuit, if needed, and conducting written and deposition discovery
• Mediation or further settlement discussions
• Trial, if the case does not resolve through negotiation

Some matters resolve in under a year, while others take two or three years. Patience usually pays off in these cases, and there are real reasons truck accident settlements take time when the facts are complicated.

What to Bring to Your Truck Accident Consultation

Bring whatever you have available, and we will work with you to gather whatever you do not.

• The police or crash report, if one has been issued
• Photos of the vehicles, the scene, and your visible injuries
• Medical records and bills you have received so far
• Insurance information for everyone involved in the collision
• Any correspondence you have received from the trucking company or its insurer

The consultation typically lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Our Indianapolis truck accident attorney will walk through the facts of what happened, explain what we would investigate, and answer any questions you have about the process.

Indiana Legal Resources for Truck Accidents

The references below are starting points if you would like to look up the law on your own. They are general resources rather than a substitute for legal advice on your specific situation.

• The Indiana statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is two years, set forth at Indiana Code 34-11-2-4.
• Indiana’s modified comparative fault statute, which governs how fault affects recovery, appears in the Indiana Comparative Fault Act.
• The Indiana Wrongful Death Act governs damages when a truck crash causes a fatality.
• Federal trucking regulations are issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
• Crash data and roadway safety statistics are available from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute.

Reach Out to Pavlack Law, LLC to Schedule a Consultation

If a commercial truck has turned your life upside down, talk to our attorneys about your options. The consultation is free, and we do not collect a fee unless we recover compensation for you. We will explain where you stand legally, what we would do next to build your case, and what your claim is realistically worth. Contact our team to work with our Indianapolis truck accident lawyer!

Indianapolis Truck Accident Statistics

A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh 20 to 30 times what a passenger car does, and it needs far more room to stop. Large trucks require extra stopping distance that only grows on wet roads or with worn brakes, and in a recent year more than 4,300 people died in large-truck crashes across the country. Indianapolis carries more of that risk than most cities its size, because it sits where several major interstates meet and freight moves through the region day and night. Those physics, and that volume, are why these claims turn on details an ordinary car crash never raises, and why injuries like spinal cord damage are so common.

Types of Evidence Used in Truck Accident Cases

A truck case is not a bigger car case. It runs on a paper and data trail that a passenger-vehicle crash never produces, and much of it sits in the trucking company’s hands until someone forces the issue. Obtaining evidence early often decides a case. These are the pieces we go after.

• The police crash report. The responding officer documents the scene, the vehicles, and any citations. We pull the official crash report and use it as a starting framework, not the final word.
• The truck’s onboard data. Many rigs record speed, braking, throttle, and more through the engine control module and event data recorder. That data can confirm what a driver did in the seconds before impact, but it can be overwritten.
• Hours-of-service logs. Electronic logging devices track how long a driver has been working. These logs show whether a fatigued driver was on the road past federal limits, which points straight at both the driver and the carrier.
• The driver qualification file. Hiring records, training, prior violations, and medical certifications live here. A weak file can show that the trucking company put an unfit driver behind the wheel.
• Maintenance and inspection records. Brakes, tires, and steering need upkeep. Maintenance records can reveal skipped service or known defects that a company ignored to keep the truck running.
• Cargo and weight documents. Bills of lading and loading records show whether a trailer was overloaded or poorly secured. A shifting or spilled load can pull additional parties into the case.
• The truck and trailer themselves. The physical vehicles carry evidence, from tire condition to damage patterns. We move quickly to inspect and preserve them before repairs erase the proof.
• Camera footage. Dashcams, nearby business cameras, and traffic cameras can capture the crash directly. This footage disappears on short retention cycles, so a fast preservation request matters.

Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyer FAQs

These answers cover questions asked by our clients. If your question is not here, a short and free call is the fastest way to get a clear answer for your own situation.

How much does a truck accident lawyer cost?

Nothing up front. We take truck accident cases on contingency, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover for you, and the first consultation is free. The fee comes out of the recovery at the end, not from your pocket while you are still healing.

How long do I have to file a truck accident claim in Indiana?

Indiana generally allows two years from the date of the crash under its statute of limitations. Some situations shorten that window. Because truck evidence can disappear quickly, it is wise to act well before the deadline rather than near it.

What if I was partly at fault for the crash?

You may still recover. Indiana uses modified comparative fault, so your share of fault reduces a recovery rather than erasing it, unless that share passes half. Insurers often try to shift blame, which is one reason early investigation matters.

Why is a truck case more complex than a car case?

A truck crash can involve the driver, the carrier, a maintenance contractor, and a cargo loader, plus federal rules that never touch a car accident claim. More defendants and more evidence mean more ways to prove liability, and more parties trying to avoid it.

What determines the value of a truck accident claim?

Value turns on the severity of the injuries, the cost of future care, lost earning capacity, and how clear liability is. Cases with permanent injuries like a brain injury and strong evidence carry the most weight, and our case results reflect how wide that range can run.

Should I accept the insurance company’s first offer?

Usually not. A fast offer often arrives before the full injury is known and tends to fall well short of the claim’s real value. You do not have to accept anything or give a recorded statement. Let us review any offer before you respond.

What if I was working when the truck hit me?

You may have more than one source of recovery. Beyond workers’ compensation, an injury caused by a negligent trucking company can support a third-party claim against the at-fault parties. We can sort out how those claims fit together.

Do I still have a claim if the driver was not ticketed?

Yes. A ticket helps, but it is not required. A civil claim has a different standard than a traffic citation, and evidence like logs, onboard data, and impaired driving records can establish fault even when no citation was issued.

What if my loved one died in a truck crash?

When a truck crash is fatal, surviving family may have a wrongful death claim with its own deadline and rules about who may file. It is a separate path from an injury claim, and we can walk your family through it privately and without pressure.

Will my truck accident case go to trial?

Most resolve through settlement. We still prepare each case as if it will be tried, because that readiness tends to move the carrier and its insurer toward a fair number. If trial turns out to be the right call, we are ready for it.

Local Information for Indianapolis Truck Accident Cases

Truck crashes in and around Indianapolis often cause catastrophic injuries. Where the crash happens, and which agency responds, both shape the case.

Most Dangerous Locations for Truck Accidents in Indianapolis

Indianapolis is built around freight. It sits at the crossing of several interstates, which is why heavy truck traffic concentrates on a handful of high-speed routes. IIHS large-truck data shows that most people killed in these crashes are in the other vehicle, and that a large share of those deaths occur on interstates and major roads. In this area, the routes below carry the heaviest commercial volume:

• I-465. The beltway looping the city funnels through-traffic and local trucks together, with frequent merging near interchanges.
• I-65 and I-70. These cross-country freight corridors meet downtown, where lane splits and the North Split see heavy semi traffic.
• I-69 and I-74. Regional connectors that feed distribution centers and add truck volume on the city’s edges.

The contrast between interstates and rural roads matters, because speed and stopping distance change how severe a crash becomes.

What Are Important Local Resources for Indianapolis Truck Accident Cases?

Each of these is a public point of contact after a commercial-vehicle crash in the area.

• Indiana State Police. (317) 899-8577. The Indianapolis District handles highway crashes and commercial-vehicle enforcement, and the state maintains crash reports.
• Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. (317) 327-3811 for non-emergencies. Responds to crashes within the city and produces local incident reports.
• Eskenazi Health. (317) 880-0000. Operates the state’s first adult Level I trauma center for severe injuries.

We list these only as public resources. Pavlack Law, LLC is not affiliated with any of them, and naming them here is not an endorsement of them or by them.

About Pavlack Law, LLC

Our firm belongs to the American Association for Justice and represents injured people and families, never trucking companies or their insurers. Among our results is a $450,000 settlement for a client who suffered a back injury in a semi-truck crash. Pavlack Law, LLC takes truck accident cases on contingency, so you owe no fee unless we recover for you. Cases involving maintenance records and multiple defendants can take time, and we prepare them to be tried when that is what a fair result requires.

What Our Clients Say

★★★★★

“Pavlack Law LLC represented us in a very professional and respectful manner. From our very first meeting Eric showed us he was flexible and understanding to our needs. We experienced nothing but first class representation. We appreciate the knowledge Eric and his staff provided along with the feeling we were always a top priority. Our story is a true example of why Pavlack Law would be our recommendation for anyone in need of representation.”

Cory Whistler

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Contact Pavlack Law, LLC

If a commercial truck hurt you or someone you love, we are ready to look at what happened. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we recover for you. We will listen, explain how a truck accident claim works against the carrier and its insurer, and tell you honestly where we think you stand. There is no pressure to decide today. When you are ready, contact us and a member of our firm will follow up promptly.